How To Craft a Unique Value Proposition For A B2B Tech or SaaS Company
Shannon Prager
GTM + Revenue Ops + Demand Gen Strategy AND Execution | Start Up > Mid Stage SaaS GTM Advisor + Investor | Fractional Marketing Leader | B2B SaaS Revenue Engine Builder
A unique value proposition and corporate messaging is the starting point for any B2B marketing plan.
Why? It solidifies who your business is and what you can provide for your customers. Without a clear value proposition, your prospective B2B tech buyers won’t know what problems or pains you can solve for them.
4 Characteristics of Successful B2B Tech Value Propositions and Messaging Platforms
The top 4 characteristics of a value proposition and messaging platform are:
- Customer POV at the Core – Both must be driven from your customers’ point of view, so you need to know your target audiences and cater your messages to solve your customer’s pains.
- Easily Readable – Your value proposition must “be read and understood in 5 seconds.” Most people want to consume information quickly and swiftly.
- Differentiates Your Business – You need to stand out and make your audience see that you are the “preferred provider of this value.” Be clear on what pains you solve and what your goals are for your customers.
- Conversational – It needs to sound like there is another human on the other end. This type of personal connection will resonate more with audiences.
Take a look at your current value proposition and messaging. Does it have all these characteristics?
If you find your current B2B marketing platform isn’t a clear picture of your intentions, goals, or services, it may be time to reevaluate.
The Right Ingredients For Your B2B Tech Organization to Grow
It takes the right components to effectively craft a messaging platform for your B2B tech business. Take a look at our checklist for creating a B2B marketing platform that can scale over time:
- Find your Target Customer
- Avoid targeting too general of an audience. A target audience will help you craft specific messages for your marketing campaigns that will resonate instantly with them.
- Remember that some companies will have multiple personas and/or multiple value propositions that are a part of the buying process, so make sure to cater to all of them in your messaging.
- Know the Steps of Their Buyer’s Journey
- Messaging works the best when you know the steps your B2B customers take before purchasing. Your target customers at the purchase stage need to hear different messages than your customers at the awareness stage; meet your customers where they are by having a mix of different content and messages.
- Start with a Corporate Message
- What is the core purpose of your business? Use that to branch off in your messaging, so that while each message is unique, all your messaging connects back to your business’s brand.
- Be Cohesive
Myk Pono claims that “When you tell a consistent story and communicate a clear value, you attract prospects that identify themselves with problems that your product solves and value the benefits it provides.”
Messaging and A Value Proposition Will Help Your B2B Sales and Marketing Teams Thrive
Your messaging and value proposition should cohesively connect back to your sales and marketing campaigns and strategies. Both teams can use that language and messaging to talk to and interact with prospects. When sales and marketing are on the same page, your teams can reach your common goals more easily.
Myk Pono says that “Strategic messaging drives marketing and sales activities, streamlining communication so that what prospects read on your website translates well into demo and sales conversations.”
When your target audience can see that your messaging is consistent throughout all your sales and marketing campaigns and platforms, they will get a clear idea of who your business is and why they should do business with you.
Tips and Best Practices for B2B Tech and SaaS Messaging
Client Spotlight: CloudNine Recalibrates Their Messaging After An Acquisition
Our client, CloudNine, came to us with a pain; they were struggling to position themselves after their B2B tech organization shifted from a software company to a service company after an acquisition. Their existing messaging strategy combined with their new services felt disjointed and disconnected.
After interviewing customers and key stakeholders, we were able to come up with a brand new messaging platform that would set CloudNine up for success.
Here are three pieces of advice we have for B2B tech or SaaS organizations in a similar position as CloudNine was in:
- Don’t be afraid to start from scratch. It may seem overwhelming to completely change your value proposition or messaging, but it will make your campaigns so much smoother and successful.
- Ask for help. We know from experience that not everyone has a unique skill set to craft the best value propositions and messaging. Engaging with a B2B marketing agency will give you a crash course in how to scale your messaging up while still remaining cohesive. Bonus points if that B2B agency specializes in tech and SaaS companies
- Consider an outside perspective. It’s easy for a business to stick to their mindset of “how can I be successful”. However, your value proposition and messaging should be about the customer. That’s why a fresh, outside perspective can be key.
If you’re ready to meet your customers with messages that hit them where they need it most, reach out to Leadit Marketing for our free 1-hour power hour. In your consultation, you will learn how crafting an effective value proposition and messaging platform can take your B2B tech organization to the next level.