Summary

There’s a myth that tweaking channels will lift conversion. It rarely does when messaging and the segment have drifted apart. What works, consistently, is segment clarity, outcomes-led messaging, then channels aligned to customer metrics. Do that, and brand intent becomes cleaner pipelines and steadier pricing power.

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Our Perspective

What this means for leaders navigating growth, change or transformation in their organisation.

The Real Friction

When conversion lags while channels look healthy in the dashboard, the issue isn’t format or frequency; it’s fit. Channels amplify what you already say and to whom you say it. If your message no longer maps to the segment that’s leaning in, amplification simply spreads ambiguity. McKinsey notes that B2B buyers move across about 10 interaction channels, and 65% will swap supplier if the omnichannel experience disappoints—so fragmentation of story and segment is quickly punished.

In our experience with growth-stage leadership teams, misfires rarely come from channel selection; they come from segment clarity and message‑market fit slipping out of sync.

Signals Of Drift

Misalignment rarely announces itself loudly. It shows up as a pattern of weak signals that, taken together, point to a segment that’s moved while your story hasn’t. Look for how buying has changed before you tinker with media budgets.

• New job titles arriving in deals and unfamiliar stakeholders shaping criteria
• Procurement adding steps that emphasise risk and proof over features
• Pipeline tilting toward partial-fit opportunities and lower qualification confidence
• Reviews and referrals that praise delivery but hedge on “who you’re best for”

Sequence That Works

Before rewriting copy, answer a harder question: has your prime segment shifted? Confirm with win–loss insights, product usage, and where momentum is strongest. Then translate the job your highest‑value customers hire you to do into outcomes they recognise, not a features list.

Practical moves that hold up under scrutiny:

• Reconfirm the segment you want, then unambiguously deprioritise the rest
• Rewrite value in customer language, anchored to measurable outcomes
• Adjust packaging, pricing, and proof points before increasing media
• Align metrics to customer outcomes, e.g., time‑to‑first‑value and qualification rate

Commercial Payoffs

When segment clarity leads, channels stop working as megaphones and start acting as filters. You get fewer stray impressions, a cleaner pipeline, and firmer pricing power. Internally, qualification becomes shared, propositions sharpen, and prioritisation arguments fade because the target is explicit. Externally, relevance is recognised faster, reviews strengthen, and advocacy compounds without additional promotion.

This is where brand shifts from promise to operating system: a coherent story, expressed consistently across moments, that reduces friction in every step of the journey. Do this well and the return on investment keeps improving as learning loops tighten; the more you focus the segment and evidence the outcomes, the more every channel carries its weight. The consequence isn’t louder marketing—it’s steadier growth with fewer surprises.

Sources:

• Five fundamental truths: How B2B winners keep growing — McKinsey

Further Resources

1. Employer Brand Alignment: Key to Strategic Success
2. Clear Decision Rights to Prevent Brand Whiplash
3. Aligning Mission and Revenue: A Guide for Mid-Market Leaders

If today’s topic resonates, we invite you to continue the dialogue — sometimes one conversation reframes the challenge. Start the conversation.

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