Decoded Strategies

You have a cool business. But as soon as you try to describe it, peoples' eyes glaze over. 
We specialize in marketing for tech-focused companies. 
So you can be free to focus on building awesome stuff and growing your business. 

What you sell may be complicated. But it doesn't have to sound that way.

Chief Executive Officer

OneGuide

Providing brand messaging strategy through OneGuide, an expertise platform that connects high-growth companies with experienced functional advisors.

Advisor

StoryBrand

Storybrand Facilitator

NationBuilder

Community Facilitator

Education Director

Organizer

Life Pacific College

Associate Dean of Students

You have a cool business. But as soon as you try to describe it, peoples' eyes glaze over. 
We specialize in marketing for tech-focused companies. 
So you can be free to focus on building awesome stuff and growing your business. 



Exclamation points are an art.
Especially for women.

Every single email I write - I do a final "exclamation point edit."
Are there too many? Can't come off as too bubbly (or worse... ditzy).
Too few? Gotta be careful about sounding unfriendly (there's another word for that).

I wouldn't say I'm resentful of my exclamation point game.
I'm an enthusiastic person, so sometimes I like to add a little extra pop to a sentence! (see what I did there?)
But it is an extra layer of thought and care that I, as a woman, feel I need to put into my communication.

Respect the art of a well-placed exclamation point. Or three.

Kristin Spiotto 

Chief Executive Officer at Decoded Strategies

How do exclamation points affect communication in the workplace?

What are some challenges women face in the workplace?

Working remotely has come a long way in the last few years!
Do you remember what working from home in April 2020 was like?

Lots of pajamas.
Lots of virtual happy hours (aka day drinking).
Lots of working on a couch.

I still refuse to wear hard pants when I work but thank goodness a lot of other areas have improved.

My 42-year-old back demanded I get a standing desk.
I cooled it on the "it's happy hour somewhere" lifestyle.

And... most importantly, I've learned that the work I do with clients requires me to show up with focus and energy.

And that takes a very specific pre-meeting ritual.
A 10-minute fast walk around my block before client meetings.
Getting my heart rate up.
Pausing the never-ending list of to-dos running through my brain.
Leaving behind anything that pulls my attention from that client.

I swear, my sidewalk should have grooves in it after all the laps I've walked over the last 4 years.

It's tough to maintain this habit because it doesn't always feel like the most important thing to do on a given Wednesday. But it is the most important thing.

Remote work is a long-term game for me now.
And to do that well, that means:
⏰ Buffers in my schedule
❤️ Getting my heart rate up
💯 Showing up 100%, every time

How has remote work changed for you in the last few years?
What are the habits that help you do your best work from home?

DreamOn Studios reputation preceded them before we worked together. 
They had saved the day for one of our other clients big time by coming through in a crisis. 

We knew they were second to none when it came to video production. Also… some of the best people you will ever meet. 

But… when it came time for this talented and growing team to tell their own story, they began to hit some limits.
🔹 They needed a clear mission to align and energize their team
🔹 Everyone described DreamOn in a slightly different way
🔹 They knew they were different from the competition, but struggled to articulate how

That’s where we came in. 
Check out this case study to learn how we helped them and what kind of results they are seeing.
https://lnkd.in/gtcDb6qm

Spoiler alert: Their deal sizes have gone up by 5x and their team is on fire right now. 

DreamOn Studios, you are amazing and we are so inspired by you.

Also… if you want to share your story with world-class video production that can change the game for your organization… Talk to DreamOn (https://dreamonstudios.io/)

What do I need to know about video production?

Open article: Media Agency Case Study | We're Decoded Strategies by decodedstrategies.com • 1 min read

Media Agency Case Study | We're Decoded Strategies

Absolutely no one has time to work hard to figure out what you do.
You're fighting an uphill battle to get the attention of the audience you're out to help.

Bad sales messaging can tank your business.
Not only will leads ignore you, but really bad emails have the potential to damage your brand reputation.

And here's what just hits me in the gut every time I see a bad sales email:
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.

There IS a way to create personalized, relevant, clear messaging- at scale.

Here's an example of a bad sales email I got recently, and how to fix it. 

Let's Fix A Bad Email

We are absolutely passionate about Brand Messaging and here's why: We firmly believe that clear, concise Brand Messaging is the ultimate game-changer for businesses aiming to dominate in a saturated market.

Nothing gets us more pumped than seeing our clients thrilled about their messaging! It's not just our goal—it's our obsession!

#messaging #marketing #B2Bmarketing

Why is clear, concise Brand Messaging important?

What makes Brand Messaging the ultimate game-changer?

What are the benefits of clear, concise Brand Messaging?

Soooo many company taglines are just garbage.

It's because there's minimal real estate, and companies try to shove their whole story into a few words.

And then when they realize they can't shove the whole story into a few words, they instead just try to sound cool.

