B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING: IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS: ‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO, AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’ THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 6:15 P.M. Davida Dinerman Sadhana.
Download ReportTranscript B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING: IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS: ‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO, AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’ THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 6:15 P.M. Davida Dinerman Sadhana.
Slide 1
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 2
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 3
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 4
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 5
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 6
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 7
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 8
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 9
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 10
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 11
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 12
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 13
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 14
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 15
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 16
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 17
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 18
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 19
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 20
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 21
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 22
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 23
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 24
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 25
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 26
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 27
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 28
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 29
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 30
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 2
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 3
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 4
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 5
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 6
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 7
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 8
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 9
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 10
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 11
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 12
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 13
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 14
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 15
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 16
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 17
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 18
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 19
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 20
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 21
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 22
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 23
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 24
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 25
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 26
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 27
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 28
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 29
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.
Slide 30
B2B PRODUCT MESSAGING:
IN 60 SECONDS OR LESS:
‘WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCT DO,
AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013
6:15 P.M.
Davida Dinerman
Sadhana Joliet
Director
Director of Marketing
EarthLink Business Schwartz MSL Boston
WHAT EXACTLY IS A MESSAGE ANYWAY?
Articulates:
Who you are
What you do
For whom
What the benefits are
Why it’s unique
Includes:
• Tagline (optional)
• Top line (1-2 sentences)
• Paragraphs on:
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Typically summarized in a 1-2
page internal-use only document
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
MESSAGE MUST-HAVES
The EXACT WORDS you want to use
• Complete sentences - not bullet points!
Translates well into multiple formats
• Verbal & written (e.g. presentation, Web, press releases)
Usable by anyone representing company/product
• Executives, BOD, product/engineering, sales, PR
Appropriate for all key audiences
• Executives, investors, customers, analysts, media, mom
Evolves over time
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY DO YOU NEED A GOOD MESSAGE?
Question: What do your investors, customers, BOD, senior executives, employees
and media and analysts have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
They are important to your business.
They are very busy.
They have many priorities.
You are probably not their #1 priority.
All of the above.
Answer: e. All of the above
Your message helps your audiences to *quickly*
understand and remember what your product is
and why they should care.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a converged system that combines standard physical data
center resources, such as servers, switching, operating systems and network
interfaces, with sophisticated management and control software.”
• Why would I buy this?
• What are the benefits?
• And what exactly is a “converged system”?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT ABC] is a unified computing system that drives down the time
and cost of managing IT infrastructure by enabling servers, networking,
and storage to be controlled through a single software interface.”
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are, and for whom
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
Before
“[PRODUCT XYZ] provides a standardized assessment tool to measure Nonnutritive Suck (NNS)
performance in premature infants.
NNS is an essential neurological building block in an infant’s coordination of sucking,
swallowing and breathing - a capability required for independent oral feeding. Our system also
provides a clinically proven ororhythmic stimulation therapy to reinforce NNS. Ororhythmic
stimulation has been demonstrated to accelerate and achieve full oral feeding 7 days sooner
(1). Once healthy premature infants have achieved the ability to feed independently, they can be
discharged from the neonatal ICU and sent home.”
What does this product do, and why should I care…
in plain English?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
GOOD VERSUS BAD MESSAGING
After
“[PRODUCT XYZ] is an FDA listed device that promotes early development of essential feeding
skills in premature infants.
The easy-to-use cribside system includes a pulsating pacifier that trains infants on the proper
way to suck, building an important skill linked to faster transitions to oral feeding, more rapid
weight gain and shorter hospital stays.”
• Is understandable
• States what it is in common terms
• Describes what the benefits are; for whom is implied
• Explains how it delivers those benefits
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
CREATE A GOOD MESSAGE?
A: About 40 hours over a 4 week period
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY IT TAKES SO LONG
Message development requires:
1) Research to answer some big questions:
•
•
•
•
•
What is the product?
Who is the primary target/user?
What are the benefits to that target user?
How does it deliver those benefits?
How is it unique from competitive offerings?
2) Synthesis of research into key messages
3) Buy-in from key parties
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
RESEARCH – ESSENTIAL TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Customer
Who is the primary target?
Who are the secondary targets?
Why/how do they use your product?
Competition
How do they position themselves?
• Product name
• Target customer
• Top line positioning statement
• Top 3 features/benefits
Market
What industry challenges do you solve?
What terminology is used?
By customers, analysts/media, search?
Product
What are the top 3 benefits?
How do you deliver them?
What are the top 3 features?
Why are they unique and important?
