messaging that matters: the art of shifting to audience-based marketing
TRANSCRIPT
© 2015 SiriusDecisions. All Rights Reserved 1
#C2C16
MessagingThatMatters
TheArtofShiftingtoAudience-BasedMarketing
Rachel Young @rpyoung_ #siriusdecisions
© 2015 SiriusDecisions. All Rights Reserved 2
SiriusDecisions B-to-B Content Study
On average, 60-70% of b-to-b content goes unused, representing hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars wasted
SiriusPerspective:
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Best-in-class organizations are shifting from product- to persona-based architecture to create meaningful connections with their audiences.
Content Architecture: Product vs. PersonaPr
oduc
t Lau
nch
Inbound Marketing
Offering
Menu-Based Assets
Capabilities and Benefits
Solution Content
Buyer NeedBuying Center
Market SegmentPERSONA-BASED
Preference-Based Assets
Topic Content
Buyer NeedBuying Center
Market SegmentPRODUCT-BASED
+Offering
Capabilities and Benefits
Buyer NeedBuying Center
Buyer NeedBuying Center
Education Solution Selection Engagement Education Solution Selection Engagement
Topics List
Initiative or Challenge
Topics List
Initiative or Challenge
Topics List
Initiative or Challenge
Topics List
Initiative or Challenge
Buyer Persona
Buyer Persona
Buyer Persona
Buyer Persona
SiriusPerspective:
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Arc 1: Audience IsolationIsolate the target market segments, down to the buyer persona,for an offering.
Arc 2: Persona ContextDefine the buyer persona attributes the messaging will be conducted for and internalize those insights.
Arc 3: IntentState the messaging intent by demand type.
Arc 4: Value PropositionCraft the core value proposition for the buyer persona.
Arc 5: Inflection PointsCatalog the persona’s information requirements by stage.
Arc 6: Narrative ElementsBuild the narrative elements – the raw materials. Use the right words.
Arc 7: Activation MappingMap the content activation routes.
Arc 8: OperationalizeBuild out the components in each arc and form content via messaging templates.
The SiriusDecisions Messaging NautilusThe Messaging Nautilus is a sequential and logical process for
transforming messaging skills in order to create more relevant, audience-centric content.
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The SiriusDecisions Messaging Nautilus
Arc 1: Audience IsolationIsolate the target market segments, down to the buyer persona,for an offering.
© 2015 SiriusDecisions. All Rights Reserved 6
The SiriusDecisions Messaging Nautilus
Arc 2: Persona ContextDefine the buyer persona attributes the messaging will be conducted for, and internalize those insights.
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The SiriusDecisions Messaging Nautilus
Arc 3: IntentState the messaging intent by demand type.
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The SiriusDecisions Messaging Nautilus
Arc 4: Value PropositionCraft the core value proposition for the buyer persona using the five building blocks of audience, need, assertion, outcome and distinction.
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The SiriusDecisions Messaging Nautilus
Arc 5: Inflection PointsCatalog the persona’s information requirements by stage.
© 2015 SiriusDecisions. All Rights Reserved 10
The SiriusDecisions Messaging Nautilus
Arc 6: Narrative ElementsBuild the narrative elements – the raw materials.
Use the right words.
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The SiriusDecisions Messaging Nautilus
Arc 7: Activation MappingMap the content activation routes.
© 2015 SiriusDecisions. All Rights Reserved 12
The SiriusDecisions Messaging Nautilus
Arc 8: OperationalizeBuild out the components in each arc and form content via messaging templates.
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Use Case: Persona-Based Messaging and Content
ConsistencyPrecise targeting of
buyers across all content
Problem StatementClient needed to reduce the ad hoc nature of content development and increase the quality of messaging
ResultsThe new persona-based message maps increased the speed of content development while ensuring consistency of messaging strategy developed from person insight Efficiency
Increase speed of content development
AlignmentMessage maps are
source of sales talking points and content
Solution summary
Web site copy
Blogs VideosWhite papers
Press releases
CFO ITUser
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Abraham Lincoln
Give me eight hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first six sharpening the axe.
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Lots of Meetings on the Same Topic
Solution summary
Web Site copy
Blogs VideosWhite papers
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It Was Exhausting
Conflicting ideas and wordage
Disagreements on messaging
Post-publishing feedback
Conflicting ideas and language
Disagreements on messaging
Post-publishing feedback
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Tons of Content Message Maps
Buyer Preferences
Personas
Strategy
What We Had
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This Is What We Were Doing…
Topic
We were only focusing here
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Sharpening the Axe: Audience Definition
Gathering Subject Matter Experts: • Who are we targeting?• What do we want them to do?• What will make them do that?
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We’ve Matured Our Approach
Topic Topic
CFO IT User
Before After
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Solution summary
Web site copy
BlogsVideos
White papers
Press releases
CFO ITUser
Aligned Persona-Based Content
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Results
AlignmentDirect and Channel
using the message mapsto create talking points
and content
EfficiencyIncrease speed of
content development
ConsistencyPrecise targeting of
buyers across all content
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Abraham Lincoln
Give me eight hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first six sharpening the axe.
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A Successful Content Creator
Give me eight hours to create content and I will spend the first six sharpening the messaging.
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Use Case: Enterprise Adoption of Messaging Framework
Deep Buyer Understandingdriving product and marketing strategies
Problem StatementClient needed to align multiple business units to a messaging framework that is audience-centric and effective in sales enablement
ResultsThe new, standardized messaging process is proven, repeatable, and easy to deploy as client brings on additional business units through acquisition
Persona-Basedmessaging that emphasizes key differentiators
Sales Enablement“Best sales content I’ve ever
seen” – SVP, Marketing
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Use Case: Product To Audience Messaging
+59%Web visitors
+53%Web revenue
+10%Orders from email
-78%Time to market
Problem StatementClient’s product-centric messaging did not maximize inbound marketing and contributed to limited product launch success
ResultsNew messaging, tools, and system designed around the persona buyer journey
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Action Items
• Marketing• Review messaging process, tools and templates to isolate
and fix flaws • Train content originators on how to conduct audience
segmentation and persona definition for their offerings
• Sales• Determine the key buyer personas that sales needs
content for to drive growth • Help to construct and validate messaging before content
is assembled or delivered to sellers
• Product• Ensure that value propositions for offerings are centered
around the buyer need vs. capabilities• Work with marketing to build an audience framework for
tier one offerings (supported by campaigns)
© 2015 SiriusDecisions. All Rights Reserved 33
Persona Research to Jump Start Your Initiatives
Executive IT and Technical Vertical Industry Company Size
CXO IT Professional Financial Services Emerging: $0-50M
CEO Infrastructure and Ops Healthcare Mid-Size: $50-500M
CIO Applications Development Information Services Large: $500M-1B
COO Enterprise Architect Manufacturing Extra Large: $1-3B
CFO Extra Extra Large: $3B+
Marketing Leader Horizontal Function Generation
Sales Leader Procurement Millennials Role
Business Unit Leader Product Management Gen X Influencer
Human Resources Baby Boomers Decision Maker
Finance