Your brand message is more than a slogan or a tagline, as it needs to demonstrate everything your business cares about and works hard on. It is also the one element that binds all of your company’s core values and content together.
Brand loyalty is a result of providing consumers with consistent messaging that reflects your brand’s principles and connects with them on an emotional level. Did you know that 89% of consumers stay loyal to a brand that they feel shares their values? However, if you don’t have a solid brand messaging framework in place, your value proposition will undoubtedly get diluted among a sea of meaningless, disconnected phrases.
In this article, we will explore why building a solid brand message is so important for a business to succeed, and what the process to create the right framework is.
What is Brand Messaging?
Brand messaging is the art and science of expressing your company’s personality to your target audience through the use of the right words. This includes tone of voice, lingo, and phrasing used on your website and other marketing materials to illustrate your key value proposition.
Your brand is your identity. It’s how people perceive you, based on your company culture, values, and mission statements. Therefore, your brand message is what sets you apart from your competitors. It’s what makes you unique.
To create a strong brand message, you need to start with a clear purpose. What is the vision for your brand? What do you expect to face with over the next 1-5 years? Once you have a clear vision, you can start building your brand messaging around that.
This should be a consistent process across all channels – from your website to your social media accounts to the way your employees answer the phone. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to build (or reinforce) your brand.
A strong brand message will help you attract and retain customers, and it will also help you attract and retain top talent. Employees want to work for companies with a strong brand message – companies that stand firmly for an idea and are making a positive impact on the world. So if you’re looking to attract and retain your customers as well as top talent, make sure your brand message is strong!
Why Is Brand Message So Important?
A brand message is the backbone of all of your marketing and advertising efforts. It is what ties everything together and gives meaning to the content you create.
Also, as mentioned above, the brand message is one of the most essential elements in differentiating your business from the competition. If you can’t articulate what makes your business unique, how will customers know why they should choose you over someone else?
When done right, your brand message should be reflective of your company’s core values and principles. It should be something that consumers can connect with and will remember long after they have interacted with your brand.
If you want to create a lasting impression on your target audience, make sure your brand message is:
- Relevant to your target audience
- Reflective on your company’s core values
- Memorable and easy to understand
- Consistent across all channels
- Differentiated from the competition
- Emotionally resonant
How to Build the Right Brand Message Framework
Identify Your Target Audience
The first step in creating a strong brand message is to identify your target audience. What are the people that you are trying to reach with your marketing efforts?
Once you know who your target audience is, you can start to create messaging that resonates with them on a personal level. What are their needs and pain points? How can you solve them with your product or service?
Keep in mind that your target audience may be different across various channels. For example, the messaging you use on Twitter might be different than the messaging you use on LinkedIn.
Some businesses make the mistake of thinking they can reach everyone with their brand message. But the truth is, you can’t be everything to everyone. It’s important to focus your efforts on a specific target audience so you can create messaging that resonates with them.
Define Your Core Values
Your brand message should be reflective of your company’s core values. What are the principles that guide your business decisions?
Your core values should be more than just empty words on a website. They should be reflected in the way you do business and the way you treat your customers.
For example, if one of your core values is “transparency,” make sure your marketing efforts reflect that. Don’t try to hide the fact that you’re a small business or that your products are made in China.
Your core values should also be reflected in your company culture. Do your employees live and breathe your core values? If this is not happening, it’s time to change something.
Creating a strong brand message is much easier when your company’s core values are clear and well-defined. Once you know what your core values are, you can start to build messaging around them.
Take Note of Successful Brand Messages In Your Industry
Before you start to create your own brand message, take some time to study the competition. What techniques are they using?
You don’t want to copy what they’re doing, but it can be helpful to see what’s working well for other businesses in your industry. You may even find some inspiration for your own brand message.
Make sure to also take note of any mistakes the competition is making with their brand message. Are they coming across as too sales-y?
Avoid making the same mistakes with your own brand messaging. Take the time to study the competition and learn from both your and their mistakes.
Make It Memorable and Easy to Understand
Your brand message should be short, sweet, concrete and easy for consumers to understand and remember.
The best brand messages are often just a few words long. Examples: Nike’s “Just Do It” or McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it.”
Of course, you don’t have to create a slogan for your brand message. But you should make sure it’s something that consumers can easily remember.
Your brand message should also be easy to understand. Avoid using industry jargon or technical terms that consumers might not be familiar with.
Make sure your brand message is something that consumers can easily remember and understand.
Have A Clear Value Proposition
Your brand message should be built around your value proposition. What is it that you offer that no one else does?
Your value proposition should be clear, concise, and easy for consumers to understand. It should also be reflective of your company’s core values.
For example, if you’re a small business that focuses on customer service, your value proposition might be “We offer a personal touch that you won’t find at the big box stores.”
Keep It Consistent Across All Channels
According to a study by Oberlo, consistent presentation of a brand can potentially increase revenue by 33%. So, once you’ve created your brand message, it’s important to keep it consistent across all channels. That means using the same messaging on your website, social media, email marketing, and any other marketing materials.
It is very important to be consistent. You want consumers to instantly recognize your message, no matter where they see it.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with your brand message. You can still experiment with different wording and formats. Just make sure the overall message is always the same.
It’s also important to keep your brand message consistent over time. Don’t change it every few months or every time you launch a new product. Your brand message should be something that consumers can rely on.
Keep your brand message consistent across all channels and over time. That way, consumers will always know what to expect from your business.
Final Words
Now that we’ve covered what it takes to build a solid brand message, you have everything you need to make your target audience love you and stay loyal to your company.
Just to recap, it’s important to first identify your target audience. Once you know who your target audience is, you can begin to craft a message that is relevant to them.
Next, you need to think about what your company’s core values are. What principles does your business stand for? These values should be reflected in your brand message.
Once you know who you are trying to reach and what your company stands for, you can begin to craft a message that is both relevant and differentiated.
Finally, you must ensure your brand message is consistent across all channels. This means using the same language and tone in your website copy, social media posts, ads, and other marketing materials.
By following the steps we’ve outlined in our guide, you can create a strong brand message framework that will help you connect with your target audience and differentiate your business from the competition.
If you need help crafting the perfect brand message for your business, contact us today. CEO Hangout is a networking community of leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs who look for new business partnerships or simply want to exchange ideas with like-minded people.