MSP leaders are inundated with options when it comes to marketing. Where do you start with so many different directions and tactics?
Most people aren’t even sure what they’re looking for beyond help. They’ve got great word-of-mouth referrals and awesome client retention rates.
But they want more leads, shorter sales cycles — they want to invest in marketing strategies that will actually work.
If you want a standout marketing strategy that will set you apart from the competition, this fundamental truth will get you started: A clear message is essential for great marketing.
Identifying the Problem: Unclear Messaging
Annie Mosbacher
Brands often skip the essential step of creating a clear brand message. They jump straight into a new website, running ads, posting social content, and sending emails. Then, they wonder why they aren’t getting results.
When business leaders see website bounces, low email open rates, and long sales cycles, they often think they have a marketing problem. The reality is they have a messaging problem. Confusing messaging will cost you on every front of your business.
When you communicate about your business, you are competing to be heard through all the noise. Humans are bombarded with noise, so we have adapted to tune out irrelevant or complicated information.
You’ve got to cut through the noise by being the clearest.
Building a Clear Message through Collaboration
Several years ago, I stepped into a sales role at a SaaS startup. At the end of my training, I asked a simple question. “How do we describe this product?” One of the leaders of the company said, “It means something different to everyone. So just communicate what it means to you.”
The company had 160 employees, so there were 160 iterations of that product description. Internal confusion became external confusion, which cost the company millions of dollars.
One of the best marketing investments you can make is to sit down with key stakeholders and build your brand message together. Align around the key ideas that will be the backbone of all of your content. Then, share that message across your teams so everyone is on the same page in how they communicate about your company.
Use the Storybrand Framework
If you’re not sure how to create a brand message, you can start with the StoryBrand framework. This is a repeatable, scalable process to ensure you’re positioning your customer as the hero of the story and cutting through the noise.
For centuries, storytellers have used a formula. In his book, “Building a StoryBrand,” Donald Miller turns these common elements of all great stories into questions we should answer to build our brand message:
- What does your customer want?
- What problem do you solve for your customer?
- What is the empathy and authority you have that makes you their guide?
- What do they need to be successful (your value proposition)?
- How are you calling on them to take action?
- What are the negative consequences they can avoid by doing business with you?
- What successful outcomes can they look forward to when they do business with you?
Use the answers to those questions to fuel your marketing content. Make this story about your customer and they will respond.
Making Marketing Work
To fix the problem of broken marketing, prioritize clarity. Ditch the jargon and instead, speak in simple, conversational language. Make the story about your customer.
Building messaging that will resonate with your audience will pay dividends in every area of your business. You can look forward to more leads, shorter sales cycles, better customer conversion, higher customer retention, and improved hiring.
Annie Mosbacher is co-founder and chief strategy officer of Decoded Strategies.
Image: iStock
