At the core of every successful brand are its key messages—those snippets and descriptors that capture the essence of your company, its products, and services. These messages are consistently delivered across various channels, breathing life into your brand and creating an emotional connection with your audience.
Forget lengthy, dense text or overly complicated explanations. Content needs to be sharp and to the point. If it takes too long to get to the heart of the matter, readers simply move on. Keep it clear, keep it engaging, and watch your brand resonate!
LESS IS MORE
Your key messaging should boil down to the 3 to 5 essential things the market needs to know about your brand. These messages should clearly convey who you are, what you do, what sets you apart, and spotlight any standout products or services—whether it’s industry disruption, cutting-edge technology, or innovative solutions.
Keep your language direct and conversational, as if you’re chatting with someone. While you might know all the reasons why your “widget” is the best or why you’re the top choice for a service, consumers only need high-level highlights. Save the detailed explanations for the fine print for those who crave more information.
Key messages are all about grabbing attention and emphasizing the benefits to the consumer.
FOCUS ON THE BENEFIT
The goal of your key messages is to deliver memorable statements that address consumer pain points. They turn to you to solve specific problems or challenges, seeking the benefits of your product or service, not just the features.
Your messaging should highlight how you are the “first,” “best,” or “most in-tune” with their needs. Every piece of consumer-facing content should revolve around this core theme: you (the consumer) have a need, and we’re the ones who can solve it.
For instance, while saying “We’re the region’s largest law firm” might be true, it won’t generate much excitement unless size is the only factor consumers care about. Instead, a statement like “Our law firm has won the most judgments for our clients in the state over the last five years” is far more likely to grab the attention of someone seeking a lawyer with a proven track record.
KEEP IT CONSISTENT
No matter the channels used to deliver your key messages, consistency is crucial. Whether it’s a blog post, social media update, CEO’s media comment, email signature, digital ad, website content, or even wording on a work order or invoice, your messaging should always sound like it comes from the same source and convey the same core message(s).
To maintain this consistency, many top brands establish corporate messaging standards. These standards are introduced to new hires during orientation and reinforced with existing staff over time. Additionally, many companies implement social media policies, guiding both company-related and individual employee posts.
MAKE IT PEOPLE FRIENDLY
The purpose of your messaging is to spark a conversation about your brand, ultimately leading people to purchase your product or service. In today’s digital age, we can’t ignore the power of search engine optimization (SEO). Your brilliant messaging needs to be found and heard by your target audience.
As brands craft their key messages, content writers often face a dilemma: Should we write content packed with keywords that Google loves? Should we focus on connecting with consumers first and foremost? Or can we do both?
In my experience, the answer is a bit of both, but lean towards being people-friendly. After all, you’re writing for people. Quality content that highlights your 3 to 5 key messages should naturally include the keywords and phrases most important to your audience.
Think about it: if you write content solely to be found by search engines, without engaging your target audience, what’s the point? Your content must attract consumers and convert them from prospects into customers. It’s not enough to just “drive traffic” to your website or blog if visitors are turned off by keyword-stuffed, non-people-friendly content.
What does your messaging tell your target audience about your brand? Does it make an emotional connection? Does it convert prospects into customers? Is it consistent across all channels?
LET’S GET CREATIVE
Barrel O’Monkeyz has years of experience working with companies to develop and refine their brand stories, messaging, and content for websites, blogs, marketing, advertising, and more.
We invite you to put our expertise in planning, strategy, digital marketing, social media, product development, ecommerce, website development, outbound and inbound marketing, content development, and branding to work for you as you ramp up sales, launch new products, and position or re-position your brand. Contact us today.
