Five Principles for Powerful B2B Messaging

1. Commit to the process.

B2B marketers are often consensus builders – balancing multiple stakeholders’ priorities to ensure the organization is marching in the same direction.

When it comes to messaging, the natural tendency may be to do the same – to let everyone, from Sales to Development, from HR to the board room, help craft the message. We think that’s a mistake: what pleases everybody frequently satisfies no one. Especially the person who matters: the buyer.

While there is no “one size fits all” recipe for message development, by applying a thorough, data-driven process, marketers can enable their organization to uncover a message that compels audiences and generates demand.

Regardless of approach…

• Develop your positioning first – at its core, the message is a snappy, memorable, distinctive distillation of your market position.
• Avoid too many cooks in the kitchen – otherwise, you risk ending up with a message built on competing priorities that means nothing and says even less.
• Get ready to be uncomfortable – strong messaging communicates strengths and benefits. To uncover those, you’ll also need to understand your gaps and weaknesses.

2. Do one thing – and do it well.

What one word do you associate with BMW cars? It’s likely performance, or something similar, comes to mind first. And there’s a reason: the legendary automaker has for decades described itself as “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” Powerful messaging strikes that one chord your competitors simply can’t.

Most B2B tech companies have complex solutions and services, which can be challenging to distill into a singular message. But you can’t be everything to everyone. BMW could equally lay claim to luxury, safety, design – but they stake their claim on performance, and own it.

To truly differentiate, you must know your “special sauce” and stick to the recipe. You can do that by…

• Living your differentiators – if you can visit your homepage, hide the logo and company name, and what’s left could work for a competitor, you haven’t hit the mark.
• Not over-messaging – whether it’s 100+ words on a tradeshow booth or spelling out every detail of your product in a fact sheet, less is always more.
• Proving it – Without the proof points or data to back up your messaging, all you have are empty claims.

3. Make the complex simple and the simple compelling.

Whether launching a new product or amplifying mature portfolios, success always starts with a strong, succinct, defendable message. Besides a robust process, effective messaging also requires quality writing. And that requires time.

In your urgency to get to market, avoid rushing the message. It’s our job as marketers to make “the complex simple and the simple compelling.” A couple days of extra polishing – with the mission to use fewer, but stronger words – can transform a humdrum pitch into corporate poetry!

We recommend…

• Taking your elevator pitch literally – we mean it! Get in the office elevator, embrace the weird looks from your co-workers, and see if you can deliver your pitch in the time it takes to go five floors. If not, it’s back to the editing desk.
• Letting boilerplates breathe – ditch that stale, standard boilerplate loaded with buzzwords. Instead, take a lively, informal tone and explain in plain English who your product helps, how, and what makes it superior.
• Writing as you would speak – keep your message straightforward and concise. Lean into your brand’s personality and write as if face-to-face with a real, live audience. Nothing builds a better connection than genuine conversation.