3 Vital Questions to Nail Your Brand Messaging
If you ever feel like you’re shouting into the void when it comes to marketing your biz and you can’t seem to rise above the digital noise to capture your audience’s attention, you’re not alone.
The answer is to spend some time revisiting your brand strategy and revamping your brand messaging.
What is brand messaging? Why is it important? How do I figure it out?
If you’re asking those questions (or some that are similar), you’re not alone and I have even better news. In a live on June 20, I went into that and discussed three vital questions to ask when developing your messaging.
If you’re team “I prefer video” you can watch it here.
On the other hand, if you’re team “Give it to me in writing,” I’ve got you.
So here goes:
What is brand messaging?
In a nutshell, brand messaging is closely related to brand strategy and the natural extension of it. If your strategy focuses on defining your business and your audience, then the messaging explores how you talk about it. And by spending time defining your brand strategy now, whether you’re a team of 2, 20, or 200, you can ensure that your team and business are well-positioned to scale and grow.
You can think about your brand messaging like a Venn Diagram — on the left is your customer and what matters to them, and on the right is your business. So in the middle, that’s your brand strategy and brand messaging.
As for figuring out what “it” is, you can start by defining the 5W and H of your business–especially focusing on the items in the Venn Diagram above. (Select “view images” in your email software if you don’t see the image above.)
But there are some specific questions you can also ask to tease it all out:
1. What do you wish people knew about your business or services?
This isn’t just about features or offerings although those matter, too. Dive deeper to find out what makes you different, and pull on threads like:
→ What are common myths or misconceptions in your industry?
→ What drives you nuts about the industry or competition?
2. What common objections or questions do you face?
Addressing these head-on strengthens your message. You can go deeper to build value and explore:
→ Things your audience might say about their current reality “I’m tired of…” or “I just wish…”
→ If they ask things like “Aren’t you…” or “Why don’t you…” then identifying how you’re different up front builds trust in your knowledge and skill.
3. What are your non-negotiables?
This isn’t just about your core values. It’s also about how you want to be perceived in the industry. Because what you do and stand for isn’t necessarily what you think you do and stand for, but what your audience thinks you do. So definitely take time to explore:
→ Any difference between what you want to be known for and how people introduce you
→ Opportunities for you to change or control the narrative
Ultimately, there are a boatload more questions to discuss, and it’s important to get key decision-makers on board for a discussion, which makes it absolutely vital to have a facilitator (hey, that’s me), on hand to help you keep your discussion focused.
Have questions on any of this? Want to set up a brand strategy workshop or dive into a brand messaging project? I’d love to chat. Feel free to hop on my calendar to see what that could look like for you.
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I’m Erin Pennings, owner of CopySnacks, and I’m a brand messaging strategist and copywriter who helps small businesses and entrepreneurs turn their brands into customer magnets. ErinPennings.com is my site, where I show you my process for clarifying your message and using it to tell your story with effective website copy and thought leadership content that fuels your funnels.