Marketing Messaging: Making It Work for Accounts Receivable

The way accounts receivable businesses operate is changing. Consumers and potential clients spend more time researching companies online and less speaking directly to your business. That means your agency’s website must speak to visitors as clearly as possible. A concise marketing message and clear website copy can help you communicate to all your audiences. Use messaging properly and you will strengthen your brand image and foster trust with consumers and clients.

What is a Marketing Message?

In marketing, your message is made up of the language, benefits and values your company wants to convey to the world. Be intentional about what you share with audiences and how it relates to them.

Why Do You Need Messaging?

Messaging can make website visits more pleasant for worried consumers trying to learn about your company. A strong, decisive marketing message can reassure consumers that your business is legitimate and put them at ease paying a debt.

A good message may also be the deciding factor for clients who are looking for a responsible, trustworthy agency to help them collect late payments. No matter who you’re speaking to, using the same themes throughout your website and other communication channels fosters the trust and professionalism that builds confidence in your company.

How to Create Your Message

Brand Strategist Phoebe Assenza has worked to craft strong marketing messages< for many financial services companies throughout her career. She says the first step to creating your message is to know your audience.

“Before you write or design anything, you need to have a detailed picture of who you are writing and designing for. I never start a writing or content strategy project without a thorough profile of who the core consumer is.”Phoebe Assenza - Rhetorica Creative

Knowing who you’re speaking to goes beyond simple demographics like age and location. Your company should know the long-term goals and most immediate needs of your consumers, clients and other audiences. Here are a few starting points that will help you get to know audiences and understand what messaging they require:

Understand their journey - To understand someone’s motivations and the information they’re looking for, you have to have insight into their journey. Most everyone researches online to learn about a brand and determine its credibility. Accounts receivable is no different. Knowing the digital customer journey someone takes to get to you, and what pain points they experience along the way can offer great insight into the messages they need to see on your website and other communication channels.

Digital Customer Journey Mapping to Improve Payment Experience

Match your offerings to their needs - Understanding someone’s journey means nothing unless you use that knowledge to tailor your message to help them along the way. For example, the largest audience to your website will be consumers researching you or interested in making an online payment. If your website message is catered only to new creditor clients, even a well-placed payment button won’t be as effective as it could be.

Understand your brand’s reputation - Brand reputation has a big impact on your marketing strategy. Be realistic about how you may be viewed based on your search results, customer reviews or other factors. A professional, consistent marketing message can help you improve your reputation, but you need to know what people think in order to create the messages they need to hear.

Relating to Your Audience

Understanding people requires research and introspection. With a little work, anyone can do it. Using this newfound knowledge to truly connect to your audience is a bigger challenge. Assenza says the key to consumer connection> in your digital marketing is to first show the positive impact you will have on their lives.

“Before you start talking about yourself, (like how long you've been around, how large your staff, how many offices you have) talk about what you can do for them, and how,” says Assenza. Show your audience the benefits of interacting with you.

Explain how you’re different from competitors. Relating what you do directly to a website visitor helps them to become more personally invested, more comfortable and more convinced to do business with your agency.

“Talk about who you've helped, and what their success looks like as a result of that partnership. Once you've established what you do, why you do it, how you've helped, how you're different, then you can start bragging about your multiple locations and so on.” Phoebe Assenza - Rhetorica Creative

Sharing Your Message Through Website Copy

After you’ve identified your audience, you know what you want to tell them (and how) it’s time to finalize your message. One paragraph on your home page is not going to be enough. A marketing message needs to run throughout your entire website and any other channels you use to speak to stakeholders (like social media and blogs). Be sure to include:

Consistent tone - establish the tone of voice you believe will work best for you target audience. Think about who your company is as a whole. Are you businesslike? Friendly yet informative? Warm and inviting? All corporate language should reflect this identity.

Standardized vocabulary - What words describe what you do to help your consumers and clients? These should be used consistently when explaining your benefits. This way, no matter where someone begins their journey with your agency, they know who you are, what you do, and why you’re the best fit for them.

Of course, putting together a strong brand message and truly connecting to your target market can’t be done without a thoughtful, well-designed website. For more advice on creating target personas, funnels and brand identity, check out our downloadable how-to, Build a Website to Reach Every Audience.