6 Steps to Boost your Brand and Business with Key Messaging
They are the words you choose to describe what your business does, why it’s important; how to make your customers’ lives easier or better; how you solve their problems. Your key messages are essentially your business’s what and why. So, why do these particular words matter so much? Quite simply, the right messages can bring more of the right people through your door.
One of my favorite branding gurus, Maria Ross–author, brand strategist, speaker, and the founder of Red Slice–describes a brand as a 3-legged stool conveyed visually, verbally, and experientially, and she cautions her clients not to underestimate the importance of that “verbal leg”:
“The biggest gap for many organizations is getting the messaging (verbal) component right. They tend to either mimic their competition or speak in an inconsistent way. How can you convey messages that attract the right buyers, speak to their buying drivers and needs effectively – and even more so, enable you to stand out in a crowded marketplace? The goal of the brand-building game is to get prospects to know, like, and trust you so that when the need for your product or service arises–when they are most ready to buy–they think of you first. Messaging can make or break that relationship.”What entrepreneur doesn’t want to make that brand relationship? Who doesn’t want her company name top of mind when the need arises and a prospective customer is ready to buy? If you can make your message “stick” in the hearts and minds of that prospective customer, then you’ve made the necessary relationship and are on your way to a successful enterprise.
So where do you start? Implement our 6 Steps to Boost Your Brand and Business with Key Messaging:
1. Clarity.
When you communicate clearly, people get you quickly. The quicker people get you, the better. Remember, attention spans are short.
2. Consistency.
The more consistent you are in how you present yourself across all communication touch points, the easier you make it for your customers and prospects to remember you. If you’re consistently presenting yourself with an intentional voice, tone, personality, and word choice, you are much more likely to stand out.
3. Emotion.
Compelling messages can help you appeal to the emotion of your target audience. It’s the emotion that drives the purchase of the product or the investment in the service. Get emotional.
4. What’s in it for me?
Key messages force you to define the benefits you bring to your customer. Not your company’s coolest features, but what your customers get from buying your product or investing in your service. Communicating with your customer’s perspective in mind, at all times, is going to help you set yourself apart from your competition. Intentionally designed key messages that are aligned with your overall brand strategy will help you highlight the real differentiators that make your company unique. Don’t say what everyone else is saying. When you get at the heart of what truly sets you apart and communicate it in a compelling way, you will rise above the marketing noise.
5. Knowledge.
Sure, brand building is about relationship building, building loyal customers–those people who identify with your brand story, voice, and personality–but you can’t build that relationship unless you really know your target customer.That knowledge is powerful. Spend the time to get to know exactly who should hear your brand story and speak directly to them. The relationship and the loyalty will follow.
6. Authenticity.
Your company, your brand has a remarkable story to tell–one that your audience needs to hear. The best branding is born from authentic storytelling; telling a true story well. That story is communicated intentionally via your messages.
There are so many demands on an individual’s attention that it can be virtually impossible to get through, grab attention, make an impact–let alone make a sale. Pare your messages down to the most essential; use the words that are going to touch your ideal customer in an emotional way; and understand how to creatively and concisely articulate who you are and why you do what you do. Do that, and you’ll be on your way to building a stronger brand and a better business.
Want to learn more about how to go about creating cool key messages? Read Maria Ross’s “Developing your Brand Voice: Three Keys to Killer Messaging”.
Want to learn more about how solid key messages help make for winning marketing efforts? Read RainCastle President and Creative Director Paul Rosenburg’s “Why Messaging is so Important for Successful B2B Marketing”.