Turning your positioning into effective messaging is a core part of brand and product marketing. It allows you to express your values and uniqueness, discussing your product and value proposition in a way that gains the attention of and engages your core audience.
What messaging is
Messaging is the articulation of what you promise to your customer, why it’s important, and how you deliver it across the complete customer lifecycle.
It uses:
- Messaging frameworks
- Value propositions
- Outcome pillars
- Benefits
- Value points
- Proof points.
Messaging is best thought of as a canvas, which allows marketers to build multi-dimensional and adaptable layers depending on their unique needs, situation, and audience.
What messaging is not
Messaging is not positioning, which is prerequisite strategy work that has to happen before outward-facing language can be developed. Positioning defines the product and space it plays in, your best-fit customers, your product’s unique attributes and value, and how you want to be perceived within the competitive landscape.
Messaging is not copy. Copywriting is still needed to bring the messaging to life, with channel-specific language that brings the broader messaging architecture to life.
Messaging is not your product’s features. Without the context of the customer understanding why these features are important, and what they help them accomplish, the features don’t mean anything.
Why is messaging important?
Every human has some need that your company can fill to make them a customer. Messaging allows you to connect the dots from this need to your product, appealing to core human needs in a way that prompts your audience to engage.
For example, B2B buyers need to be inspired to make transformational change at their organization. But they also have individual needs, business needs, and functional needs that all build on each other. Effective messaging can appeal to each of these need layers.
Messaging also allows you to advance customers through the customer journey by appealing to different needs at different stages of the journey. Messaging is the primary interface through which the customer experiences value, including who your brand is, what you stand for, and your value. Inconsistent or irrelevant messaging can damage the customer experience and halt their progress through the pipeline.
The timeline of effective messaging
Strategic messaging can’t happen until you have:
- An understanding of why your company exists, or its strategic narrative–including its mission, vision, and company story.
- Comprehensive positioning, including definitions of what you sell, in what market, to whom, and why.
This information informs messaging strategy, which in turn informs the customer-facing enablement as well as the communications and content strategy that follow it.
Steps
Examine your messaging’s goals, audience, relevance, and how your product delivers on its promise.
Develop a messaging relevancy map and supporting information.
Create a messaging canvas that include basic product information, outcome pillars, pain points, and proof.
Use messaging enablement to create and leverage internal and external evangelists.
Last edited by @hesh_fekry 2023-11-14T10:13:50Z