Today, it is tougher than ever to break through the massive amount of noise in the marketplace. Getting someone’s attention is tough. Let alone getting them to care. 

People are exposed to thousands of brand messages every day. Thousands.

It’s worth reminding ourselves of this before we dash off another brand message that we think is “good enough”.  We need something better than that. Otherwise, we’re just contributing to the noise in the marketplace.

2 things will elevate your message

Your brand message needs to be relevant and compelling. Two things. That sounds doable, right? What follows is a six-step process to making that happen.

The 6 steps

There are six steps to making our message relevant and compelling. Let’s look at each.

1. Identify those you hope to serve. Determine who your ideal customers are. It’s not unlikely that you have already done this. But you need to go deeper than just describing who they are. You need to document their needs, pain points,  desires, and aspirations. This deeper dive will help you understand how to serve everything from their needs to their aspirations. And become more…wait for it…yep, relevant and compelling.

2. Understand what differentiates you. It would be awesome if you had some proprietary thing that you did that no other competitor had or could ever replicate. But the fact is that this is pretty rare. Usually, what differentiates you is a unique combination of things (your special sauce). It could be a product or feature that is a leader in your industry. And it’s combined with a unique way you deliver it. Put yourself in the shoes of those you hope to serve (remember step 1?) Now, from that perspective, define the most powerful combination of the things you do. Ask yourself, “Is this combination relevant to those we hope to serve?” And, “Is it compelling?” If you don’t have a resounding yes to both those questions, then go back and retool your combination.

3. Create a unique value proposition. Now that you have defined what differentiates you, put it into a value proposition statement. This is the process of condensing all that work you did in step 2. Make it short and powerful. Here is an example structure: we deliver x,y, & z so that people can (insert the ultimate benefit of your offering). Your value proposition quickly communicates why those you hope to serve will find value in what you have to say.

4. Bring it all together in a positioning statement. A positioning statement helps you document why your brand is different and the value it delivers. It is not a customer-facing message. Think of it more as a structure. It creates the bones of your brand messaging. For more details, check out this post on creating a positioning statement. You’ll return to this statement over and over. It will help you when you are creating and evaluating new messages to those you hope to serve.

5. Craft a powerful brand message. You’ve done your background work. Now use it to create something irresistible. Make sure it aligns with your positioning. Make sure it speaks to those you hope to serve in their terms. All while making it arresting - find a unique way to characterize what you do for them. Remember, you are battling thousands of other brand messages daily.

6. Edit. Once you have a brand message, sleep on it. Come back to it the next day. And shorten it. Replace weak terms with powerful descriptors. Kick the passive voice to the curb. Make it active. There should be energy and excitement to your language. It should be the kind of message that gets noticed. Because it’s brimming with meaning (a reason to care).

An unfair advantage

It’s easy to love great brand messages. Because they draw you in. They deliver a thought that is incredibly relevant. And they give you a reason to care. 

There are brands that just seem to be able to do this naturally. It comes as no surprise that they are the brands that have more consistently embraced their brand purpose.

Clarifying a purpose gives us an unfair advantage. Because it is naturally focused on those you hope to serve and the things that are important to them (like their aspirations). As a result, it is full of meaning.

Check out this post for details on how to integrate your brand purpose into the process.

Now, let’s get to busting through all that noise with a brand message that is relevant and compelling. That is meaningful and valuable.

Let’s create something irresistible.