How to capture customer attention with a key message strategy
Every business-to-business (B2B) organisation faces the same sales and marketing challenge: how do you capture your ideal customer’s attention to ensure they listen to your message and not your competitors?
If you offer complex solutions, and have a longer sales cycle, you may also find this challenge increases exponentially. As such, from the first introduction to your brand at the top of the sales funnel right through to your sales executives closing the deal, it’s critical that every interaction a prospect has with your business is consistent. This means that every message you put into the market, in any form, needs to connect back to the business in a consistent way, regardless of the team or department it originated from.
One of the biggest disconnects in business can be between the sales and marketing strategy and how the different teams communicate your message to your customers. A successful sales and marketing strategy will align these two disparate functions to ensure every person is on the same page. In addition, it will also take into account two distinct factors: your brand message (e.g., what you want to tell the market about your business and its products and services), and how it is delivered (e.g., your content).
The sales and marketing content challenge
Although it can vary depending on the industry, product, or service on offer, a B2B prospect is typically quite far into the sales cycle before they speak to a sales executive. Forrester research suggests that around 74 per cent of the buyer’s journey is completed before a prospect engages with a sales representative. (1)
During this initial phase, prospects often conduct extensive online research, which may involve reading articles, whitepapers, case studies, and customer reviews, among other content your business creates and promotes in the market. They’ll also encounter various advertisements, including display ads, social media promotions, and sponsored content. This research helps them form an understanding of the industry landscape, evaluate potential solutions, and narrow down their options before reaching out to a salesperson.
Data shows content is essential in moving a prospect through the sales funnel:
- 40 per cent of marketing professionals consider content marketing to be a crucial element of their overall strategy (2), with 81 per cent (3) of companies recognising content as a vital business strategy
- there is compelling evidence to suggest that content marketing is highly effective for lead nurturing (60 per cent) (4), revenue generation (51 per cent) (5), and cultivating a subscriber base (47 per cent) (6)
- 10 per cent of marketing experts who maintain blogs also report that it delivers the highest return on investment (ROI). (7)
Great content not only presents your organisation as a trusted expert in your field, but it also shows prospective customers that you understand their specific business challenges and can solve them. However, if your marketing materials say one thing and your sales executives in the field say another, your business will appear inconsistent, disorganised, and unlikely to deliver on your key promises.
Having content in the market is important, but a consistent message is the real differentiator.
Consistent brand messaging is key
Expertise exists across every organisation: research and development (R&D) teams understand customer pain points and why specific products or services are developed to solve those challenges; sales teams understand their customers’ operating environment and challenges; and marketing teams understand how to articulate the message that customers need to hear and why their products are differentiated.
The problem is that there is often a disconnect between these different departments and their knowledge lives in silos. This impacts all messaging, leaving important gaps in everything from social media posts to brochures to pitch decks and what sales executives say in meetings.
The second challenge is more specific to the sales team. In every sector, but particularly in complex sales environments, knowledge is the driving force behind success. The effectiveness of a sales representative’s efforts hinges on their expertise and how well they understand the solutions they sell and how these align to their customers’ operating environments and challenges. Product knowledge is the foundation of these discussions, even if the sales discussion is more value-based than product-based.
In an era where B2B buyers are more informed than ever (thanks to the aforementioned online research that’s taking place across every industry), sales executives must possess an in-depth understanding of their solution; basic knowledge just won’t cut it, especially when buyers are looking for trusted advisors. What’s the key to equipping your sales team with comprehensive industry and product knowledge that links to key customer pain points? You’ve guessed it: clear, consistent brand messaging that draws from the depth and breadth of the knowledge and expertise inside your organisation.
How to build a message strategy that attracts customers
So, how do you unlock that expertise and then create a consistent key messaging framework that everyone in your organisation can access and leverage?
We’ve compiled a few handy tips that you can use to get started.
1. Identify your subject matter experts
Every department will have key insights into your business, your solutions, and how your operating model supports customers. Map out each department and who the subject matter expert (SME) is within that department that will be able to share the greatest insights around:
- how your business operates
- what solutions are on offer
- key customer pain points that you solve
- how your operating model supports customers
- the general customer experience with your business
- your key differentiators
- why customers should care.
2. Approach your SMEs
Approaching the sales and marketing teams within your organisation will be simple, as these are people who are well-versed in the importance of creating content and conversations to support your business success. However, what many business leaders don’t always realise is that, while sales and marketing people love talking about their solutions, so does everyone else. If an employee is proud of their department and the value they add to colleagues and clients, and they feel aligned to the company’s purpose, they will enjoy sharing their knowledge, expertise, and why your business is better than your competitors. You just need to tap into them.