But clarity is going to win over cool every time.

Here's an example of a very unclear tagline, what's wrong with it, and how to fix it. 

#copywriting #messaging #marketing

What are some tips for creating clear taglines?

What is the importance of marketing messaging?

Tagline Rewrite Carousel

One of the biggest energy burns I see on sales teams is when sales reps have to create messaging on their own.

It's one thing to have a broad understanding of what a product does.
But it's another thing entirely to understand how to communicate effectively about a product in the right way to the right audience at the right time.

I've seen even the most sophisticated sales teams have an incredible onboarding program, great resources and coaching support...

But not equip their team with messaging they can use across all their sales efforts.

Every salesperson needs a messaging guide.
If everyone has the same messaging to pull from, that helps reps avoid burning energy coming up with the big ideas on their own.

Instead, they can use that energy to source creative ideas for how to close deals, how to drive opportunities forward, etc.

Imagine what that extra energy could turn into.
5 more deals closed a quarter?
10?
Is it worth it?
You bet it is.

Equip your sales team with messaging.
Win-win all around

#sales #salesmessaging #contentmarketing

How can messaging guides help sales reps?

What are some best practices for sales teams?

How can sales messaging improve sales efforts?

Bad messaging is my nemesis. I fight it every day.

Lacking a brand message is bad messaging.
Confusing your customers is bad messaging.
Making your brand the hero of the story, and not your customer, is bad messaging.

Why am I obsessed with fighting bad messaging?
Because the impacts on a business suck.

In the short-term, you're looking at:
🔹 Low website conversion rates
🔹 Low email response rates
🔹 Frustrated employees who all describe your brand differently
🔹 Misaligned teams (which leads to resentment and decreased productivity)

In the long-term, we see:
🔹 Hesitant investors
🔹 Decreased revenue
🔹 Customer churn
🔹 Employee turnover

And ultimately... closed doors.
We see it all the time. We hate it. And we are doing everything we can to stop that from happening to incredible brands that sell products that make people's lives better.

Please please please, don't let bad messaging be the thing that takes you down. I want you to be the one that makes it. 

What are some tips for creating a strong brand message?

How can bad messaging lead to a business closing?

How can businesses reduce customer churn?

The best revenue leaders I know are gobbling up insights right now.

The world of go-to-market is changing and evolving faster than most can keep up with.
The market is weird and hard.
Tools are changing.
AI is AI.

Learning from each other is the way we all grow and evolve with the times.
So I'm thrilled that Ayush Poddar gave Decoded Strategies a shout-out in his most recent Startup GTM newsletter.

Check out his insights below around how to scale with partner-led growth and insights on how to pursue community-led growth in a way that actually sticks. Really interesting insights in here.

Oh, and also, a lovely shout-out for the Decoding Story-Based Marketing Podcast!

Thanks for the shout-out Ayush!

https://lnkd.in/gYaDKcSZ

#B2Bmarketing #leadership #AI

Open article: Prospect’s experiential journey through Community-led Growth in B2B - Part 2 of 2 by startupgtm.substack.com • 1 min read

Prospect’s experiential journey through Community-led Growth in B2B - Part 2 of 2

"Let's circle back and double-click on the gtm strategy so we can pin down the right sales motion."

It's no wonder marketers and sales leaders can struggle with clear, conversational language 😂

Just look at our own marketing speak.

It helps to laugh at ourselves sometimes!  

How does defining a sales motion impact business strategies?

What are common struggles faced by marketers and sales leaders?

What is the significance of using clear language in marketing communication?

At our recent Messaging Masterclass, Angélica Camargo asked a great question!

"How does brand messaging increase web traffic?"

When we talk about brand messaging, we have one specific bias:
Prioritize clarity. Because people don't have time to figure out what you do.

So when you take the time to be more clear about the problem you solve, the solution you deliver, and the outcomes people can look forward to...
On social media
In your emails
In your sales messaging
In your demand-generating content
In your ads
At conferences and events

The more people will be interested and want to visit your site.

Not just come to your site but stay on your site longer.

Website hits don't matter if they're immediately bouncing.

But spark their curiosity with compelling content.
Win their interest with clear web copy.
And win the deal with killer sales messaging.

Web traffic is one piece of a big puzzle.
But fix your messaging, and you're going to see that fall into line, along with everything else.



Thanks Angelica, for the great question!

At our recent Messaging Masterclass, Rien van den Bosch asked a great question!

"Is having a self-profiling feature on a website a good strategy to steer or shorten the customer journey?"

Here's what I love about this question - It's all about helping your potential customers get to the information on your website that's most relevant to them.

Before we think about the actual tactics of driving your audience to more targeted and curated content on your website, my big question is: have you created targeted Brand Messaging that will engage them? Are you ready to capture their attention and convert them into warm leads or customers?

