Messaging strategy

Messaging lives on the bottom layer of the stack from Chapter 1. The ICP tells you which companies matter; the personas inside those firms feel the pain and sign the deal, so your messaging must meet them where they are. One value proposition per persona keeps copy tight and assets targeted. If you try to cover every role in a single sentence you will end up with vague promises that please no one.

This chapter shows a simple four-part framework for turning persona pain into copy that persuades. Apply the steps to each primary persona you mapped earlier; reuse supporting proof across groups where it fits.

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A value proposition is a single sentence that joins pain, promise and urgency for one persona. Build it in four deliberate moves. Let's look at the example of Aircall again.

Identify the persona’s nagging pain

Start with a strong verb that mirrors the recruiter’s daily frustration. Avoid soft words (“improve”, “enhance”). Use verbs that bite: reduce, eliminate, cut, speed, boost.

Pain for Aircall recruiters

Recruiters waste time dialling wrong numbers, logging calls by hand and chasing candidates who never pick up.

Quantify the business impact

Attach a number the persona can feel in their target or bonus. Percentages, hours saved or placements filled work well. If you lack hard data, use a credible range from early users or pilot runs.

Impact

Placing roles two weeks faster or freeing three hours per recruiter each day.

Weave the promised outcome into one clear sentence

Marry the pain verb to the impact and finish with a direct link to your product. Keep verbs active, use normal words, avoid filler.

Structure: Verb + tangible outcome + timeframe + product anchor

Add urgency or a time frame

Without a time anchor buyers assume change will never arrive. “Within the first month” or “in one quarter” pushes them to act.

Good example for Aircall recruiters

Cut candidate-chasing time by 30% in the first month, using Aircall’s one-click dialling and automatic Bullhorn logging.

Why it works

• Cut is a vivid, actionable verb.
• 30% gives a concrete win in recruiter language.
• First month shows a fast payoff.
• The phrase one-click dialling and automatic Bullhorn logging anchors the promise in a real feature.
  

Bad example for Aircall recruiters

Aircall helps recruitment professionals communicate better and achieve hiring excellence.

Why it fails

• Helps and communicate better are vague and weak.
• No number, so the gain feels hypothetical.
• No time frame, so urgency evaporates.
• Hiring excellence is buzz-word fluff; the recruiter cannot picture the result.

Testing your sentence

1. Read-back test – share with a colleague who is not on the project. If they cannot recall the promise after ten seconds, rewrite.
2. Mirror test – put the sentence next to a rival’s copy. Does yours sound different and sharper?
3. Swap test – replace the persona and see if the line still makes sense. If it does, the message is too broad.

Quick checklist before you move on

• One biting verb that matches the persona’s pain.
• A measurable outcome that matters to their target.
• A time frame that signals fast value.
• An explicit link to the feature or mechanism that makes the result believable.
  

Craft one sentence per persona. Use it everywhere: ad headlines, landing page subheads, sales decks and email openers. When every asset sings the same line, prospects hear a clear promise and know exactly why they should care.

Map the before-and-after state

A strong message makes buyers picture life with and without your solution. Show their current pain first, then the result they will enjoy. The sharper the contrast, the stronger the pull to act.

Before: stuck in manual chaos

Recruiters juggle spreadsheets of candidate notes, dial numbers by hand and forget to log half their calls. Teams waste hours chasing updates and managers have no visibility on pipeline health.

After: streamlined calling and crystal reporting

With Aircall every call auto-logs to Bullhorn, recordings link to vacancies and live dashboards surface progress. Recruiters focus on conversations, managers coach from data and hiring speeds up.

How to write your own

1. List the daily frustrations your persona already feels.
2. Describe the immediate, tangible change once your product is in place.
3. Tie the change to a metric they care about: time saved, error rate dropped or revenue lifted.
4. Keep sentences plain; avoid jargon or abstract claims.
   

When your copy moves buyers from a vivid “before” to a desirable “after,” the next click feels like the obvious step.

Eugene Schwartz’s classic Breakthrough Advertising breaks every buyer journey into five awareness stages. The model is powerful because it lets you match one clear message to the reader’s current mindset instead of blasting the same copy at everyone. By moving prospects step-by-step. From “I don’t even have a problem” to “I am ready to buy now” you lower friction, lift conversion rates and waste less budget on irrelevant claims. Below you can see how each stage plays out for Aircall’s recruiter ICP and which content moves the reader forward.

Unaware

The recruiter feels stretched by constant dialling and note-taking yet assumes this is simply part of the job. No language for the pain exists, so adverts that mention “call analytics” or “Bullhorn sync” wash over them. At this stage your only goal is to surface the hidden cost: missed placements and hours lost to admin. Short LinkedIn posts that quantify wasted time or salary leakage work well because they reveal a problem the reader has never counted.

Problem aware

Now the recruiter recognises the drag: manual call logging and wrong numbers slow every hire. They search for ways to “save time in candidate calls” or “reduce recruitment admin”. Content that measures the delay, shows benchmarks or tells a before-after story resonates. Lead magnets such as a “time-spent calculator” move them forward by proving the pain is bigger than they thought.

