{"id":5712,"date":"2022-04-18T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/blog\/story\/elements-of-a-successful-brand-8-messaging\/"},"modified":"2023-07-05T11:19:32","modified_gmt":"2023-07-05T15:19:32","slug":"elements-of-a-successful-brand-8-messaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/elements-of-a-successful-brand-8-messaging","title":{"rendered":"Elements of a Successful Brand 8: Messaging"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is Brand Messaging?<\/h2>\n

Every brand needs a voice. Brand messaging provides the words that help customers and prospects understand a firm\u2019s value (why it\u2019s useful) and values (what it believes in). It articulates the brand\u2019s promise<\/a> and stimulates desire for a firm\u2019s services. Brand messages tell a story that gets people excited about your services and rallies them behind your flag. In the war for customers\u2019 hearts, messaging leads the charge.<\/p>\n

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Download the Rebranding Guide – Second Edition<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Messaging can take various forms\u2014a\u00a0tagline<\/a>, ad slogans, headlines, your sales pitch\u2014but they all share a few common traits. Persuasive brand messages are always brief and convey critical aspects of a firm\u2019s brand. And they often intentionally oversimplify concepts that, in reality, may be complex and nuanced. This oversimplification is a good thing, however, because the\u00a0goal of a brand is to be noticed, remembered and desired. In an over-communicated world, the only way to get inside the minds of prospects is to whittle away at your message until it comes to a sharp point. You may leave some details on the floor, but the thrust will really drive home and stick.<\/p>\n

The Core Brand Message<\/h2>\n

Behind every great brand is a fundamental core brand message: a compact statement that declares why the brand matters, what it stands for and how it is stands apart from competitors. It\u2019s a well you can return to again and again when you need inspiration or need to remind yourself what you stand for. A core brand message communicates the values and\u00a0key differentiators<\/a>\u00a0that define the brand. And above all else, it makes people in a firm\u2019s target audience sit up and\u2026 care.<\/p>\n

The core brand message will shape all of a firm\u2019s subsequent brand marketing messages. A firm\u2019s tagline or ad slogan may closely match the words in its core brand message, or they can take a different form. What\u2019s important is that all of a firm\u2019s brand messages describe aspects of the brand that are relevant to its clients.<\/p>\n

Creating Your Messages<\/h2>\n

We create messages to address different needs. A firm that struggles to differentiate itself in the marketplace, for instance, may formulate a tagline or marketing campaign theme that contrasts itself with the rest of the industry (Avis\u2019s \u201cWe try harder\u201d comes to mind). Many messages convey specific services or benefits, and they don\u2019t have to take the form of a marketing slogan. They may simply be key characteristics of your services, or they can\u00a0be headlines on your website.<\/p>\n

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See also: Messaging Architecture for the Professional Services<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Whatever form they take,\u00a0brand messages have to be relevant to your audiences<\/a>. If you have multiple audiences \u2014 different industries or job functions, for instance \u2014 you will want to develop key messages that address the interests of each. There may be considerable overlap of messages between audiences, but there will almost certainly be points that are more relevant to one group than to another. For example, consider what the CEO of a prospective client might need to hear. Then compare that to things you might tell a prospective employee. Their interests diverge pretty quickly.<\/p>\n

Crafting messages that are concise, easy to understand and tell a coherent story can be a lot trickier than you think. After you\u2019ve gone through the process of developing messages targeted at different audiences (an outside facilitator or consultant can be a huge help), you\u2019ll be a lot better prepared to explain your brand. And once you\u2019ve found your voice, you\u2019ll discover that people suddenly do a lot more listening.<\/p>\n

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