However, particularly for technical experts, context is important so that they understand what you are looking for and so that they can adequately prepare.
Before setting up any meeting or interviews within your team, create a brief that lets your chosen experts know:
- why you have selected them
- what the project is (i.e., creating consistent messaging)
- why you are requesting their involvement
- what the process involves.
3. Create the process
Your goal is to streamline this process, unlock silos, and ensure that you cover all aspects of the business to create your key brand messaging and the supporting message strategy.
Your process should cover:
- who needs to be in the same interviews
- when the interviews will take place
- who will conduct the interviews and how the content will be captured
- how interview notes will be organised into standardised working documents
- who will review and approve the content and core messaging.
4. Select a messaging framework
A key messaging framework is a concise, structured outline that captures the core ideas and key messages that your organisation will convey to your target audience at the end of this process. Using a messaging framework means you can guide this entire process and ensure that you capture the key details you need to create consistent messaging.
Once you have completed the process, you will also have a tool that captures and articulates the most essential elements of your value proposition and unique selling points that everyone across your business can access. This will ensure your business maintains clarity and coherence in your messaging, which ultimately helps to build a strong brand identity that resonates with customers.
To identify the right message framework for your needs:
- define your objectives
- assess your solution’s complexity
- review existing templates
- determine if you need to customise a template for your needs
- review templates based on user-friendliness
- ensure the template aligns with your overarching brand strategy.
5. Work with a messaging expert partner
The success of a process and messaging framework that unlocks siloed expertise across your organisation comes down to the tools and expertise at your disposal.
However, uncovering the knowledge, experience, and proof points that exist across different silos in a business can be time consuming and difficult to articulate to the broader market. The result is inconsistent messaging that doesn’t adequately showcase an organisation as an authority in its field or how a product or solution addresses key client challenges. Businesses not viewed as authorities compete on price, or worse, are ignored.
Working with a partner that specialises in creating consistent B2B messaging will help your team to:
- identify specific value proposition pillars
- unpack the solutions you offer and how they align with key customer pain points
- unpack how your teams can align to a consistent message that really resonates
- ensure you are recognised in the market as experts and trusted advisors.
Expert support when you need it
Outsource—part of The Recognition Group, Australia’s leading group of PR and marketing specialists—has more than 35 years of experience helping to build and execute powerful marketing campaigns for B2B companies that sell complex, high-value products or services, as well as create successful strategic messaging frameworks that make a difference.
Guided by Outsource’s specialist B2B and ICT marketing consultants, the Key Message Development Program helps your business create a clear message and supporting strategy that articulates how your business and solution is not just like everybody else’s, and what sets your solution apart from your competitors.
The dedicated key messaging framework workshop will help your business work through value pillars, identify key customer pain points, and align your solutions with those pain points, giving you the words you need to clearly articulate your differentiators, how you solve your customers’ problems, and the value you bring to their businesses.
The Key Message Development Program is a powerful tool that moves businesses away from a ‘features and benefits’ conversation towards a value discussion.
For more information on how Outsource’s dedicated team of B2B experts can help your business align your organisation’s sales and marketing teams through the Key Message Development Program, contact the team today.
Bibliography
- https://www.forrester.com/blogs/15-05-25-myth_busting_101_insights_intothe_b2b_buyer_journey/
- https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics?hubs_post=blog.hubspot.com%2Fmarketing%2Fcontent-creation&hubs_post-cta=40%25&_ga=2.137691064.945588289.1681184606-824926316.1680669075&_gl=1*ti1d8c*_ga*ODI0OTI2MzE2LjE2ODA2NjkwNzU.*_ga_LXTM6CQ0XK*MTY4MTE5MjgyNS4yLjAuMTY4MTE5MjgyNi4wLjAuMA..
- https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021-content-management-strategy-final.pdf
- https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/b2b-industry-benchmarks-budgets-trends-research/
- https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/b2b-industry-benchmarks-budgets-trends-research/
- https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/articles/b2b-industry-benchmarks-budgets-trends-research/
- https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics?hubs_post=blog.hubspot.com%2Fmarketing%2Fcontent-creation&hubs_post-cta=biggest%20return%20on%20investment&_ga=2.57341474.945588289.1681184606-824926316.1680669075&_gl=1*1uuxdk7*_ga*ODI0OTI2MzE2LjE2ODA2NjkwNzU.*_ga_LXTM6CQ0XK*MTY4MTE5MjgyNS4yLjEuMTY4MTE5Mjg3OC4wLjAuMA..
