Why your company needs Meaningful Messaging
“How do we differentiate our messaging when everyone in our space says the same thing?”
It’s a question that every product marketer has asked at some point. And with good reason. There’s so much competition. So much noise. It seems like every tech company is shouting the same stuff:
Seamless! AI-Powered! End-to-end! Scalable! Best in class! All-in-one!
I call it the “Tech Talk Epidemic.”
In an effort to compete in ultra-crowded markets, tech companies of all shapes and sizes are using the same buzzwords to describe the uniqueness of their solutions.
This “Tech Talk” is intended to convey the awesomeness of your technology. Instead, these common words and phrases blend into the noise of your competition and the imitation game.
And this causes prospects to automatically tune out the Tech Talk, including your solution. Even if it’s precisely what they need.
The real reason Tech Talk doesn’t work
Jargon and buzzwords aren’t the only reasons Tech Talk doesn’t work. There’s a bigger reason. The real issue is Tech Talk’s purely rational approach to messaging. It aims to convince the reader that the solution is the best, based on the fact of features.
But that’s not how people decide to buy. Even in B2B.
The common saying is that “people buy based on emotion, and then later justify with logic.” According to Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, 95% of our purchase decisions take place unconsciously.
People aren’t buying your technology. They’re buying better versions of themselves.
No one wakes up at 3am in a cold sweat, desperate for more machine learning in their life.
Your prospects are motivated by their own challenges, desires and fears. Like performing better at work. Or feeling less stressed. Or looking good in front of their boss. Or having more fun.
Your messaging must speak to what your prospect TRULY cares about. It must connect the dots between your product and their world.
The Meaningful Messaging approach is the antidote to “Tech Talk” and the way to make your technology resonate with your prospects on a deeper, more human level.
Meaningful messaging in B2B deals in truth and instantly makes your technology more meaningful to people – and that’s the secret to real differentiation.
The Meaningful Messaging approach
Combining principles from brand strategy, psychology, and conversion copywriting, our approach has helped many tech companies tell a story that’s bigger than features and functionality. It has three core elements:
1. Meaningful Messaging is customer-first
Your customer must be the hero of the story – not your product or technology. Instead of leading with features, a customer-first message leads with your prospect’s needs, challenges and aspirations. What pains are they feeling today? Where do they want to go? How will your technology help them get there?
Meaningful Messaging builds a story around how your prospect can change for the better with the help of your technology – which is ultimately more compelling to the reader than any one feature.
2. Meaningful Messaging is simple
Your product aims to be user-friendly. Similarly, your messaging must be reader-friendly. Otherwise, prospects won’t get what your product is, or why it matters to them. Dense, technical language creates the perception that your product is complicated or hard to implement. Listing too much information in one place also overwhelms and confuses people.
Meaningful Messaging simplifies complexity by speaking your customer’s language. It makes the core value of your product nice and easy to grasp.
3.Meaningful Messaging is emotional
Consumer brands embrace the power of emotion to increase sales and market share. B2B tech can – and must – do the same. Because businesses don’t read your messaging – people do. So write for people. Empathize with your customer’s situation. Think about what’s personally at stake for them. Align with their greater aspirations.
When your messaging reflects your prospect’s reality, you start to build trust with them. They feel understood, and start to believe that you might have a worthwhile solution.
Meaningful Messaging in B2B takes the opposite approach to the typical Tech Talk approach, and stands out in the noise.
Find the story only you can tell
There’s no word or phrase powerful enough to differentiate a company. Headlines can be ripped off. Phrases can be repeated. Words can be copied.
Meaningful Messaging in B2B plays an entirely different game. Instead of focusing on differentiating features and buzz words, companies with a meaningful message focus on the customer. They tell a clear and compelling story about how their life can change for the better, with their help.
When your message speaks your prospect’s language, your company becomes the obvious choice. It’s a whole new level of differentiation.
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