If there’s one thing all new brands struggle with, it’s understanding brand messaging and how to define their voice. With so much competition in every industry, it’s hard for any brand to make itself heard and even more challenging to connect with a target audience.

Let’s get one thing straight; it doesn’t matter how loud you are. If your brand doesn’t have a clear message, you won’t generate a response from your audience. It would be like standing in a crowd and shouting at the top of your voice – when everyone else is doing the same.

So, if you want your brand to truly connect with people, and give them a much-needed face to the name, read on.

In this guide to brand messaging, we will give you a brief look at what you need to know.

What Exactly Is Brand Messaging?

Your brand’s message is the foundation of your marketing efforts, and it will be the thread that runs through all of your content, social media, advertising, and more. It’s how you communicate what your brand is about and what makes you different from everyone else in your industry.

In short, it’s your thing. Think of brand messaging as that friend you know will always make you laugh or another friend that’s great for philosophical conversations, and imagine what you’d want your brand to be.

That’s the message.

Every time someone comes into contact with your brand, they should go away with a clear understanding of who you are and what you do. And that starts with having a concise message that encapsulates everything about your brand.

Think of it like this; every time someone asks, “what does your company do?” you want to be able to give them a straightforward answer that covers everything in just a few sentences.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. So, let’s look at how you can go about crafting the perfect brand message for your business.

Brand Positioning: Which Brands Send The Right Message?

There will always be some brands that get messaging more than others, and these are usually the companies that go from small startups to globally recognised giants.

Let’s look at some brands that always hit the right spot.

Nike

Nike is one of the biggest sports brands in the world, but that success didn’t happen overnight. Instead, it took years of hard work, investing in sponsorships and refining the overall message to make it to the top.

The company spends a lot of time and money getting top athletes as sponsors, but Nike also sells itself as a lifestyle brand. Instead of appealing to athletes only, Nike is renowned for selling emotional benefits.

“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world – If you have a body, you’re an athlete”.

This is such a great example of brand messaging done right. Nike’s message is so simple, but it’s also so powerful. It’s something that everyone can relate to, regardless of whether they’re into sports or not.

And it perfectly sums up what Nike is all about; bringing inspiration and innovation to athletes worldwide.

Apple

“Think different.”

This two-word tagline says so much about Apple as a brand. They’ve always been the rebels of the tech industry, doing things differently from everyone else. And this message perfectly sums that up.

It’s also a great example of using brand messaging to position yourself against your competitors. Apple is constantly pitted against Microsoft, and this message is a great way to show how they’re different.

While Microsoft might be the more traditional choice, Apple wants you to think outside the box and go for something different. And that’s exactly what their customers have done.

Dollar Shave Club

“The razor company for guys who hate shopping for razors.”

Dollar Shave Club is an excellent example of a brand that’s found a niche and ran with it. They position themselves as the company for guys who hate shopping for razors, which is something that many people can relate to.

Instead of just being another shaving company, they’ve tapped into the emotional side of their customers and created a message that resonates. And it’s worked wonders for them, helping them grow from a small startup into a global brand.

How To Create A Brand Message That Works For You

Hopefully, you have a better understanding of brand messaging and why it’s so crucial for your business. But understanding the concept is only half the battle; you also need to work to craft the perfect message for your brand.

Here are some tips on how to create a compelling brand message.

Define Your Brand Messaging Strategy

The first step is to sit down and define your brand messaging strategy. This might seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually not as difficult as it sounds.

Start by thinking about what you want your brand to be known for. What are the core values that you want to communicate? And what makes you different from your competitors?

Once you understand these things, you can start to craft a message that hits all the right points.

Keep It Simple

Your brand message should be short, sweet and to the point. You don’t want to try and cram too much into it; otherwise, people will tune out.

Think about some of the most successful brand messages out

Step one is understanding what goes into a brand message. To do that, we’ve broken it down into three core components;

The Promise

This is what your brand does or offers, and it should be clear and concise. For example, if you’re a sustainable clothing brand, your promise should clarify your commitment to providing high-quality clothes that don’t damage the environment.

The Reason

Why should people care? What makes your promise unique or different from everyone else? Do you plant a tree for everything you sell? Or do you use some of the profits to support ocean clean up initiatives?

The Personality

Personality is an essential element of branding because it sets the tone for your message. How does your brand communicate with its audience? Do you use humour? Are you serious and direct?

Now that we know what goes into your brand voice, it’s time to craft one for your business.

