Why You Should Care About Brand Messaging
So here’s the thing… your branding is more than just the visuals. It’s more than your logo, your color palette, and your mood board. Sure those things are important, but what’s even more important is your brand messaging.
There’s a message your brand is getting across, and if you aren’t careful with how you are consistently portraying it, it’s going to cause confusion to your audience and potential clients.
If you’re reading this, and you’re like, “What on earth are you talking about, Shannon?” then I’m glad you’re here and can’t wait for you to dive in!
If you’re reading this, and you’re thinking, “Ok, I think I’ve heard about brand messaging, but I don’t know what it is, and I definitely don’t know how to figure out what mine is,” then this post is for you.
In this blog post, you will learn:
What Brand Messaging is
Why Brand Messaging is important
What my Brand Messaging process looks like
Sound good? Alright, let’s dive in.
What is Brand Messaging?
Brand Messaging is your creative business’ voice, tone, and personality that shines through any and all forms of communication. It’s not just what you say, but also how you say it.
It’s your language, your unique selling proposition (aka, your secret sauce), and your story that is going to grab the attention of your audience and shift any perspective they may have about you and what you have to offer.
Your brand messaging is incredibly important.
And - honestly - should come before any of your visuals.
Once you have your brand messaging nailed down, you can use it to guide any and all of your copy. You’ll use it to guide the writing for your website, blogs, emails, social media captions, ads, white papers, case studies, sales pages, landing pages, and packaging.
Why is Brand Messaging important?
In 2021, 67.6% of the American workforce consists of freelancers, and by the year 2028, it’s projected that the rate will rise to 90% (Statista).
Read that again.
By 2028, 90% of the American workforce will consist of freelancers.
Source: Statista
That means that the market is super saturated…and will only continue to get even more saturated... which means you really need to stand out so your audience will see why you're different from your competition.
You do this through your brand messaging.
People have an extremely short attention span of 8 seconds (Martech). This is why Reels and TikToks are so popular.
So if you’re getting super clear on your brand messaging, you’re going to have a much better chance of grabbing your audience’s attention.
Your brand messaging, if done correctly, will also make you relatable and memorable to your target audience. And when you’re relatable, they’re going to trust you more. And when they trust you more, they’re more likely to buy from you.
Which is the goal, right?
My Brand Messaging Process
In business, it’s more important that you listen more than you talk. And the same holds true when you are working on your brand messaging.
So I begin all of my client kickoffs by talking to my clients. By asking a tonnnn of questions. By really getting into your purpose, why you do what you do, who your ideal client is and how you serve them differently than anyone else, what your personality is, and so much more.
When someone hires me for Brand Strategy, they will walk away with a mini Brand Messaging Style Guide that includes:
Mission Statement
Vision Statement
Core Values
Niche
Unique Selling Proposition (your secret sauce!)
Target Audience Overview
Elevator Pitch
Professional Bio (not the same as your About page! This is the bio you send off for interviews and podcasts, etc.)
Brand Story
Brand Personality
Brand Voice
Copy Bank (a swipe file of words and phrases you can use in your messaging)
Once you’re armed with this super comprehensive guide, you can take it to your web designer, graphic designer, social media manager, and copywriter. They’ll have in their hands all the information they need about what makes your brand uniquely you.
And that, my friend, is a REALLY good feeling.
There you have it! You’ve now learned what brand messaging is, why it’s important to your creative business, and what my brand messaging process looks like.
Stay tuned for next week when I go into a little more detail about how to strategize your brand messaging.
If you want to strategize on your own brand messaging, give me a shout!