Solution aware

The recruiter knows phone-system software could fix the issue but has not compared brands. They type “best calling tool for Bullhorn” or “VoIP for recruiters”. Your job is to anchor evaluation criteria in your favour: native Bullhorn integration, one-click dialling, local numbers. Comparison pages and feature checklists excel here, steering the prospect towards features you dominate.

Product aware

Aircall is on the shortlist alongside two rivals. The recruiter checks specifics: call quality, setup speed, pricing. Testimonials, detailed FAQs and short demo videos become critical. Highlight the automatic Bullhorn sync, live support during onboarding and proven 30% time savings. Remove friction with transparent pricing and a calendar link to book a live walkthrough.

Most aware

The buyer believes Aircall is the right choice and simply needs the final push: confirmation of ROI, an easy contract and rapid go-live. Present a one-page implementation plan, a reference call option and a limited-time discount for annual billing. The focus shifts from persuasion to reassurance and swift action, turning approval into a signed order within days.

Proving every claim

A value proposition first hooks attention, proof then locks in trust. Recruiters comparing phone systems have heard plenty of “reliable cloud calling” promises. They believe the one backed by hard numbers, third-party praise and an emotional spark that shows you understand their daily grind. In practice you mix three proof types: logical, social and emotional. The blend reassures rational brains, satisfies group instincts and inspires action.

Logical proof

Facts show the offer works. Good logic moves beyond feature lists to verifiable outcomes.

Example for recruiters

Aircall integrates with Bullhorn, captures every call and writes activity data straight into the ATS. Over six pilot agencies the integration cut manual logging time by 17 minutes per recruiter per day and reduced missed-call follow-ups by 12%. These figures appear in a public case study with screen captures of Bullhorn dashboards before and after deployment.

How to create it

1. Benchmark the current process: average dials, missed calls, admin time.
2. Run a small pilot and measure the same metrics after rollout.
3. Publish the numbers in a short case study or product page sidebar, link to raw data where possible.

Logical proof excels early in the funnel when buyers justify budgets and later when procurement reviews requirements.

Social proof

People trust peers more than vendors. Show that others, especially those like your prospect, already rely on you.

Example for recruiters

• Logos: “Trusted by Adecco, Hays and Robert Walters.”
• Quote: “Aircall shaved a week from time-to-hire in finance roles,” Kirsty Shaw, Senior Talent Partner at Adecco.
• Thumbnail video: two-minute walk-through of Adecco’s phone workflow with real consultants on screen.
  

How to create it

1. Ask satisfied clients for two-sentence quotes tied to a metric.
2. Collect logo permissions and display them on key pages.
3. Record short informal videos on Zoom, clip the best thirty seconds and add captions.
   

Social proof calms committee members who fear choosing the “wrong” tool. It also shortens the research phase because prospects borrow another firm’s due-diligence.

Emotional proof

Logic convinces, emotion converts. Show you grasp the recruiter’s hidden fears and ambitions.

Example for recruiters

• Story: “Georgia spent Friday evenings typing call notes while friends met at the pub. Aircall’s auto-logging gave her back those hours and helped her hit quota three months running.”
• Imagery: hero shot of a recruiter closing a placement from a café laptop instead of an office landline.
• Framing: “Never miss the call that lands the perfect candidate.”
  

How to create it

1. Interview users about high-stress moments and proud wins, not just numbers.
2. Turn the strongest anecdote into a short narrative on the landing page.
3. Pair the story with an image that reflects the outcome, for example a consultant leaving the office on time.
   

Emotional proof nudges prospects who already accept the logic but need a final push to switch.

Bringing it together

Use one lead proof type per asset to keep the message sharp. A comparison table might open with a data point, add three client logos beneath and close with a one-line story. Over a full funnel the balance could look like this:

• Ad copy: emotional hook.
• Landing page hero: logical stat.
• Social sidebar: client logos.
• Nurture email: short success story video.
  

Proof is the bridge between promise and purchase. Combine numbers recruiters can test, voices they recognise and stories they feel and your value proposition stops being a claim, it becomes a fact. Collect proof continuously, refresh stale examples and keep each asset focused on a single angle. In the next chapter we turn this validated message into concrete funnel assets and channel campaigns.

Conclusion

Clear messaging translates your strategic groundwork into words your market feels in its bones. Start by matching each persona’s pain to a single, specific promise. Lead them across the five awareness stages, speaking to what they understand today and guiding them toward what they must believe tomorrow. Anchor every promise with proof: hard numbers, respected voices and stories that make success tangible

When all three layers align you get copy that stops the scroll, landing pages that earn replies and demos that close faster. Keep refining as new data arrives, but resist the urge to drift into generalities; relevance comes from precision, not volume.

With a crisp value proposition, staged messaging and solid proof in place, you are ready to turn words into action. The next chapter covers funnel strategy: choosing channels, crafting assets and mapping touch-points that move prospects from first glance to signed contract.