If you’ve been keeping up with our blogs, as much as I do the Kardashians, you would know by now that we’ve been really into talking about what branding is and why it plays such a vital part in a business’ growth and reputation. As you have been reading, you may have been asking yourself “But how do I actually communicate my brand message!?”. Well, question no more because we are here to show you how!
There are, of course, some key steps you need to take before commencing work on your brand messaging such as brand values, brand identity and brand strategy. Once you have determined these key pillars, you have a strong foundation for you to use as your base to help structure and craft powerful brand messaging!
Do I know you?
It is important to be clear on who you are as a business or brand before communicating your brand message to your target audience. You wouldn’t walk up to someone and start talking to them before introducing yourself and this is no different for your brand.
Be clear and confident about who you are and what it is you do. Similar to an elevator pitch, you must have a short, sharp and concise message that can be articulated about your brand easily. As stated by author and entrepreneur Seth Godin, “The best elevator pitch is true, stunning, brief and it leaves the listener eager (no, desperate) to hear the rest of it”.
Many established brands do this extremely well with punchy taglines such as ‘Just do it’ or ‘The Happiest Place on earth’ (Can you name those brands just by hearing their tagline?) However, your brand messaging doesn’t always have to be a catchy tagline or slogan. It can be conveyed through your content, promotional assets, your staff and your culture… but we are getting ahead of ourselves here.
Ok, so what makes you special?
Once you know who you are it’s time to confirm what you can offer and what your point of difference is. This is where your brand messaging gives your audience the reason to choose you over your peers in the same market or industry. You can achieve this by being a strong storyteller and establishing a meaningful connection with your audience.
Forbes provided some key insights to why your ‘Why’ as a brand is becoming a key driver for decision-makers when considering a brand/product/business, As stated by Ryan Robinson of Forbes, “Moreover, recent trends suggest that people, especially millennials, are becoming increasingly invested in the why behind a business—the greater purpose your company exists to serve—rather than simply what your product or service offering is”.
Shaping your identity through a compelling narrative is an opportunity for you to personalise your brand and affirm authenticity. Authenticity is at the forefront of people’s minds with a recent study finding that 64% of today’s customers are belief-driven buyers.
A brand that nailed their brand messaging through storytelling was Land Rover when they celebrated their 70th anniversary with their ‘The Land of Land Rovers Campaign’. Land Rover told the story of local drivers, located in the Indian Himalayas, who rely on their 1957 model Land Rovers to transport essential supplies between two small villages. It may sound like an easy feat but the drive between Maneybhanjang and Sandakphu is steep and dangerous. One of the locals who they interviewed for this campaign conveyed their brand messaging so well in one sentence, “You can get anywhere you want driving a Land Rover… it makes me strong.”
Now we aren’t saying you need to pull at the heartstrings of your audience or invest in a huge marketing and production budget. But we are saying be genuine with your brand messaging and ensure that everything you say, do and create is true to this message.
Wait, how do I keep my brand messaging consistent?
It can be easy to get carried away when crafting your brand messaging as it can become quite a creative and emotional task. However, it is super important that you keep your brand messaging, cohesive and consistent. A brand consistency study undertaken by Lucidpress revealed that consistent presentation of a brand has seen to increase revenue by 33%. This just goes to show that crafting powerful and consistent brand messaging is vital to the success of a brand.
To ensure you maintain a streamlined messaging approach across all facets of your business you can implement a simple framework for brand positioning. Collating a strong brand positioning framework is a key structure for any brand to ensure consistency. Using this framework allows you to govern the messaging associated with your brand or product across all assets and communications that are developed. This type of document allows you to harness that creativity and emotion around your brand and channel it into a clear direction. This will ensure your brand messaging and point of difference are easily understood, recognised and unchanging.
Are you excited to get crafting?
We hope that this blog has given some insights into on-brand messaging and has inspired you to start crafting something powerful and creative! But before you rush off and get the butcher’s paper, let’s just recap to keep it fresh in your mind.
How do I craft powerful brand messaging?
- Know who you are! Be clear and confident in your brand.
- Remember your point of difference! Why would someone choose you?
- Always follow brand guidelines and be consistent! This way you won’t get lost or confused along the way.
If you do feel like you need some more support to put your brand positioning framework together or just figure out who you are and why you are so special (trust us, you are!), then get in touch! We would be more than happy to get creative and go on a messaging journey with you to uncover the power of your brand’s messaging.
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