Add Value to Your Business with Better Investor Messaging
July 27, 2022
If you want a strong investor pitch you need a strong set of investor messages. The stronger your investor messages, the more powerful your pitch
But how do you uncover those powerful messages to underpin your investor pitch?
Fortunately, we have a tried and tested process, perfected over the last 15 years, to uncover your investor messages. We use this process with public companies, private companies and fund managers to ‘crack’ the challenge of finding the right set of investor messages. We call this our Investor Messaging Cracker Process.
But how do you know if you need an Investor Messaging Cracker Process?
If you answer NO to any of these 7 questions, then you should strongly consider calling us to organise an Investor Messaging Cracker Process.
How To Test Your Investor Messages
Does your investor pitch successfully excite investors? Are your investor messages simple and memorable? Have you made it easy for others to talk about you as you want to be talked about? Do you have a clear set of investor messages underpinning your investor pitch? Do your investors/shareholders talk about you using that same set of messages? Is everyone in your team fully aligned on the investor messages to describe the business? Is your investor pitch as good as it could be?
Let’s explore each of these questions in more detail:
1. Does your investor pitch successfully excite investors?
The best test for your investor pitch is how well it works. If investors are clamouring to invest in your business, then your pitch probably does not need much help. But if you are struggling to excite investors and you find that prospects are dropping out after the first or second meeting, then you need an Investor Messaging Cracker Process.
2. Is your investor pitch simple and memorable?
Your business may be complicated, but your investor pitch should be simple and memorable. If an investor can still recall your pitch after a week and recite some highlights from it, then you have done a great job. But if your investor is struggling to distinguish you from the many other pitches they have seen that week, you need help to polish your investor messaging.
3. Have you made it easy for others to talk about you as you want to be talked about?
How will others talk about your business after you pitch to them? Do they talk about you using the words you want them to use? Because when you have powerful investor messaging in place you will find that you can make it easy for others to talk about your investor proposition in the way you want to be talked about. But, if you find that everyone talks about you differently, you should consider revamping your investor messages.
Help me improve my investor pitch
4. Do you have a clear set of investor messages underpinning your investor pitch?
The sign that you have a powerful investor pitch is that your audience can see a simple set of messages running like a red thread throughout your pitch. That means your messages should be clear, memorable and bold. It’s not easy – the advertising industry is built on achieving these objectives – and we borrow some of the magic from advertising and apply it to investor messaging. That’s one way that that our Investor Messaging Cracker Programme can add so much value to your investor pitch.
5. Do your investors/shareholders talk about you using that same set of messages?
Creating powerful investor messages is an art. You know you’ve got it right when you have something easy to repeat and easy to pass on to other people. Because if other people are talking about you using the words you want them to use, then you have passed The Takeaway Test. This is one way we measure the success of our investor pitches. How do other people talk about your investor proposition?
Help me improve my investor pitch
6. Is everyone in the team fully aligned on your investor messages?
The reason we call our messaging sessions Cracker Sessions is that clients use them to ‘crack’ messaging problems. What do we mean? One common problem we see is when a management team is not agreed on one set of investor messages. If you find each member of your management team gives a different story when asked to describe the value of investing in the business, then investors and buyers will naturally become confused. For you to be successful, unity of messaging is as important as clarity of messaging. How united is your management team?
7. Is your investor pitch as good as it could be?
Honestly, could you make your investor pitch better? Could you make improvements so it is easier for you to lead investors to the decision you want them to make? The more you get your investor pitch right, the easier the whole investor pitch process will become. That’s good news because you will spend less time answering basic questions; you will find it easier to persuade others in the investors’ organisations, and you will get fewer get delays in the process. If you feel you could improve your investor pitch, we’d be delighted to help you.
How to create a stand out investor pitch
How to Create Investor Messaging that Works
What was the UK government’s key messaging during the COVID 19 pandemic?
Can you remember?
Most of you probably remember “Stay at home – Protect the NHS – Save lives”. or “Hands – Face- Space.”
Those messages were plastered on the lecterns at the daily press briefings, in TV adverts. We all saw them when health officials or government ministers spoke on the radio. And apparently they worked. About 85% of the UK population kept to the two-metre social distancing rules within a week of the lockdown being announced.
That messaging is working.
Messaging that works
Now step back a moment and look at the government’s messages.
Those of you who have taken part in our executive presentation coaching may recognise some of the techniques they employed. (We didn’t come up with the Government’s messaging, but whoever did was using five tips that we recommend to our clients). Good investor messaging uses the same techniques.
How to Develop Powerful Investor Messaging
- Boil down your argument to three key messages
- Link those messages into an overall narrative e.g. staying at home leads to saving lives
- Keep the messages short – each of the three messages has at most three words
- Use everyday language, simple verbs, monosyllabic words
- Keep repeating the messages until you are sure that they have landed and are being acted on
Your communications aims are probably more modest, but you can still use the same, proven techniques to create, test and land your own messaging that works.
Create powerful messaging for your business
If you are planning to improve your business messaging , you need to think about some key questions:
For example:
Does your messaging fit the current mood of your target audience?
Does it address their concerns?
Will it speak to them?
You’ll also need to think again about your proof – that mixture of fact, anecdote and commentary that supports good messaging. Remember, if your messages are without proof, they are just assertions.
When you work with us, we ask you tough questions, such as: Are your statistics up to date, or do they seem to belong to a different time and place, before the pandemic? Are your anecdotes tight, telling and memorable? Is your commentary relevant and differentiating?
A lot of investor messaging fails because it lacks compelling proof.
As a result, when you start to talk to investors or customer, journalists or partners your story unravels. That’s why you should take a fresh look at your proof points and then road-test both the messaging and the proof before you go live again.
We work with our clients – helping them polish their talks, presentations, interviews and investor updates.
So if you want to polish your messaging, get in touch.
We’d be delighted to help you.
P.S. If you want to read a fascinating article about branding, messaging and US politics, read this from the NY Review of Books.
Do you need help with your investor pitch messages?
If your messaging is letting you down, improve your investor pitch messaging with our famous Investor Messaging Cracker Process.
Call Louise on +44 (0)20 7018 0922, or click the Contact Us link below.
Contact us today for better investor messaging
About Benjamin Ball Associates
Benjamin Ball Associates helps companies to pitch, present & persuade.
Over the last 15+ years the award-winning BBA team has supported thousands of executives globally to present powerfully to investors and business. We have developed a robust toolbox of techniques that you can use to become clear, confident and compelling.
We’ll help you create a powerful first impression that hooks and engages your audience immediately, and we’ll transform you to deliver clearly, confidently and with impact.
Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email louise@benjaminball.com to find out more and discuss your coaching needs.
Contact us today
Contact us for a chat about how we can help you with your presenting.
Let's talk about your presentation training needs
Contact us for a chat about how we can help you with your presenting.