Brand Messaging: Three Steps to Strengthen Your Brand’s Communication
Most brands overcommunicate.
They fail to go through the editing process and talk too much about their products, services and company values instead of focusing on the benefits to the customer. Brands should ask, “Why should people care about this? How will it benefit them?” The answers to these questions are a starting point for developing their brand language. If you can clearly and simply communicate how you will make customers’ lives easier or better, you will be miles ahead of the competition. Good brand messaging simplifies decision making. You may care about the specifics, but your customers may just want the high points. Less is more in most cases. It’s your job to quickly communicate the value you provide to customers. If your product or service offering is particularly complex, you may need to educate and inform while conveying the benefits.
When most people think about branding, they focus on logos, colors and visuals, but how brands speak and express themselves is just as influential in their success. Brand messaging is a system of communication that creates a memorable experience across every touch point and interaction. Creating a unified system is a multi-step process. To get started, follow these three steps:
When your brand language puts the customer’s needs first, you create a stronger, more memorable connection.
Step One: Evaluate Your Current Messaging
Take some time to audit your brand’s messaging. Look at the company website, sales materials, social media and any pieces of written content that you can get your hands on. Once you’ve digested the content, use the following questions to evaluate its effectiveness.
- Does your brand language focus on customer benefits rather than company features?
- Are you communicating in a way that simplifies decision-making for your audience?
- Is your messaging clear, concise and memorable? And, not only memorable but repeatable? Could someone easily share it word-of-mouth?
- Is the messaging uniquely tailored to your different audiences (external and internal)?
- Does it give people a reason to believe in your offering and company?
- Does the language have a distinct brand voice or personality?
Step Two: Clarify and Strengthen Your Core Message
Once you’ve evaluated your brand messaging, the next step would be to identify the most important takeaway. If you could only communicate one message to each of your audiences, what would it be? Choosing the single most important message is vital. If you can clearly communicate the value you provide, you will be positioned for market leadership. Clear is better than clever. This does not mean to be dry or boring. The key is to get the message down to the simplest and purest version and find the most interesting way to express it.
Step Three: Develop a Distinct Brand Language
Once you’ve identified and defined your core message, it’s time for wordplay. You know what you want to say, but the magic happens when you figure out how to say it. This process is all about tapping into your brand’s personality. If your brand personality has not been fully developed, it is helpful to curate a small list of human traits and attributes that represent your brand and company culture. Is your brand confident or caring? Is it educational or entertaining? It is down to earth or sophisticated? Your brand voice should be authentic and aspirational. Think about how other people are communicating in your space. What words are they using? How are they speaking? Is there an opportunity to communicate in a fresh way? As you craft your brand language, experiment with different writing styles and word choices while staying connected to your brand voice. Once you’ve got a few key messages crafted, you can build a system of communication around them. Every space and medium will require a nuanced approach to messaging, but your brand voice should remain as consistent and recognizable as your visual identity, creating a cohesive experience that reinforces who you are at every touchpoint.
