How can you communicate the value of Enterprise Software to stakeholders at all levels?

1 Know your stakeholders

Before you can communicate the value of enterprise software, you need to know who your stakeholders are and what they care about. Stakeholders are anyone who has an interest or influence in the success of your project, such as senior management, project sponsors, IT staff, business users, customers, partners, and vendors. Each stakeholder group may have different expectations, requirements, and concerns regarding the enterprise software. For example, executives may want to see how it aligns with the strategic vision and delivers a return on investment, while end-users may want to know how it improves their productivity and efficiency. To identify and understand your stakeholders, you can use tools such as stakeholder maps, surveys, interviews, and workshops.

2 Tailor your message

Once you have a clear picture of your stakeholders, you can tailor your message to suit their interests and preferences. A value proposition is a statement that summarizes the benefits and outcomes of your enterprise software for a specific audience. It should answer the question: What's in it for me? To craft a persuasive value proposition, you need to focus on the benefits, not the features, of your enterprise software. Benefits are the positive results or solutions that your software provides for your stakeholders, such as increased revenue, reduced costs, enhanced security, or better customer satisfaction. Features are the technical or functional aspects of your software, such as its architecture, functionality, or compatibility. While features are important to explain how your software works, benefits are more effective to show why your software matters.

3 Use stories and examples

Another way to communicate the value of enterprise software is to use stories and examples that illustrate its impact and relevance. Stories and examples can help you make your message more concrete, memorable, and relatable for your stakeholders. They can also help you demonstrate the before-and-after scenarios of using your enterprise software, and highlight the challenges and opportunities that it addresses. For example, you can use case studies, testimonials, or demos to show how your enterprise software has helped other organizations or users achieve their goals, overcome their pain points, or improve their performance. You can also use scenarios, simulations, or prototypes to show how your enterprise software will work in your own organization or context, and how it will benefit your stakeholders.

4 Choose the right channels and formats

The final tip to communicate the value of enterprise software is to choose the right channels and formats to deliver your message. Channels are the mediums or platforms that you use to reach your stakeholders, such as emails, newsletters, presentations, webinars, or social media. Formats are the types or styles of content that you use to convey your message, such as text, images, videos, audio, or interactive elements. Depending on your stakeholder group, you may need to use different channels and formats to suit their preferences, availability, and attention span. For example, you may use a short and catchy email to invite your executives to a detailed and data-driven presentation, or you may use a video or a podcast to explain your enterprise software to your end-users in a simple and engaging way.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?