Have you ever heard of “whisper down the lane”? It involves a group of people whispering a message from one person to another until the last player announces it to the entire group. As you can imagine, the messages the first and last person heard are usually quite different. Hilarity ensues – which is great for a party game. But not so much for your B2B messaging. As your messaging goes from person to person, it is possible the message can change.
That’s why we encourage our clients to create a B2B messaging platform document to ensure the whole company speaks with one voice. The consistency of staying “on message” is significant to solidifying your position in the marketplace and driving your B2B marketing program. But before you create your messaging plan and share it across your organization, you have to do some prep work.
Before creating a messaging platform:
- Fully define your customer personas
- Map out the journeys your personas take to become customers
- Identify your market position to shift industry notice from your competitors to you
- Establish a clear and compelling unique selling proposition (USP)
Initially, you must conduct this supporting research and analyze the results in light of your marketing goals. Subsequently, you’re ready to create a messaging platform document. It should speak to the needs and pain points of your personas and compel them to purchase your products or services. It will also help to keep your marketing efforts consistent across tactics and team members.
What to include:
- Positioning strategy
- B2B messaging strategy
- USP
- Specific messaging everyone in your company will use to communicate the new position through all marketing channels
- Key messages and talking points you want potential customers and the industry to know about your company
- Boilerplate for press releases
- Responses to specific questions that your marketing and sales team may face at trade shows, on customer calls or while talking to the media
To learn more about how to research and create the B2B buyer personas that will guide your messaging platform, download our free eBook.
All marketing tactics should be thought of as part of a larger whole, rather than separate pieces. By strategically integrating all marketing tactics, the marketing programs become more effective and cost efficient. As a B2B agency, we developed B2B 360 Integrated Digital Marketing to meet this improved performance need. To learn more about how it will benefit your business, download our free eBook: B2B Top-Tier Tech Marketing.
