From crafting a marketing message to the 3-30-3-30 method, there is one overarching theme to “Different Rules: The B2B Marketer’s Guidebook to Product Differentiation”:
Marketing is all about differentiation.
By looking at the contents page, a reader can guess the main argument. Throughout the book, author Chris Wirthwein discusses not only the importance of differentiation but how to express the differences to your audience.
No matter what market you are in, we all want to stand out. We want the audience to see our product and/or services as the best available. Wirthwein argues the best way to do this is through expressing what makes your product or service different.
“Different stands out. Different grabs attention. Different unconsciously engages our brains and bodies; we can’t prevent or stop this. Different engages our mind and body at its deepest animal core. When we encounter something different, we pay attention,” writes Wirthwein.
He argues that our flight or fight reactions have programmed us to notice and appreciate differences. Which is why, as marketers, we need to capitalize on how our product and services differ from our competitors.
A marketing message is a “summary of your product’s difference, value and reason to believe,” writes Wirthwein. He claims that a marketing message is akin to a resume for your product. It is a way for your product to stand out in the crowd.
However, this message is not supposed to be used on ad copy. It is a tool that you can use to identify your main points of differentiation.
So, what should be included? Good questions. The following three questions about the product should be answered by a marketing message:
The 3-30-3-30 method is a structure in which to write a marketing message.
First start with a 3-to-10-second attention-grabber. Then take 30 seconds for a “support message.” The next three is for th...