We work on a lot of web projects.
When we kick one off, we dig in and ask questions to get a better understanding of the business—specific questions about target audiences, value propositions, and brand differentiators.
The discussion is designed to reveal if there is more work to be done in the way of aligning how to talk about the thing we’re selling.
Whether we’re hired to write copy or not, it’s important to determine and document how you want to present your brand/business to the world with regard to messaging.
It’s often referred to as your Messaging Strategy.
Whether you don’t have one at all, you think yours needs refining, or you aren’t sure what they should include, this article should help you along the way.
How We Define Messaging Strategy
A messaging strategy considers two primary elements of communication: what you say and how you say it. It’s designed to help you establish a clear, cohesive, and compelling way of talking to your audience about your brand, product, or service.
Without one, you risk pushing unclear, fragmented communications that can make it harder to achieve your business objectives. It’s harder for design teams to design, sales teams to sell, and marketers (you) to market.
A Quick Case for Developing a Messaging Strategy
Clarify your target audience and associated messages
No matter the medium, the audience is central to your approach.
The process of developing a messaging strategy requires you to think about your audience with empathy. It hones in on the pains and frustrations they might be having and explores how your solutions directly address them. A clear target helps you narrow the focus of your communications, too.
Create more cohesive communications across the board
Marketing messages don’t just live on your website. They’re often distributed across print materials, via sales channels, and through word-of-mouth between customers, referrals, and strangers new to your brand.
Messaging strategies streamline the number of messages and elevate the strongest ones. They reinforce your core benefits by adding consistency and serve as a guide for any team member who writes or talks about your brand to potential prospects.
Better position your brand with effective communications
Smart marketers are concerned with how their brand is positioned relative to the competition.
A messaging strategy helps iron out your strongest brand positions and how they distinguish you from your closest competitors.
Sales teams are armed with more effective language, marketing teams can better target specific groups, and service can align on how they’re responding to customers in real time.
A thoughtful messaging strategy helps you understand your customers, better position your product/solution, and align your teams with clear, cohesive, compelling messages.
So how do you know if you might need one?