Let's face it, in the world of expert B2B services, the brand can often feel like an afterthought.
For many agencies, consultancies and training providers, this isn't a topic that gets much airtime in big meetings. In many ways, brand has become the ‘Kevin’ of business priorities (left home alone while the older siblings of strategy, service and sales grab their seat on the plane).
But many expertise businesses with a strong service offering are being let down by a weak and inneffective brand. The real problem ? It sn't the logo. Or the name. Or even the lack of visibility.
It’s the messaging.
And in one sense, that’s hardly surprising. Expert services aren’t like simple products. It’s not easy to ‘package up’ people and thinking. Plus, given half a chance, smart people are prone to overthinking and overcomplicating.
Over the years, we’ve spotted the patterns – the trip hazards that can catch out even the smartest of businesses. These messaging niggles might start small, but can quickly grow into bigger problem for the wider business.
Here are the five common messaging mishaps of smart businesses (and the impact they have on growth)…
#1: Positioning gap
Positioning is about being clear on two things: WHO are you here for, and WHAT you stand for (in the minds of your audience). Without a clear strategy for how to position the brand vis-a-vis the competition, messaging quickly gets pulle from pillar to post – influenced by whoever in the business has the loudest voice or whatever the latest fad in the sector happens to be.
#2: Category confusion
Most brands in the expertise space have a category problem. They prefer to either (a) push back against traditional category labels (e.g. “think tank”; “leadership training programme”); (b) avoid the category question altogether (by saying nothing); or (c) come up with some newfangled label (“we are a global transformation enabler”). The result? Audiences left scratching their heads and wondering: “What on earth are you?!?”
#3: Specificity aversion
Specificity is the bogeyman for many expertise businesses. And let’s face it, being specific can feel reductionist (“we’re about so much more”). It can get you backed into a corner (“you promised if we did X, then Y would happen”). It can be difficult to get everyone to buy into ("I prefer to use this buzzword instead"). In the end, many expertise businesses opt to play it safe – framing their services in broad and vague terms, aping the meaningless jargon of their peers, and sounding just…like…everyone…else.
#4: Humanity loss
Most expertise businesses love to wax lyrical about their process. Paragraphs of prose will be dedicated to the ‘methodology’, ‘principles’ or ‘model’ of delivery. But a puzzlingly small amount of real estate will be given to the real heart of the business – the people working there, the customers they serve. The result is a brand lacking in emotion and humanity, despite the fact it represents a people-based business.
#5: Purpose confusion
Whether it’s framed as purpose, vision, mission, or beliefs – most expertise brands want to unpack the why behind what they do. And what could possibly be wrong with that? Well, this tendency butts up against an inconvenient truth of marketing – that audiences will always care more about their why than your why. In short, they want to know how you will solve their problems before hearing how you'll solve the problems of the world.
N.B. For a quick sense-check of the state of your messaging, take our Meaningful Messaging quiz
What’s all the fuss about messaging, anyway...?
There’s a knock-on effect of all these messaging mishaps. We see it time and again in the world of expertise B2B services – muddled and meaningless messaging that leads to:
- Unconvinced prospects (never fully persuaded by the website, pitch deck, etc)
- Constant marketing & sales ‘hustle’ (as they pick up the slack left by the brand)
- A leaky sales pipeline (with prospects ultimately preferring other brands)
In short, ineffective messaging can quickly become a drag on demand at each stage of the customer journey:
If you're struggling to say the right things to the right people.
If you feel your brand isn’t doing enough of the heavy lifting.
If you know it's become the ‘Kevin’ of the business.
Then maybe it’s time to get to the root of the problem –
.
