Core Concepts

1. What is ToolMarketing?

ToolMarketing is a methodology based on building a functional solution — software, service, or structure — capable of activating marketing tactics through recurring value delivery. Instead of relying on campaigns, ads, or isolated persuasion, the tool becomes an autonomous channel for acquisition, relationship, and intelligence.

2. Recurring Value Tool (RVT)

The RVT is the engine of the strategy. Unlike a lead magnet or disposable content, the RVT is a functional asset — digital, physical, or hybrid — that users return to because it solves a real problem in a practical and continuous way. Its role is to concentrate value, retain users, and drive conversion through usage.

3. Software as Marketing

Software as Marketing is the digital application of a functional solution as the central piece of the acquisition and relationship strategy. Here, software stops being just a product and starts operating as an active marketing channel, guiding behavior, collecting data, and generating conversion through utility.

4. Service as Marketing

Service as Marketing is the physical or in-person application of a functional solution as the central piece of the acquisition and relationship strategy. In this model, service stops being just execution and becomes a channel for continuous value, relationship, and conversion.

5. Infrastructure as Marketing

Infrastructure as Marketing is the construction of a functional infrastructure that, beyond supporting operations, acts as a strategic asset for acquisition, distribution, and intelligence. Here, the space, system, or structure also becomes a marketing channel.

6. Software as Magnet

Software as Magnet is the use of specific software designed to attract users through immediate utility. Unlike ToolMarketing, its main role is to capture attention and generate entry. It is useful for acquisition, but does not necessarily sustain relationship, recurrence, or continuous value.

7. Tool Behavior Model (TBM)

The Tool Behavior Model defines how a tool behaves logically. Instead of a static funnel, the tool follows decision flows based on behavior, intention, and need. TBM organizes the structural logic of the experience and determines how the user progresses inside the tool.

8. Cycle

Cycle is a linear and predictable behavior. The user moves through a logical sequence of stages until conversion. It is ideal for simple, sequential, and repeatable processes.

9. Gearshift

Gearshift is a behavior of progression and return. The user can move backward, review decisions, and condition the next step according to their current moment. It is useful for journeys involving validation, comparison, or reconsideration.

10. Graph

Graph is a non-linear navigation model. The user journey is shaped by choices made within the tool, generating multiple possible paths according to intent, profile, or need. It is a more flexible, adaptive, and intelligent model.

11. Orbit

Orbit is the combination of Cycles, Gearshifts, and Graphs around different objectives. In this model, the user does not follow a single journey: they orbit between different needs, functionalities, and value points within the same ecosystem.

12. Functionality-Based Segmentation

Instead of segmenting by job title, age, or declared interest, ToolMarketing segments by functionality. Users are classified by the function they use, the problem they are trying to solve, and the behavior they demonstrate within the tool.

13. Functionality Driven Intelligence (FDI)

Functionality Driven Intelligence is intelligence generated through usage. The tool interprets behavior, intent, and context based on the actions performed by the user, enabling functional segmentation, need recognition, and more precise marketing decisions.

14. Functionality Driven Experience (FDE)

Functionality Driven Experience is an action-centered experience. In this model, design does not exist to entertain or merely persuade, but to facilitate the execution of a task that delivers immediate value. The experience is built on utility, not stimulation.

PrePrint version published on Zenodo under DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15165196

Reference: MARTINEZ, Diego. Marketing de Ferramenta: Uma nova estratégia baseada em ferramentas de valor recorrente. Zenodo, 2025. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15165196

Diego Martinez: LinkedIn – Instagram – GitHub – diegomartinez.org