How to Keep Your Company’s Messaging Consistent (With a Little Help from AI)
by Scott Hornstein, Barbara Sanner & Gordon Johnson
The late Lester Wunderman was known for many things, including saying the following about B2C marketing, “I am loyal to my family; I am loyal to my country; I am not loyal to my toothpaste.”
B2B is a different ballpark. B2B is personal – always was and always will be – which means things like loyalty and relationships are what make the world go round. There’s a lot more at stake than finding something on a grocery shelf.
In B2B, we have to earn the right to do business, and you can’t do that simply with a slogan or an edited smile. Your prospects and customers will only invest their faith, their trust and their future with real people who “get” them, and who are committed to their long-term success.
While AI can be helpful for content creation, we shouldn’t hide behind it. It’s not about faster and cheaper, it’s all about better. So, what’s a marketer to do?
Understand Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Before writing any content or creating your brand’s voice, your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) must be identified. How can you go to market if you aren’t certain of whom you want to reach?
- Carefully define your ICP: the profile of the customers who are most likely to stay the longest and buy the most from your business.
- Understand your customers’ challenges the way they describe them – which means you should actually talk to them, no matter how icky it seems.
- Craft your messaging to their needs, not yours.
- Regularly refine your ICP to ensure your marketing efforts are still reaching the right audience.
This may seem like a lot of work initially, but the long-term results are definitely worth the time. By identifying and refining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), your messaging will be aligned to your customers’ needs, you’ll have a first-hand understanding of their challenges, and you’ll ensure your marketing stays targeted and effective.
Identify the Consideration Journey
Next, you must identify and understand the process your customers go through to find a solution to their challenges. This is often referred to as the Consideration Journey. In this process, your customer:
- Actively searches for options to solve their problem
- Compares different products or services to determine which might best serve their needs
- Evaluates their choices before making a purchase decision
In other words, what information are your customers looking for? When and where are they looking? Most importantly, what can you do in your marketing to trigger engagement with your brand?
Without going through the process of understanding how your customers can find you, it will be difficult to reach them. Things like keywords for unpaid and paid search results, solution phrases that address your customer’s problem, and where to place your messaging will remain hidden. It’s important to take time to evaluate how your customers will reach you.
Define Your Brand Voice
Your company’s writing voice is more than just words – it’s the personality your brand projects. Whether it’s fun and breezy or formal and corporate, your voice defines how your audience perceives you. A consistent voice across your organization’s communications builds trust, strengthens your brand identity, and helps you stand out in a crowded market.
But staying consistent across websites, emails, and social media can be a challenge – this is where Generative AI tools like ChatGPT can help.
Consistency is crucial because it creates familiarity. Imagine visiting a website with a friendly, conversational tone, but receiving emails that sound robotic or overly formal. That disconnect erodes trust. A unified voice reinforces who you are and helps your audience feel like they know you.
Here’s how voice can change everything:
Fun and Breezy Voice:
“We make taxes less taxing. Seriously. Our easy-as-pie platform turns those ‘ugh’ moments into ‘aha!’ moments. You’ve got this—and we’ve got your back!”
Formal Corporate Voice:
“Our tax solution simplifies the filing process, offering clear instructions and reliable support to ensure a seamless experience for every user.”
Big difference, right? Each approach appeals to different audiences, but both need consistency.
Here are two example prompts that someone might use in an AI system like ChatGPT to make sure AI-generated content reflects their brand voice:
Fun and Breezy:
“Write in a lighthearted, approachable tone. Be clever but clear, with a conversational style that makes complex topics easy to understand.”
Formal and Corporate:
“Write in a professional, concise tone. Use straightforward language with no jargon, focusing on clarity and authority.”
By defining your voice upfront, AI tools can help you create content that’s polished and consistent. Establish your voice – stick to it – and you’ll find it’s easier than ever to connect with your audience.
Be Honest and Transparent
The past 25 years in a digital world has created buyers who are more informed yet more skeptical than ever. Inauthentic marketing can be spotted from a mile away, which is why honesty and transparency are essential for building trust and credibility – and driving engagement.
Only messages that are real, relatable, and free of vague or overblown claims will prompt potential buyers to take action.
- Avoid the Hype—Focus on Real Value: Let’s face it, hype, exaggerated promises and vague buzzwords may have worked in the 1950s but they don’t work today. In reality, people don’t want fluff – they want clear, straightforward information about how your product or service will help them. Instead of saying, “We’re the best solution on the market,” state proof of what you provide. Share real data, customer testimonials, and case studies to demonstrate your solution’s value.
- Tell Authentic Stories—One of the most powerful ways to make your marketing feel genuine is through storytelling. By highlighting customer experiences and sharing behind-the-scenes insights, your brand reveals its true identity and authenticity. This showcases your brand’s journey, even if that includes struggles, which are real and relatable. People connect with brands that feel human, not vague or robotic.
- Own Your Mistakes—Remember that it’s okay if your business is not perfect. When something goes wrong, acknowledge it and take responsibility, even though it feels awful. We’re not saying to publicize it on your social media channels, but own the error and offer solutions to make it right. That goes a long way toward building trust and loyalty.
Honest and transparent communication builds stronger relationships with your audience. Marketing rooted in truth will yield customers who are more likely to trust, engage with, and advocate for your brand.
Combining your Ideal Customer Profile and an understanding of their Consideration Journey with an honest and transparent Brand Voice, makes your marketing messaging feel natural and truly authentic. This is what creates brand engagement.
You might also like the following articles:
- 15 Ways to Make Your Marketing Stand Out in an AI-Driven World
- 3 Plays to Boost Marketing Performance Now
- Customer Satisfaction is the Pulse of Your Profitability
- AI’s Competitive Advantage is Not What You Think
- Put a Face with Your Name: Personalizing B2B Emails
About the Authors
Scott Hornstein
International author, lecturer and consultant, Scott Hornstein has worked with clients in all phases of marketing strategy, research, and implementation. He has worked with companies large and small to build profitability, by improving marketing performance, and reengineering the customer experience to boost satisfaction, referrals, and customer lifetime value.
Barbara Sanner
Barbara Sanner is the Founder of Complete Marketing Solutions. They specialize in business-to-business marketing for organizations around the world, delivering marketing strategy and implementation, from advertising to webinars. Contact Barbara Sanner: LinkedIn
Gordon Johnson
Gordon Johnson is the founder of FlashWorks Marketing, with 20 years in the HR and learning tech space. As an expert in content marketing, marketing strategy, and lead generation, Gordon champions Human-Centered and Authentic Marketing.