Why writing to Just One Customer is Bad Advice for B2B Communication Teams
- Vivien
- Jun 29
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 20
You probably know this: understanding your target audience is fundamental to any messaging or communication strategy. It’s Communication 101.
But here’s the catch—B2B isn’t B2C.
In B2C, one person usually makes the decision. This is your A+ Customer or Ideal Customer Persona (ICP). Often, that same person is also the user, so it’s natural—and effective—to speak to their emotions.
You can lean on impulse, aspiration, or lifestyle cues, because the buyer and the user are the same person.
But in B2B, it’s not just one customer—you’re dealing with a committee. Often 7–10 people make up an entire ecosystem of stakeholders, each with their own lens, priorities, and anxieties at different points of the buyer journey. They’re all reading the same corporate content, but with completely self-interested agendas.
One message. 10 very different readers. Your B2B Communication Strategy
Because it’s hard to pinpoint who you’re writing to, many communicators make the mistake of treating B2B content like there’s just one buyer—and trying to appeal to everyone.
The result: Diluted, vague messaging with unfocused promises.
You end up connecting with no one and missing the prospects who would actually benefit most from your services.
In B2B, we usually talk about a primary audience and a secondary audience.
Primary audiences: Influencers and Interpreters
Receive and filter information.
They influence decisions but don’t hold formal power. (PAs, agencies, managers, users)
They are in charge of discovery, advocacy, and shaping your message.
Secondary audiences: Decision and Risk Holders
They approve, allocate, or block.
They make the final call.
They validate, evaluate, and make the final decisions
So here's who you’re really writing to in B2B:
Your Decision Committee Cheat Sheet:
The Initiator
The person who first identifies the problem or need.
Ops Manager, Product Manager, Department Head
They want to know: “Will my team perform better?”
The End User:
The people who will actually use the product/service day to day.
Analysts, Sales Reps, Marketing Associates, Support Staff
They want to know: Will this make my workday easier?”
The Influencer (Internal AND External)
Shapes the decision with opinions, research, or expertise.
Not always part of the company but heavily influences the decision.
Project Lead, Middle Manager, HR Business Partner, Sustainability Analyst, Consultant, Industry Advisor
They want to know: “Will this position us as leaders?”
The Expert:
Tests whether the solution is credible, realistic, and workable within the company’s existing systems, regulations, or processes.
CTO, Security Manager, Operations Director
They want to know: Show me the proof this will work here”
The Gatekeeper:
Controls access to decision-makers and information flow
Procurement Officer, Executive Assistant
They want to know: “Is this worth our shortlist?”
The Champion
The person who believes in your solution and pushes it forward internally.
Head of Innovation, Digital Transformation Lead, Change Manager
They want to Know: “If we don’t adopt it now, will we regret it later.”
The Decision-Maker
Has the final say and authority to approve.
CEO, COO, CIO, Senior VP
What they want to know: “Is this going to move the business forward faster than our competitors?”
The Budget Holder
Manages the budget and purchasing process.
CFO, Head of Purchasing, Finance Director
They want to know: “What's the ROI?”
The Auditor
Reviews compliance, risk, or ESG implications before approval.
Chief Risk Officer, Audit Lead, Sustainability Officer
They want to know: “Is it secure?” “Is this compliant?”
The Approver
A senior leader who doesn’t need to evaluate details but must formally sign off.
CIO, CTO, Board Member, COO
They want to know: “Does this align with strategy?”
The Blocker is a wildcard, they can appear anytime - anywhere
Raises objections, slows approvals, or says no if risks aren’t addressed.
Legal Counsel, Compliance Officer, Risk Manager,
They want to Know: “Is this a safe long-term bet?”
Now that you've identified them, try writing the Smarter Way: Modular Messaging
The trick isn’t to mash every message into one messy paragraph. It’s to layer your content so each stakeholder sees exactly what they need—and feels like the communication was written just for them.
Let’s add a little human design.
One Key Takeaway:
Take a look at Vieve's copy, while each one might feel like a different story, all of them come back to one narrative arc - and one key message (long lasting makeup).
And because it speaks to a universal concern and not just 1 person, generating comments that showed how customers were able to self-identify with that key message and emotion.
Vieve's Ad leans a little on the Barnum Effect, a psychological phenomenon that describes the tendency for individuals to believe generalised descriptions of personality traits, behaviours, or situations apply specifically to them.
For example, consider the following statement: "You often worry about financial stability to provide for your loved ones." Most of us would nod in agreement.
Start with the shared problem
Lead with what matters most to your customer (not with what matters most to your company).
