The "features vs. benefits" debate is a false dichotomy. Great messaging, like fiction writing, uses "narrative distance" to strategically zoom in on details (features) and zoom out to the big picture (outcomes). This creates a complete story and avoids getting stuck at one extreme.
Companies try to communicate too many benefits at once (security, ease of use, efficiency), creating a "mishmash buffet" that prospects can't digest. To provide focus and avoid messaging by committee, companies need a single, clear "flagship message" that guides all communication.
A powerful way to create a flagship message is to define a "villain." This isn't a competitor, but the root cause of the buyer's problem. For Loom, the villain is "time-sucking meetings." For Cloud Zero, it's "unpredictable cloud billing." This frames your product as the clear solution to a tangible enemy.
Marketers focus so much on being clear and compelling that their messages become generic ("made easy"), over-hyped ("predictable revenue"), or cryptic. This creates a disconnect between what companies say and what buyers actually understand, because the core meaning is lost.
Instead of positioning against direct competitors in a saturated category, frame your message against what your customer is *actually* using today. A DAM tool resonated better when it shifted messaging from being a "better DAM" to helping users "move on from Dropbox and Drive."
Teams often get stuck debating word choices ("fuel your growth" vs. "turbocharge your ROI") without realizing the underlying message is flawed. This is like "cleaning the windows on a burning building." Before tweaking copy, marketers must first ask, "What do we really mean?"
Buyers don't follow a neat journey on your website; they're actively shortlisting. With 78% of B2B buyers shortlisting just three vendors for a demo, your website’s primary function is to provide the right information to ensure you make that crucial cut, not to tell your entire story.
Nearly every B2B tool can claim it saves time or increases revenue. Leading with these generic outcomes is why so many B2B websites sound the same. True differentiation happens at a more specific benefit layer, like a time tracker promising to "know exactly where your team's time is going."