Everything you need to know about product messaging— Diane Wiredu (B2B, SaaS, Marketing, leader)
Jan 31, 2024
auto_awesome
Messaging strategist Diane Wierdu discusses the importance of effective messaging in product management. She breaks down a step by step guide on crafting impactful messaging and emphasizes the need for strong message market fit. The chapter also explores the relationship between design and messaging guides, as well as practical tips for optimizing website messaging.
Effective messaging should prioritize value, uniqueness, clarity, relevance, and differentiation.
Research, both customer research and competitor messaging audit, is crucial to inform and shape the messaging strategy.
Deep dives
The importance of good messaging
In this podcast episode, Diane Wirredou, the founder and messaging strategist at Lion Words, discusses the significance of good messaging for B2B SaaS and tech companies. She emphasizes the difference between messaging and copywriting, stating that messaging is what you say about your product, while copywriting is how you say it. Diane explains that effective messaging should prioritize value, uniqueness, clarity, relevance, and differentiation. She introduces the concept of message-market fit, which focuses on how well a message resonates with prospects and customers. Diane also outlines her five-step process for creating or improving messaging, which involves evaluating existing messaging, conducting customer and market research, filtering and synthesizing the research findings, and finally, implementing the messaging in various assets. She highlights the common mistakes of overstuffing messages, neglecting customer-focused messaging, and using vague language. Diane concludes by emphasizing the value of optimizing messaging, including better user understanding, reduced sales cycles, decreased churn, and more targeted marketing efforts.
Creating a clear and effective messaging strategy
Diane Wirredou delves into the process of creating a messaging strategy for B2B SaaS and tech companies. She highlights the importance of understanding positioning, value, and the customer journey. Diane emphasizes the need for research, both customer research and competitor messaging audit, to inform and shape the messaging. She explains the significance of identifying and prioritizing key messages, while ensuring clarity and relevance. Diane also underscores the need for consistency and alignment throughout the company, involving product, marketing, and sales teams. She outlines her five-step process, which includes documenting existing messaging, conducting customer and market research, filtering and synthesizing the research findings, and finally, implementing the messaging strategy. Throughout the discussion, Diane emphasizes the iterative nature of messaging optimization as companies evolve and outgrow their existing messaging.
Avoiding common messaging mistakes
Diane Wirredou addresses the most common messaging mistakes made by companies. She highlights three key issues: overstuffing messages, focusing too heavily on the product rather than the customer value, and using vague and buzzword-filled language. Diane explains that overstuffing messages dilutes the impact and clarity of the key message, making it difficult for prospects to understand. She emphasizes the importance of translating product features and capabilities into customer value. By doing so, companies can clearly articulate the benefits customers can derive from their products. Furthermore, Diane advises against using vague and buzzword-filled language, as it hinders customers' understanding and trust in a product. She encourages companies to strive for clarity and specificity in their messaging, showcasing their unique value propositions and differentiation.
Implementing and testing effective messaging
Diane Wirredou discusses the implementation and testing of effective messaging in marketing assets, with a focus on websites. She emphasizes the importance of structuring the messaging on a website to address the key questions that visitors have in their minds: what the company does, who the product is for, why it matters, and establishing trust. Diane advises against using one-size-fits-all templates and recommends tailoring the messaging to the specific context and audience. She suggests testing the messaging qualitatively, seeking feedback from ideal customers to ensure clarity and resonance. Additionally, Diane recommends tracking marketing metrics, such as conversions and sales, to measure the impact of optimized messaging. She concludes by highlighting the ongoing nature of messaging optimization, adapting and refining as companies grow and evolve.
Crafting effective messaging is key for product success. In this podcast episode, Diane Wierdu, Founder and Messaging Strategist for Lion Works, underscores the significance of this key element. In the realm of product management, Diane breaks down a step by step guide on effective messaging, while also providing insights on engaging customers and growing products.
Our Hosts Lily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She’s currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She’s worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath.
Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury’s. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group’s Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He’s the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager’s Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon’s music stores in the US & UK.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
