Turn B2B into B2Me.

7 do’s (and 3 don’ts) to remember when telling a “me” story.

All too often, B2B marketing leads with a “we” story—one that’s all about your company and your products and services.

But if you want to make a real and lasting impact, you need to start with a “me” story—one that’s finely tuned to your audience (that’s the “me”!) and the emotional needs that drive their decision-making. It’s a story that makes people feel that “this brand understands me” and “this brand is right for me.”

When you look beyond functional drivers to understand the wants, needs, and feelings of your targets, you’ll find powerful messaging that makes stronger, more personal connections. And when people connect to your story, they’ll be more likely to engage with your brand.

So how do you turn B2B into B2Me? Here are our top ten things to remember while crafting an emotionally-driven story.

1. Do your research. Research is the only way to build an informed story, with no assumptions. Even a small sample of interviews or surveys can offer great insight.
2. Do go beyond the functional to probe the emotional. Your audience wants to feel confident that choosing your brand will be a good decision for their business and for them personally. 
3. Do look at things from your customer’s point of view. What matters to them is what matters to you.
4. Do create structured messaging. That ensures you’re telling a concise, compelling, and value-driven story.
5. Do tailor what you say for different audiences. But make sure they all share one cohesive voice.
6. Do create a distinctive and authentic brand voice. Your voice is critical to building a story that sets you apart from the crowd.
7. Do follow up. Post-messaging measurement is critical to making sure that your story is resonating and can help you revise and refine as needed.
8. Don’t follow everyone else. They might all be telling the same story, but that doesn’t make it the right one to tell. Highlight the things that differentiate you and find ways to stand out from the crowd,
9. Don’t try to cram in too much. So many stories get lost in too much information. Why make people read 20 paragraphs when you can say it in two?
10. Don’t forget that every buyer is a real person. B2B or B2C, everyone connects with a message that is centered around them.

And there’s more where that came from. If you want to start crafting your own B2ME story, JK can help. And check out some real-world examples of our B2ME rules at work.