Scientific Research & B2B: Include Details In Your Messaging

Behavioral research has found that persuading someone to act may be more effective when using detailed recommendations versus general recommendations. Though this may seem obvious, I often encounter B2B marketing promotions that simply don’t give enough specifics — which is unfortunate, because detailed recommendations can be crucial to the efficacy of a B2B promotion.  

Talk to your target audience
Don’t just include detailed recommendations according to what you think they need to know (such as an 800 number to call or a website to visit). Talk to them. In order to give detailed recommendations that will facilitate their self-efficacy, give information related to what they will want to know.  

Include it in detail
Did they have any apprehensions about buying when you spoke to them? Perhaps financing? Include financing options in your messaging. Time? Include clear, detailed information about how much time it will take (or won’t take) for a consultation.  

Research has found that if you can give people as much detail regarding the desired action, it can be more persuasive. So talk to your target audience and find out what specific details may enhance their self-efficacy and include them as much as possible in your B2B messaging.  

As with everything in B2B marketing, you have to do your research with your target audience to find out what resonates with them and thus may motivate their buying behavior. 

Vann Morris is the Director of Buying Behavior Studies with the Atlanta B2B advertising agency, MLT Creative. She is a Social and Behavioral Scientist who is currently working on her PhD in Communications, and uses her strong theoretical background in order to show how scientific theory should be used to develop strategy and effective B2B marketing campaigns.