Challenge

Establish clear, unified messaging for a crowded HBA market

AWS needed a clear, scalable messaging framework to align sales and marketing teams speaking to independent software vendors building horizontal business applications. The category is saturated and fast-moving. HBAs face global competition, thin margins, and pressure to ship fast. Messaging had to reflect market reality, investor expectations, and AI-driven differentiation. It also had to move internal conversations from feature-led to business-led, with emphasis on profitable growth, go-to-market scale, and data maturity.

Solution

Build a research-driven narrative and positioning framework

I carried out independent market research and analysed client inputs to build a structured positioning and messaging framework. I mapped the HBA landscape, key growth pressures, and buying motivations across product and revenue leadership. I defined a core narrative, value pillars, proof points, and persona-specific language. The work reframed cloud technologies from infrastructure alone to a powerful growth engine: GTM acceleration, modern SaaS foundations, and cutting-edge AI toolkits. The framework included elevator pitches of varying lengths, problem-to-value mapping, and voice guidelines to support field teams and content owners. Delivered as a comprehensive document ready for internal rollout.

  • “Software companies that sell horizontal business apps (HBAs) operate in one of the most competitive SaaS categories. Amazon Web Services (AWS) can help you accelerate go-to-market and increase customer exposure, modernize your SaaS architecture, and differentiate your products with AI.”

  • “AWS is uniquely positioned to help HBA providers innovate and scale their businesses. Whenever a software or technology company engages with AWS, they are engaging with a strategic partner, not just a vendor.”

  • “Margins are tight, customer expectations are rising, and industry-specific competitors are gaining traction. To succeed you need strategic partners, not vendors.”

  • "By working with AWS, HBA providers can list their products on AWS Marketplace and reach an audience of over 310,000 active customers."

Results

Align teams around a scalable go-to-market message

The framework equipped AWS sales and marketing teams with a unified story that clarified how AWS supports HBA providers’ commercial priorities.

  • Strategic clarity

    Defined a consistent narrative anchored in profitable growth, distribution scale, and AI-readiness.

  • Faster alignment

    Approved quickly and built for direct adoption by sales and marketing teams.

Flexible positioning

Provided structured messaging models for campaigns, partner communications, and enablement assets.