The Ballad of Brand Messaging: Not Quite Shakespeare, But It'll Do
There have been many studies conducted that have attempted to find a correlation between communication and relationship satisfaction, and guess what? They are related. It sounds pretty obvious when you read it or think about it long enough, but I want you to think of a time you desperately needed to say something, and as soon as you started talking, you regretted even opening your mouth. Do you have that moment? Ok, good, hold onto it.
Sometimes, the things that can be the most obvious are the things we take the most for granted. There is more to communicating than just opening your mouth and making sounds. So, how the heck did we end up at a TED Talk when we came here to discuss marketing? Because it’s all related. All of us are guilty of getting caught up in the creative, the platform, the audience, etc., but how often do we take a step back to ensure the message we are sending out is saying what we want it to? Another question might be, are we even considering what our audience needs from us before we engage with them? It can be so easy for our messaging to be focused on how awesome we are because, I mean, hey, you are awesome. But as all of us can attest, there is nothing worse than being cornered by someone who only knows how to communicate when it is about them. We want our messaging and our voice to grow alongside our business, and we want to communicate clearly and with confidence. There are few things worse in life than having a lot to say but not knowing how to say it.
Moving right along, let’s get down to the brass tacks of how we can achieve clarity with our brand’s messaging and how to communicate that into the world. Start by asking yourself these questions:
What channels are you currently using to communicate with your audience?
How are you measuring the effectiveness of your communication? (e.g., social media engagement, website traffic, chat interactions, or email opens/clicks)
How often are you planning your content/messaging that is being sent out?
Is your content more focused on how it positions your brand or on serving and engaging your audience?
Are there channels that you would like to be using but feel stuck because you are unsure how to start?
Most of us know—at least I hope most of us know—the digital channels used most for communicating with our audiences: blogs or articles, social media, emails, text messages, website chat features, and communities. The key is to know which of these channels is best for you and, more importantly, best for your audience. I want you to think back to a time not so long ago when you were in school. Who was the best teacher you had? And I don’t mean the teacher you loved the most because you could do whatever you wanted—I mean the person who truly taught the best. Once you have that teacher in mind, think of a few teachers where it felt like it didn’t matter whether you were in class or not—they were just there to regurgitate information. It was one-sided and, dare I say, boring. Yes, I do dare to say it. Those classes STUNK. Positive communication takes two sides, engaging actively. That doesn’t mean both sides speak equally—it just means they are participating. Be a better listener by creating content less focused on you and more focused on them.
A key component to communicating well is that you shall not settle for the channels that you have always used just because you have always used them. Make a hypothesis and then test it to make sure you are communicating with your audience in the best places. And then, most importantly, get clear on what you want to say and let the personality fly. This means letting the voice be authentic to the business—don’t try to copy anyone else, or this point becomes less important. Sure, there are other brands that can reflect parts of who your business is that you would like to show more of, but communicate who you are relentlessly, whether you are shy and analytical or brash and bold.
Sometimes, this kind of information can feel overwhelming because it represents another thing that needs improvement or more time to focus on. We know there isn’t that much time in the day. The other challenge with executing something as intimate as finding and pursuing your brand’s voice is that it can lack certainty. There is no moment when the flashing lights will begin to blink and your computer monitor will flash a giant, “YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR VOICE.” If you have to choose between posting content or waiting until you have found this “perfect” content, post the content, because that is going to help refine what outfits fit best. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, either. Whether you are working with an agency or hiring a content specialist, just get some momentum towards bringing clarity to where your business needs to be and the overall themes it needs to present. All of this lives inside you and your team—it just needs a little nudge to come out.
Let’s take a quick break from the existential approach and add in a dose of practicality. I have repeatedly brought up this idea of communicating with a focus on the audience and letting go of the need to talk about our businesses, so what would that actually look like if implemented? A company I previously worked at (shout out Vinyl Marketing) described it in what I believe to be the best way: your audience is the hero, and your business is their guide. Everything you create should be built off of this premise. Below is some ad copy that I hope illustrates this difference:
Example #1: “Stay at the XYZ Hotel, where we have been rated the best hotel in Timbuktu eight years in a row! Whether you plan to lounge in our pool or dine at our five-star restaurants, XYZ Hotel provides a top-of-the-line travel experience!”
Example #2: “Finding the right hotel for your trip to Timbuktu can be difficult with so many different options, but let us help make your choice easy so that you can get back to focusing on what’s most important. XYZ Hotel, voted Timbuktu’s best hotel for all traveling experiences eight years in a row.”
Which example did you like better? Can you tell which one positions XYZ Hotel as the guide and which one positions it as the hero? So, when you feel stuck, come back to this. Ask the questions: how can we invite our audience in, or how can we solve a problem or issue they are facing?
Let’s wrap this bad chad up, shall we? Four questions in five lines has to be a record, but records are meant to be broken, am I right? See what I did there? Ok, enough. Let’s actually wrap this up. Feeling stuck or uncertain is common. Don’t stress—just keep pushing. Below is a quick summary of what we talked about, and if you have any questions, shoot them my way. I would be so happy to talk more!
Find your voice: Finding your voice means not only how you speak to your audience but where your audience listens best. Find your voice, find where to use your voice, and find how to use your voice. Then repeat this process forever.
Find your audience: If you’re guessing about your audience’s demographics, stop. This is critical to finding where to use your voice. If you don’t know where, it doesn’t matter how.
Test your how: Don’t fear change. Test different communication methods and mediums.
Guide your audience: Be the teacher, not the self-promoter.
Just keep going: Communicate relentlessly. Clarity, confidence, authenticity, and results—don’t lose sight of that.
Last thing before you go: imagine the movie character that represents the wisest guide you can think of. Hopefully, it is someone very old and very wrinkly. Now, when you are doing these exercises, picture yourself as that guide and laugh a little bit. You’ve earned it.
Ta-ta for now!
