Effective messaging is crucial to every successful business (and relationship). Whether you’re conveying your business’ vision, articulating your brand proposition or communicating with clients, it can be tempting to include ALL of your messages so your audience REALLY understands what you stand for and what you offer… in the hope that one or more message will resonate!
In a world where people are busy and they’re constantly bombarded with messages, it simply doesn’t work that way. In fact, the more messages you try to convey at once, the less effective they become. When your audience is overwhelmed with too much information, they’re more likely to get confused, forget the key points, and struggle to understand your core message or what you stand for.
Not convinced? This classic graph from Millward Brown (now part of Kantar) tells the story:
The solution? Clear, focused and single-minded messaging that’s consistent over time.
While it’s great in principal, crafting a single, clear, and concise message from multiple ideas can be more challenging than it sounds. As Steve Jobs famously explained “simple can be harder than complex.” When it comes to communication, being disciplined and single minded in your focus pays off!
Here are our tried and true tips from over 20 years’ experience in strategy and marketing:
- Identify the key category driver. What is the MOST important message to your audience, or the MAIN driver of success… and own it! It’s the reason why ‘the burgers are better at Hungry Jacks’, Woolworths are ‘the fresh food people’ and Rexona ‘won’t let you down’ and why nappy brands and feminine hygiene products vie to be the best “against leaks”. It’s also the reason why politicians focus on the economy and immigration over dozens of smaller, peripheral issues. If you ‘own’ or are intrinsically associated with the most important driver for your customers you’ll maximise your audience potential and create a (legal and ethical) barrier to new entrants and competitors.
- Consider the ultimate benefit you’re offering your customers. What is the outcome of your products or services – is it a functional benefit like ease of use, compatibility, durability, access etc, or an emotional benefit like giving customers a sense of belonging, confidence or individualism. Benefit focused communication is a highly effective way to build a connection between customers and your business, and to give them a reason to come back over time.
- Still have a list of messages you think are all important? Rank them! Identify your ideal hierarchy of messages from the most important to least – it’s a great way to force you to consider which messages work harder, to help you prioritise and reduce your list. This exercise can also be super helpful in identifying where you are articulating the same function or benefit in slightly different ways, helping you to streamline and sharpen your messaging across consumer touchpoints.
- Identify your most compelling message – and why your customers should believe it. While your business, service or product may have a loooong list of benefits and offerings, what is the MOST compelling message that’s likely to drive action. If you’re not sure, or additional messages keep creeping in, then do some consumer research, A-B test your headlines, messages and advertising via social media advertising, search marketing and EDMs to help gauge the most effective messages, and to try out different approaches and phrasing. By being super clear and consistent in your messaging, not only are clients, consumers and stakeholders more likely to understand what you’re saying, they’re much more likely to remember it, and to associate it with your brand or business.
- Once you have distilled your messaging, consider which approach will best resonate with your audience: for example will you convey your proposition via storytelling, using a problem-solution approach or benefit focus? It can be helpful to look at other brands your target audience connects with to see what their communication style is, and to develop a tone of voice and consistent messaging that becomes distinct to your brand or business.
Our top tip for winning communication? Be consistent over time. Research shows that businesses and marketers get sick of messages well before their customers and clients do. In fact, brands that have the same taglines and positioning statements for years, decades or even across generations don’t just build strong brand awareness, but they create strong connections with their audience, build a strong brand voice and become part of people’s lives.
A single-minded, focused message that taps into the key category driver (what matters most to your audience), and brings to life your unique positioning (how you’ll win in the market) will lead to winning communication every time!
Read more articles, winning tips and latest best practice here, or get in touch to see how we can help develop a winning strategy & communication plan for your business.