Research & Brainstorm Your Brand Messaging Framework

As the saying goes, two heads are better than one – and a whole team of people can make a significant contribution to your branding message. It’s essential to take it slow during this stage because the right message doesn’t happen overnight.

Brainstorm with your team and develop a few different messages that you think capture the essence of your brand. Once you have a few options, put them to the test by conducting market research.

This can be done in several ways;

Survey Your Target Audience: You can survey your target audience to get their thoughts on your brand messaging. This is a great way to get some unbiased feedback.

Ask Your Customers: If you already have customers, why not ask them what they think? They’ll have some valuable insights that you can use to improve your message.

Talk To Industry Experts: Talking to industry experts is a great way to get some outside perspectives on your brand messaging. They’ll be able to tell you what’s working and what’s not and give you some tips on how to improve it.

Crafting The Definitive Message

When creating your brand messaging, it’s important to remember that the audience comes first. Many people think their brand message is a great opportunity to show off about everything they can do – but a positive audience impression and perception are central to your success.

Don’t Be A Hero, Be Human

Your brand message should be human, not heroic. In other words, it should be relatable and down to earth. No one wants to feel like they’re being sold to, so avoid using any hard-sell tactics in your message.

Also, the key to effective brand messaging is to make each buyer feel like they’re the hero – because nobody wants to know how you can save them.

For example, Fidelity Bank could tell their customers about their achievements and accomplishments. Instead, they make the customer the hero, with the simple brand message of ‘Helping You Get To Where You Want To Be’.

Be Clear & Concise

As we mentioned before, your brand message should be short, sweet and to the point. It’s important to be clear and concise because you want people to remember your message – and, more importantly, act on it.

Think about some of the most successful brand messages; they’re all short, sweet and easy to remember. For example, Nike’s “Just Do It” or Apple’s “Think Different”.

These messages are clear, concise and easy to remember – which is what you want your brand message to be.

Let People Know You Understand Their Problems

Your brand message should show that you understand your target audience’s problems. This is important because people want to know that you ‘get’ them.

If you can show that you understand their pain points and have a solution to offer, they’re much more likely to trust you and do business with you.

For example, if you’re a startup that helps small businesses with their marketing, your brand message could be “We help small businesses grow by taking care of their marketing”.

The message shows that you understand the problem (small businesses don’t have enough time or resources to invest in marketing) and have a solution to offer (outsourcing their marketing to a team of experts).

Also, you can tie an effective message into a compelling brand story, which will result in higher customer retention rates.

Make A Promise You Can Keep

Strong brand messaging always makes a promise and keeps it, which is so important. If you make a promise that you can’t fulfil, you’ll damage your reputation and lose the trust of your target audience. In fact, according to Elateral, 87% of consumers think brands should try harder to remain consistent!

For example, if you’re a dating app for busy professionals, your brand message could be “We help busy professionals find love”.

This is a promise that you can keep, and it’s something that will resonate with your target audience.

Ensuring Your Brand Message Remains Consistent

There’s no use having a brand message if you don’t know how to use it properly. That message needs to transcend across your brand, from head office, right down to entry-level team members, or you won’t be able to build a successful company.

Here’s how to ensure your brand is always consistent.

Test & Measure

Once you’ve crafted the perfect brand message, it’s time to put it to the test. There’s no point in having a great message if no one sees or remembers it, so make sure you’re putting it in front of your target audience.

It’s also a good idea to continue to get feedback from your audience, so you can know what’s going on with them at all times. Some people might love your product or service but feel that the brand personality is lacking, so they take their business elsewhere.

By testing your brand promise, you can make sure you resonate with your target audience and make necessary changes based on their feedback,

Use A Specialist Content Marketing Service

If you want to make sure your brand message is always on point, it’s good to use a specialist content marketing service.

A content marketing agency will work with you to ensure that your message is always on brand, and they’ll also help you create content that engages and resonates with your target audience.

This is so important because if you’re not consistent with your messaging, people will quickly forget about you – and that’s the last thing you want.

Always Keep Tabs On Your Competitor’s Messaging

Finally, it’s essential to keep tabs on your competitor’s messaging to ensure that your message is always one step ahead.

By understanding what they’re saying and positioning themselves, you can make sure that you’re always ahead of the game.

The Bottom Line

So there you have it – everything you need to know about brand messaging and how to use it to build your brand! We hope this has been helpful, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!