B2B companies create products, define their value to the marketplace and then go out and market that value to customers. Often the value they are marketing is never adjusted for changes to buyer perspective. At the rate of change in our markets, this can often result in content marketing programs pushing static value that's no longer as relevant as it could be.
Value isn't static.
It changes along with how buyers view their problems, pains and priorities. Yesterday's percevied need for more efficient business processes may well be today's need for improved productivity by integrating collaboration tools into business processes.
Value isn't one-size-fits-all.
Depending upon a person's role within the company, what they value is likely very different from what their boss or staff values. For example, an end user wants tools that make their job easier where their boss wants the result from the end of the process. Both may be involved in the buying process. Would you offer up the same value to both people?
Value isn't jargon.
For some reason, marketers often think that adding adjectives to an offering increases its value. Um, no. Nuff said about robust, cutting-edge and innovative.
Value isn't about You.
Your customers don't perceive an uptick in value when you talk about your company, how wonderful you are, the awards you've won or that you just landed another 50 customers. Although some of those will go a long ways toward increasing your credibility, value is the outcome they get from working with you that helps them solve the problems that inhibit business success.
So, what should you do? Consider creating prospect-based value bundles. By really continuously defining which values match specific segments, industries or personas, your marketing content and interactions will become more relevant, hence more engaging.
For each application, identify the specific values that align with those prospects. Revisit your definitions from time to time to update them as market situations evolve. Go back and update your content accordingly.
It helps if you create scenarios and then step into them as if you were your customer.How does the value you're marketing to them match the situation?
It helps if you talk to sales people about what they're seeing and hearing on the street.
It helps if you keep abreast of your customers and how their perspectives are changing.
If you talked to a lost customer, would you discover that they left because their needs weren't met or because they didn't know you could meet them because the value they know you offer has remained static over their lifetime as your customer?
After all, if value was static we wouldn't need to add new features, feeds or speeds to our products. We'd be done.
Are you done? Nope. Not ever.
