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messaging
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Keeping the Mess out of Messaging
19 May 2011 by kruane / No Comments
Recently I’ve been working with a few clients on messaging and positioning exercises. These clients are vastly different but the goals are the same—to convey to internal and external audiences what their company provides and what is unique about their offerings. One company has been in existence for half a century and is refining their message to refresh their image; while the other company is launching a new product and moving into a totally new marketplace. What’s striking to me is that the same rules apply for all companies whether they are big, small, B2B, or B2C. Even the local florist looking for a new message can apply these easy steps when creating a new tagline or product brochure.
1) Do Your Research
The marketing, PR team, and executive leaders are the first people we think to bring together for a messaging exercise. These individuals all have knowledge of the company’s products and services and know marketing. But it’s important to go outside the confides of the marketing team and gain alternative viewpoints early in the process. By speaking to multiple employees within an organization you’re able to get different perspectives on what the company actually does and what it does well. Talk with customers and partners to find out why they have a relationship with the company and what makes the products/services different than competitors. Also refer to media articles and analyst reports for expert insights on your market, understand where your market is headed and competitive positioning, in order to clearly define your company in the market.2) Cut the Jargon
The most difficult part of messaging is to get participants to move away from jargon and “inside baseball” terminology. Often marketers think that messaging is developed only for the people who know their industry. Messaging is not about stringing together acronyms and calling it a day. It’s even more important that your new messaging be understood by people outside your market. Consider how you would describe your business to your mother, a reporter who’s never covered your industry, or even a stranger in an elevator. By using words people understand and keeping the message to the point you can first capture their attention. Once that person is engaged you will then have an opportunity to dive deeper into your products, services and differentiators.3) Agree to disagree
I have seen messaging exercises become painful, delayed and halted all together because not everyone can come to an agreement on the new messages. Of course you want your key stakeholders to like the new messages, but the reality is getting everyone who participated in the process to agree on each and every word, is close to impossible. If you’re the final decision maker, accept that no matter how well the process was executed there is likely to be disagreement. Instead, explain to your audience how you arrived at the new messages including the methodology, express what the messages will ultimately be used for, and convey the messages with confidence and excitement!
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