When we help with brand messaging, we always start with the highest level brand message. But then we love to take the next step and crate that targeted messaging for key personas, verticals, industries, or even use cases.

Once you've done that, and ensured you have content on your website that really tells those more specific stories - THEN, by all means, utilize any number of strategies to help your audience self-select to the content that's most relevant to them.

That can look like a self-profiling feature.
Or linked sections on your homepage.
Or a clear top nav dropdown.

There are a million ways to do that - but before you do any of that, dial in that targeted messaging.

And then yes, you're going to see less friction and a shorter sales cycle.

Thanks Rien for the great question!

What is targeted messaging and how can it help engage potential customers?

How can a self-profiling feature on a website shorten the customer journey?

How can a self-profiling feature on a website shorten the sales cycle?

What are some best practices for brand messaging?

At Decoded Strategies, we understand that while creating your organization's brand messaging, addressing the symptoms of the problem you solve is not just crucial—it's transformative.

In today's saturated market, simply presenting a solution isn't always enough. To truly captivate your audience and win them over, you must delve deeper into the intricacies of their challenges. By articulating the symptoms they're experiencing, you're not just acknowledging their pain points; you're empathizing with them on a profound level.

Ready to transform your brand messaging? Let's connect and embark on a journey of storytelling that elevates your brand to new heights. Because when you speak to the symptoms, you speak to the soul of your audience. 🚀 

#BrandStorytelling #MarketingStrategy #EmpathyInBusiness

What impact does brand messaging have on audience connection?

Why is empathy crucial in business marketing?

In the world of business, the initial moments with your customers are golden opportunities. 🌟

Every click they make is a chance to reinforce the value proposition of your offering. Nurture those first moments, for they hold immense potential to convert skeptics into loyal advocates.

#messaging #marketing #digitalmarketing

Why is a strong value proposition important?

What are some best practices in marketing?

Please. For the love of all things.
Do NOT make these big story-telling mistakes.

At this point, everyone kind of knows they have to be good storytellers.
But what actually IS a good story?
How should you leverage story in marketing and sales?

Without a clear, shared definition of storytelling- as it relates to marketing and sales- people fill in the gaps.

And typically go about it the wrong way.

Here's what to avoid when approaching storytelling:

1/ Sharing an anecdote that happened to you in attempt to humanize yourself
2/ Trying to manipulate or elicit an emotional response for the sake of emotion
3/ Desperately working to make your company or product sound bigger or more impressive

Instead: use a storytelling formula like the Hero's Journey to serve as a communication template.

Humans love stories, and we recognize story formulas.
So if you're looking for a way to really connect with someone, communicate with them in a way they WANT to be communicated with.

Craft your messaging into a story.
Make your customer the hero of that story.
And establish a shared language that kickstart rapport building with your leads.

Here is my amazing co-founder Annie Mosbacher giving some helpful hints on the art of storytelling!

#storytelling #messaging #storybrand #creativity

Why is storytelling important in marketing and sales?

We absolutely live for working with new clients and showing them the power of clear concise brand messaging! Feedback like this makes our hearts sing Decoded Strategies!!

#messaging #creativity #digitalmarketing

The two biggest mistakes brands make when it comes to infusing empathy into their messaging:

1. Skipping it altogether
2. Overthinking it and making it a bigger deal than it is

Keep it simple, baby.

Example:
What's your customer's problem?
They need to embrace Zero Trust as an organization, but the path to get there is complex and nebulous.

How does that make them feel?
Daunted and worried about making a misstep

How do you empathize with them?
We know how overwhelming the Zero Trust journey can seem at the beginning.
We can help.

BOOM. Empathy. High fives all around.

There are a lot of enemies of great marketing, but I think this is my least favorite...
The "catch-all" approach.

🙅 We don't have an ICP because anyone can use our product
🙅We keep our messaging high-level so it appeals to everyone
🙅Everyone's problems are unique, so we don't talk about a problem statement in our marketing

Look, I feel this fundamentally. 

When you're running a business, it can be so scary to niche- it feels like you're excluding potential opportunities in the way you build your marketing.

But the hard truth is
👉 if you try and appeal to everyone...
👉 you will resonate with no one.

General, generic messaging doesn't capture anyone's attention.
Which means you're not actually getting in front of the right audience.
And you'll probably lose the leads who would really benefit from your product.

🚫 So it's not go big or go home.
💡 It's go niche... and get rich. 💰
Lol that's cheesy, but it's TRUE so I'm into it. 

How can niche marketing help companies resonate with the right audience?

🌟 Empathy Is The Secret Sauce to Building Authority 🌟

Having an outstanding product is one thing, but it's empathy that truly resonates with your audience.

Empathy is the bridge that connects your brand with your customers on a deeper level. It's what makes your authority not only credible but also relatable.

#messaging #marketing #digitalmarketing #empathy

Why is empathy important for connecting with customers?

What role does empathy play in messaging and marketing?

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