Maintaining consistent messaging across multiple teams and channels can seem like a herculean task….and the stakes are high. When different teams deliver messaging not quite aligned with standards, you risk decreased effectiveness. Your buyers are most likely to retain the consistent, repeated messages that are sustained throughout their Buyer’s Journey. Is your inbound marketing team using the same benefit statements as your sales engineers? How about your account managers? In order to ensure that your buyers are receiving consistent messaging, you need a process in place.

Keeping messaging aligned

• Collaborate cross-departmentally. When developing messaging, include key people involved in the buyer experience. Sales should definitely be represented—they can provide valuable input on your customer’s pain points, as well as language or phrases that resonate the most. Sometimes the difference can be as simple as “Solution Management” vs “Solution Cost Optimization.” Getting input early increases the likelihood these teams will be motivated to review and use the messaging.
• Make messaging relatable and accessible. Messaging is continuously going through iterations and it’s important to share updates in ways that allow easy review. If you deliver it in a way that’s too time consuming to translate into the recipient’s use or workflow, they are highly likely to skim or skip reviewing updates. You may want to provide messaging in multiple formats. For your Sales team, put it in the context of their sales process and the Buyers Journey. For your Marketing team, relate your messaging back to their Buyer Personas and Marketing Stages.
• Establish a feedback plan. Have a regular schedule and manner to collect feedback. Your communication should be a two-way street, so create a feedback channel that’s quick and easy for people to use. Ask: What is working? Have you seen anything that doesn’t resonate? What kind of feedback have you heard from buyers? Do they have questions or needs not addressed?

Catering your process to your various teams’ needs will set up you up for the best outcomes.

Learn about the 3F’s of messaging: form, function and freshness