Frame the pain everyone recognises: inefficiency, cost, risk, lack of visibility. This unites the room before you dive into specifics. Every stakeholder looks at the deal through a different lens—but they all understand the problem.
Users: “This is painful to use.”
Auditor: “This inefficiency is costing us money.”
Champion: “This slows down strategy.”
Start your message with the core pain point they all recognise.
Meet your audience where they are: Anchor in their world
Your messaging should match your audience’s level of experience. Identify where they are in their customer journey—their awareness levels.
What does their current situation look like? Are they tired of slow, cluttered, unorganised financial tools?
What keeps them up at night? Lost invoices, late payments, miscommunication.
Why are they looking for help? They want organised, no-fuss spreadsheets.
While stakeholders may have different priorities, they often share the same desired outcomes. Highlighting these outcomes will unify your messaging and make it relevant to everyone.
Instead of one generic benefit statement, stack them according to your audience’s priorities:
Users: faster, simpler, less frustrating
Internal Influencer: measurable team efficiency
Auditor: secure, integrates seamlessly
Buyer: proven ROI
Decision Maker: strategic advantage
This way, each stakeholder finds their hook—without your message sounding scattered.
Get them excited about the possibility of achieving their desired outcomes.
Paint a vivid picture of a future where their pain points are resolved.
When they imagine a brighter future free of this challenge, what does that look like? Invoices paid on time, no awkward chasing up calls. Everyone's happy.
4. Layer Your Content
Think of your content like Lego blocks: each piece serves a purpose, but together they form a complete picture.
Take the key elements of what you want to say and split it between your primary and secondary audience.
Primary Audience: Influencers and Interpreters:
Use executive summaries.
Start with a crisp 2–3 sentence “why this matters.” that sets an emotional tone.
Secondary Audience: Decision and Risk Holders
Want logical information to help justify their decisions
Use Case Studies. Back up your claims with statistics and social proof that speak to their logical reasoning.
This approach lets each reader stop when they’ve found what they need, without overwhelming anyone else. It also makes your messaging more digestible, scannable, and actionable.
5. Arm your internal champion and make them your ally.
Even in the committee, there will always be that one person (usually a manager or exec sponsor) The Champion who's tasked with “selling you” internally.
You want your communication to help them connect the dots:
Present your product or service as the solution that takes each stakeholder from their current pain points to their desired outcome.
How does your solution take away their pain and transform them into their desired future? Easy spreadsheet management for teams. One-click invoicing
What's your One Big Promise that they will achieve that they value? Get paid on time.
By layering your content this way—and giving your internal champion the right tools—you make it easier for each stakeholder to understand the value, see themselves in the outcome, and ultimately say yes.
6. Make it skimmable
Nobody reads corporate comms like a novel.
Consider using headers, bullets, or collapsible sections (if digital) and subheadings to guide each stakeholder directly to their relevant content.
Call out who you are addressing in your subheadings. For example: “For Finance,” “For IT,” “For Your Team”)
Even better, try asking a question that they can relate to:
Buyer: “Are late invoices eating into your cash flow?”
Initiator: “Tired of juggling multiple tools that don’t talk to each other?”
Influencer: “Wish your team could collaborate without endless emails and confusion?”
Users: “Frustrated with clunky spreadsheets and manual processes?”
Champion: “Looking for a solution that speeds up decisions and drives growth?”
YOUR TURN.
Take a look at your content.
Uncover the universal commonalities between your audience groups.
What are their shared experiences, events, and personalities?
What can you write about specifically that would appeal to most of them?
Start layering your content.
Example skeleton you can reuse:
Header: The core problem statement
Section 1 (Decision Maker view): How it drives strategy
Section 2 (Budget Holder view): ROI + payback numbers
Section 3 (Blocker view): Security + integration
Section 4 (Initiator view): Team productivity proof
Section 5 (User view): Ease-of-use + support
By using this structure in your B2B communication, you move away from one-size-fits-all messaging. Instead, you create a multi-layered message where every stakeholder gets exactly what they need—all in the same package.
Want to put the theory into practice? Equip your B2B communication team to craft messages that survive distraction, adapt to committee scrutiny, and move buying decisions forward. Find out more about my Workshops
If your messaging is getting stuck, I can help you build one that creates movement.
🎯 Hi, I'm Vivien,
I work with Heads of Communications, CMOs, and B2B internal and external comms teams who desperately need messaging that:
Sticks
Travels accurately
Gets repeated and remembered
Ticks internal alignment
Creates momentum in buying committees
And moves decisions forward
