Yes, it’s hard to create standout B2B messaging. But companies’ desperate attempts to stand out can sometimes backfire.
- Some companies try to be contrarian.
- Some try to be clever.
- Some try to be funny.
But when you try to be too much of anything, you risk muddying your messaging. That’s the key problem that Scott Smith, Global Head of Creative at Intercom and Fin, has observed—and avoided—in his work.
We welcomed Scott to the Best Story Wins podcast to share his perspective on building a winning brand, and he surprised us with an unexpected take on B2B marketing: Instead of trying to dazzle audiences with a creative presentation, sometimes the most powerful creative decision is radical simplicity.
“In a sea of people being clever, the thing that actually stands out is doing the exact opposite,” Scott says.
That’s the strategy he and his team have adopted to make their B2B messaging stand out, and it has served them well. But what does radical simplicity look like, and how can you apply it in your campaigns? Here are three key takeaways from our conversation with Scott.
1) Know when your B2B messaging is the creative execution.
Ever spent weeks perfecting creative concepts only to realize you’ve iterated your ideas into oblivion? That’s exactly what happened to Scott’s team at Intercom.
His team had spent considerable time developing creative mockups for a billboard campaign. They’d worked with their product marketing team, nailed their messaging strategy, and created 30 slides of polished creative concepts. When they presented the deck to their CEO, they started with their opening slides: simple, typed-out statements that distilled the core campaign messaging. It was meant to provide context for the creative concepts.
But after reviewing all 30 creative mockups, the CEO had a surprising response: Go back to the messaging slide. That’s the billboard.
The team was stunned. They’d spent all this time on creative execution, but the CEO recognized that the pure messaging was actually the most powerful approach.
Tip: Before diving into creative concepts, ask yourself: Is our core message strong enough to stand on its own? Sometimes the most compelling creative is just clear, bold messaging that cuts straight to what matters.
2) Assess whether your category is ready for your messaging.
When Intercom decided to position Fin as “the #1 AI agent for customer service,” they knew it was a simple but very bold statement. Before deploying that messaging, they had to evaluate whether that was what their audience was ready for (or even wanted to hear). As Scott says, “Should we go out to establish ourselves as the best in the space, or do we need to establish the space first?”
After research, they discovered that customer service leaders were already aware of AI agents and were actively looking for solutions. The category had matured quickly, which gave the Intercom team the confidence to lead with their strongest positioning. It was a bold statement, but Scott says if you’re the best, you should say you’re the best—and stand by it.
Most importantly, Intercom could back up their claims with concrete evidence. “We’re number one in performance benchmarks,” Scott says. “We’re number one in competitive bakeoffs. If you take us and put us head-to-head with the competitors, we’ve won every single time.” That confidence translated to clear, direct language that captured people’s attention.
Tip: Regardless of what your message is, you need to know if your buyers are not only prepared to hear the message but also receptive to it. If buyers already understand the need and are actively evaluating solutions, you can focus on differentiation rather than education. But if they’re not familiar with your space at all, then more education will be needed to meet them where they’re at.
3) Put accuracy first.
In B2B marketing, we often see brands attempt to connect with their audience by speaking to them as insiders. That’s better than the generic corporate speak that tainted marketing over the last decade, but we’ve seen the pendulum swing from generic messaging to hyper-technical buzzwords that only engineers understand. This “if you know you know” messaging may seem like a good idea to endear people, but it can also muddy the real message.
At Intercom, they’ve made accuracy a priority to avoid this pervasive mistake.
This approach requires close collaboration between creative, product marketing, and product teams. Scott’s team works to ensure their messaging isn’t “too far into product speak” that only engineers would understand, while also avoiding “marketing fluff speak.” The goal? Finding language that people will understand, that will resonate, and that will effectively communicate the message.
Tip: Test your messaging with your target personas. If they can’t quickly understand what you do and why it matters, you’re probably too deep in product speak. If it sounds generic and could apply to any company, you’ve swung too far into marketing fluff territory.
How to Win with Simple B2B Messaging
Strategic simplicity may feel like a scary approach, especially after years of being told you need to do anything and everything to stand out. But it doesn’t have to be the more boring approach. It’s really about being clear. The clearer you are, the more confidence you convey, and the stronger your connection will be.
With this approach, directness becomes your differentiator. Just remember:
- Distill your message to its core. This is actually the most powerful test of whether or not your messaging has legs. In fact, if you struggle to distill your message to its simplest form, you probably don’t have a single, clear message.
- Consider your audience. How are you speaking to them, and at what level are you speaking to them? Translate your message into language they will understand.
- Make creative decisions in service of simplicity. Sometimes you don’t need all the bells and whistles. This is especially true of your designs. Too many elements distract (whether visual or verbal), so be thoughtful and intentional about how you enhance messaging creatively.
Granted, not everything you do has to be whittled down to its purest form, but clarity should always come before creativity. Even when you want to experiment (and you should), keep clarity as your North Star, and you’ll improve the chances of your messaging landing the right way, every time.
In the meantime, subscribe to the Best Story Wins podcast to stay up to date on the best practices to win hearts, minds, and market share. Listen to Scott’s episode for more insights on creative leadership, building brands in the AI era, and navigating industry transformation.
