If there’s a question every B2B marketer can agree is critical, it has to be this: how can we create B2B marketing messages that work?
Braeden Matson Jones is the performance marketing manager at Refine Labs, an agency that helps B2B companies implement sustainable revenue programs by combining research, strategy, and execution to generate demand.
He spent some time with us on our Agents of Change podcast to share his insights about product messaging, building an ICP, customer research, how to think about your marketing data effectively, and lead attribution.
He also shared a straightforward strategy for B2B marketers who want to craft the right messages at the right time for the right audience.
How to Create Effective B2B Marketing Messages
Braedon says a buyer-centric mindset is crucial for crafting great B2B marketing messages. The foundation of effective messaging is your ideal customer profile or ICP. Ask yourself what your ICP needs and how your product or service meets those needs.
He recommends three different ways:
- Talk to your sales team. They have unique, direct insight into your customers that can be even better than quantitative data.
- Perform customer research by talking to five to ten of your happiest customers.
- Use tools that give you immediate feedback on your messaging.
“When I say immediate, I mean within 24 to 72 hours feedback on what that is so that you can hone the messaging,” Braeden says. But really, that’s the foundation of it—you have to actually dig into the buyer perspective. And the only way you’re going to do that, ultimately, is engaging with other humans, even if it’s virtually.”
This doesn’t mean customer research alone will give you all the answers you need to craft remarkable B2B marketing messages. Sometimes, it reveals weak links. Braeden says to look out for instances where a client can’t easily articulate how you serve the needs of a well-defined set of people in a sentence or two.
B2B Marketing is Communication at Scale
Braeden says marketing is communication at scale—so how does this look for B2B marketers? He gives two examples.
First, your message lands properly with its intended audience because you understand your customer. Second, the marketing message must also be relevant to your business.
“The way that I love to say this is that bad marketing says things that are untrue to people who don’t care. Good marketing says things that are true to people who are indifferent. And great marketing says things that are true to people who care profoundly,” he says.
Here’s a quick test of two questions to ask yourself about your B2B marketing message:
- Does it align with who you’re talking to?
- Does it align with your brand narrative?
The Message Comes First
The meaning of the phrase “marketing campaign” has shifted. It once meant a unified message that you’re pushing to a market, Braeden says. Marketers now talk about LinkedIn or Google “campaigns.” Rather than engaging in fragmented marketing activities, it’s best to put messaging ahead of distribution.
Braeden says one of his favorite recommendations is that marketing teams pursue organic reach, which has decreased over the last few decades. He recommends that B2B companies plan an organic strategy before jumping into a paid one.
“If we just take LinkedIn, for example,” he says. “Let’s say you have a VP of sales who posts a few times a week about things that resonate with other VPs of sales. Posts that perform particularly well on LinkedIn—you can utilize all the campaign manager targeting and infrastructure and amplify it with a paid budget.”
He adds that B2B marketers should use organic social media to speak from the brand’s perspective to build trust and affinity. Marketers can then boost that content with a paid strategy.
Hear more from Braeden in this episode of the Agents of Change podcast. Watch the interview here.
Are you crafting a B2B marketing message for social and need a hand? Talk to us!