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
SYNTHESIS – WRITING YOUR MESSAGE
Spend 50% of your time and effort on the
top line, in the format:
[Company] is a provider of [category]
that provides [benefits] to [target] by
[unique approach]
Then develop the detail paragraphs for:
•
•
•
•
Problem solved
How you solve it
Top 3-4 business benefits
Top 3-4 features
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
STEPS TO GETTING BUY-IN
Step 1: Identify stakeholders that will deliver or receive the
message (sales, executives, customers, analysts, media)
Step 2: Interview them early in the process, during research
Step 3: Get buy-in on the primary target and product
category/terminology
Step 4: Get feedback on initial draft messaging
Step 5: Get approval on final messaging
Note: It’s far more efficient to get
consensus through individual discussions
versus big group sessions.
Copyright © 2013 Venture Stage Marketing, LLC. All rights reserved.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Good messaging is only as good as what you do with it.
It isn’t meant to be kept in a folder in a drawer.
Use it internally and externally.
It is the basis for excellent media and analyst relations.
Media relations ensures the messaging is truthful, relevant and sticky.
DRINKING THE KOOL-AID
Internally
•
•
•
•
Employees
Board of Directors
HR/recruiting
These people are important because they
will be your spokespeople.
ANYONE OUT THERE?
Externally:
•
•
•
•
•
Partners
Prospects
Shareholders/investors
Customers
Advertising
These people will be receiving the message. They can tell you
if it is resonating or not. Get the message out through
strategic communications
• Media relations – both professional and social media
• Analyst relations
TEST THE MESSAGE
Live with it for two weeks before going into production
Run it by the BOD, analysts and customers to validate
Pitch to reporters. They are great benchmarks too, since they want pithy,
exciting and relevant stories.
Develop media training to help get the kinks out
• Develop the Q&A with media training
• If you’re taping, a transcription will get you very, very far
• Lot of work, but you will use it for the life of the account
TEST THE MESSAGE
You know the message is solid when..
• People stop asking the basic questions about what the product is,
what it does, differentiators and if it is right for them.
• You can move to higher level discussions about the applications and
benefits to their business.
• It becomes easy to develop marketing materials, presentations,
website content, media pitches, press releases, sales materials.
• It speaks to a clear market need and can be easily adapted to
different audiences and communication channels.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Train the people who will be speaking with target audiences for:
• Major product/service launch
• Acquisition
• Partnership
• Investor relations
• Industry analyst relations
• Create a good set of tools to use.
• All of this is wrapped around strategic communications.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
An aside on strategic communications.
Do you need an outside firm to:
• Support the marketing director of VP, who doesn’t have the time or expertise to
handle the public relations function
• Provide extra manpower to execute specific campaigns or long-term company
programs
• Know what will resonate with the media and can help execute on the messaging
• Serve as an objective third-party
Because you are busy enough as it is.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH STRATEGIC
COMMUNICATIONS THE STORYSHEET
SPREAD THE WORD
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Key terms
Hot trends
Web site content
SEO
Press releases
Speaking submissions
Customer-facing .ppts
Award submissions
Product reviews
Interview briefing materials
This segues into the world of…
SOCIAL MEDIA
Key considerations:
• Do not activate a social media channel just because it’s there
• Do not use a social media tactic just because it is there
• Social media tactics are not effective without a steady stream of
optimized content
Messaging enhances the content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
You are not going to regurgitate messaging onto Twitter, but the messaging will
help guide you to what you should be posting.
One simple example is posting a press release to Twitter. The release included
messaging and key word links.
You can also post links to a company blog, which could include some aspect of
company messaging.
Post articles on Twitter, Facebook LinkedIn, for which a company spokesperson
talked with a reporter… and might have used company messaging.
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: harmon.ie, the user experience
company for the mobile
enterprise,
Press release header: harmon.ie brings Office
365 to the Mobile Enterprise
Article title: harmon.ie aims to close the mobile gap in Office 365
Tweet: harmon.ie 4.0 Means (Mobile) Business for Office 365 - CMSWire - CMSWire bit.ly/15LjHkQ | News
SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Tag: PatientPoint®, the leader and innovator in care coordination solutions that drive
engagement with patients and providers
Press release headline: Leading Medical Homes,
ACOs and Integrated Delivery Systems Select
PatientPoint® Care Coordination
Platform for Population Health Management
Articles: 3 Simple Ways Hospitals Can Engage
Patients in Their Care
Accountable Health Care: Shifting the Focus to
Prevention
A WORD ON MEASUREMENT
Messaging>PR
• Reporters understand material in a press release or pitch & want to write about it.
• Spokespeople nail interviews.
• You see a spike in website traffic.
• Speaking presentations are accepted.
• You win awards.
• You see increased activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels
• Share of Voice increases.
• Prospects recognize your name.
• The ultimate goal is to make the phones ring.