Create Brand Messaging That Connects And Convinces

One of three essential elements of brand communication is – Brand Messaging.

This is the way a brand communicates its unique value proposition and personality through verbal and nonverbal messaging. It is what helps attract or dissuade the kind of people that would want to associate with it.

Research from Bergische University, Germany, highlights that brands produce similar feelings in us as the ones we would feel when we like (or dislike) someone. Now consider this, it takes about a tenth of a second for an individual to form an opinion about another. Hence, for a brand to really make a good first impression, it needs to be crystal clear with its messaging – both verbal and non-verbal.

Imagine a brand as a human being you will start to see a clear personality and message it is trying to convey to you. For example, if you imagine Apple as a person, you would most probably think of them as young, trendy, and cool. This is because, through all their interactions with the customer – the website, store, customer reps, Advertisements, AppStore – it all conveys youth, trendiness, and coolness. Consistency is key here, it helps create a constant narrative in the minds of all who come in contact with the brand.

Here are 3 Steps to follow to create compelling brand messaging:

Step 1: Who Are You? Or What’s Your Brand Identity?

This is probably the most fundamental question every brand (product or service) needs to ask itself. Only when you have a clear understanding of who you are, will you be able to tell others about it. Just like a person right?

Some of the questions to ask yourself are:

• External View: What is your value proposition? This must explain the functional and emotional benefits your product or service provides. It must specify exactly how your brand solves a problem.
• Market View: How do you differentiate from your competitors? Why must people choose you? Take a look at your competition to identify what makes you different.
• Internal View: What is most important to you? or What are your values? Is there a particular vision of what you want to achieve?

You most probably already have an answer to all these questions, but is it articulated and communicated to all stakeholders?

Apple helps you simplify your life in a creative and human way.

Step 2: Define Your Target Audience or Who Would Want To Use Your Brand?

Now that you have an idea of who you are, it is time to understand who might want to associate with you. Or who benefits the most from interacting with your product or service. It is very important to be extremely prudent here, as there may be a tendency to say “everyone”. But in all likelihood, there will be a smaller subset of individuals who will benefit the most – this is your Ideal Customer Profile.

To define your audience think about:

• Key demographics – age range, economic status, gender, common job title(s), geography located in, etc.
• Key psychographics – likes, dislikes, aspirations, values, challenges, etc.
• Preferred channels for – information and content consumption, first contact, browsing
• Preferred content types – video, audio, text, etc.

There are multiple ways to get to know your audience. If you are an up-and-running product or service, look at your existing customer profiles and collate the data from there. If you are a new product or service, look at the market and the gap that you are addressing.

Step 3: Build Your Brand Messaging Framework

Now that you have a clear understanding of who you are and who you want to connect with, it is time to build your messaging framework. This is a collection of elements that help keep your brand focused and stay consistent.

Here is what a typical brand messaging framework might contain:

• Brand Promise or Tagline – It should be targeted toward the customer, indicate your vision, and still convey what you actually do.
• Positioning Statement – It defines where you fit into the marketplace. This can help guide both your internal and external messaging.
• Target Audience/Audience Personas – Keep your ideal buyers in mind to create messaging that will resonate with their needs, motivations, interests, and pain points.
• Mission – It is what you hope to accomplish. Your aspirations and beliefs.
• Tone of Voice – How are you going to speak to your target audience?
• Elevator Pitch – How would you describe your brand in 30, 60, or 90 seconds
• Brand Pillars – These are the three most important selling points of your product. Each brand pillar can be supported by a key benefit statement and supporting examples.
• Logo and Visuals – To define how your brand will look and feel to your target audience.

All these elements are important and can be further nuanced and developed into deeper elements, as your brand evolves and grows.

Ultimately creating brand messaging that truly connects and convinces takes a lot of consistent effort and constant nurturing. But when done well, it yields tremendous results. Case in point – the world’s most valuable brand – Apple!

Need Help?

Do you need help to create or sharpen your brand messaging framework? Get in touch with us for a free consultation.