How your company values can inform your brand messaging
By Rachel Henry
When you think about your favourite brands, they’re usually associated with a specific feeling designed to emotionally connect you to the company. Extremely successful brands like Nike, Starbucks, Apple and Google all position their company values front and centre in their brand messaging to build a positive association — and a relationship — with current and potential customers.
Brands use emotion to cater to buyers’ egos, needs and aspirations, selling products and services that are intrinsically tied to messaging about the lifestyle consumers are trying to achieve. Company values define the brand and its goals, and in turn, their audience develops an affinity toward their products.
Share your values with strategic brand messaging
Consumers are growing increasingly conscientious about where they spend their hard earned dollars. Deeply influenced by the events of 2020, 68% of Americans say a global health crisis, rampant job loss and social upheaval have driven them to become more aware of their spending habits.
While choosing to vote with your pocketbook is nothing new, exciting products and services are no longer the most vital way for brands to stand out. Modern consumers are eager to support brands that align with their values — and 82% of buyers say they would spend more to do so, with 43% willing to pay twice as much for trustworthiness and transparency.
Purposefully forge a bond with your audience
A few cookie cutter sentences in your tech company’s marketing content won’t convey your values, mission and vision in a memorable way. However, a full fledged brand messaging strategy gives both you and your team a roadmap to successfully sharing your values. It also solidifies your emotional connection with your audience.
Many brands are missing this opportunity to build a relationship — 40% of websites don’t express the company’s purpose, mission, vision or a commitment to specific values. When you take the time to weave this narrative into your marketing content, you leverage the opportunity to prove that your company is worth supporting. By communicating your values authentically and consistently, you can earn greater brand recognition.
Your tech company’s brand values should be more than words on your website’s “About” page. Weaving these values throughout your brand messaging helps bring them to life in your marketing content and shows potential customers what you stand for in a way that text on a corporate webpage alone can’t communicate. So, let’s walk through five brand message examples that show how B2B tech companies are sharing their brand values.
5 values-driven B2B brand messaging examples
1. Microsoft
Microsoft’s mission is to “empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more,” and the company showcases this through consistent content marketing and relevant blog posts.
The brand’s blog topics range from creating workplace accessibility to making a commitment to sustainability, and are all artfully tied to the company’s cornerstone — technology.
2. Unity Technologies
Unity Technologies is a platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D content. The company highlights the importance of its customers, partners and collaborators, and how these relationships shape the brand’s values, like equal opportunities.
Unity’s brand messaging strategy is to put its users first. This is evident in the company’s social media posts, which spotlight the creations of game developers, artists, designers and more, while sharing the perspective of underrepresented voices.
3. Formlabs
Formlabs is a 3D printing company that seeks to allow users to create anything their industry may require — including medical research, automotive and aerospace manufacturing, custom products and more for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
The company’s goal is to make 3D printing accessible for everyone. Formlabs walks the talk when it comes to accessibility, sharing its resources through education and equity initiatives, as well as social media posts.
4. Atlassian
Atlassian is a productivity software company that makes project management tools like Trello and Jira. Not only does this brand provide organizations with the tools to work smarter, Atlassian also offers guides and exercises to help its audience improve teamwork and productivity.
Atlassian’s blog posts offer insight into values that the brand and its customers share, such as leadership, teamwork and more. This content helps readers improve their communication, resilience and creativity in the workplace.
5. Medallia
A customer feedback management software platform, Medallia helps businesses gather and analyze customer feedback in real time. Using this insight, companies can take steps to improve their customer service experience and better cater to their audience.
Medallia’s blog posts make it clear that this brand values customer experience. The organization’s posts include helpful tips about handling feedback and how it can improve company culture, market research and digital experiences.
Stick with us! This post is part of a series on developing a 10-step content creation workflow for exceptional results. Read the first post.
Craft values-driven brand messaging with intention
Your brand messaging strategy should do more than half-heartedly tell your audience what your organization cares about. Use your company values to inform your marketing content and build a mutual relationship your audience is excited to commit to.
Have a strong visual identity, but not sure how to express your brand through the written word? Download our free guide to discover the six keys to an in-demand brand. We’ll show you how strategic branding helps catapult your sales, and provide actionable steps to help you get results faster.
