The importance of brand messaging is lost on most people in business. This isn't an assumption. I hear it all the time. "Can you make me a logo?"  Or worse..."Can you fix my website?"

100% of the time, they've skipped the messaging part.

Having worked with countless business owners through the years, I see many STARTING with the logo creation and the website. It seems logical doesn't it?  But it is a VERY costly mistake!

Branding is intended to influence perceptions about a brand in order to persuade the audience to choose that brand over its competitors. Does it make sense to put all the responsibility on a logo or website homepage while ignoring your brand message?

Think of Nike - without "Just do it" the swoosh doesn't mean a thing - it's just a shape. Or Allstate - 'You're in good hands.' Just having the hands logo could mean anything - they could just as easily be a hospital or a church.

How about your own website? Does it include messaging that answers your visitor's most important question in 6 seconds: "Can you solve my problem, and what's the next step?"

They could if you asked the real FIRST question...

"Can you build me a clear, cohesive brand story I can use in all my copy - that persuades my audience that I am different and have the best way at helping them solve their problem?" 

While your logo and brand visuals might grab their attention, it’s the brand message that gets into their mind and shapes their perceptions.

In order to shine and do their job well, your logo and website need the support of a clear, well-positioned message. 

It should be conveyed clearly, and with digital marketing, it’s never been easier. 

Here are 7 places to use your clear cohesive message powerfully: 

1. Your Website

Your home page content is your front door, it’s the first impression game-changer. 

Use this framework to formulate your homepage copy that grabs their attention. 

• Develop your power positioning. This is the first thing to uncover and discover. What sets you apart? What makes you different in the way you roll? The way you deliver your solution? Highlight your story. Let’s say you are a retired World Champion Xtreme Halfpipe skier, but are now a personal and life (not skiing) coach. If you talked about skiing and how great you are, it wouldn’t land. But if you talked about resilience, discipline, and the power of visualization, then your prospect can now see what you have to offer that is different. Whatever distinguishes your company, and the way you identify with your audience, creates your power positioning - which means the conclusion your prospect will come to is that you are the only one who can fix this problem.  

• Identify with your customer’s problem and their desires. This is key to building trust. It’s not the logo that creates the connection. It’s a person’s ability to feel that you really understand what they are dealing with. Stated with empathy, it conveys a caring message and that the problem they have, the one you solve, is normal. The opposite of this problem and the feelings it creates is their desired result. List the struggles and how that makes them feel. And likewise, list their correlating desires. What happens when they use your solution? How will you make their life better? 

• Offer your solution to the problem. This is your product or service. It’s critical to do this in a way that shows how your solution will improve their lives. This means concentrating on benefits over features. The woman who buys a BMW likes freedom. She likes the feeling of the car taking an s-curve at 65mph. She may not know how much horsepower the engine has - it doesn’t matter. What matters is how she feels.   

Create a powerful and direct call to action. If you don’t give your visitor something to do, they will leave, having found no solution. They may be intrigued by your homepage alone. But give them a way to engage with you. Whether it’s “Schedule a Call”, “Buy Now”, or “Download this free pdf”, give them a direct and obvious call to action. Invite them to engage. Otherwise, it’s lights out. 

2. Blog Posts

Your blogs are a place where you can consistently publish posts that revolve around your brand message. Here’s how to use your brand message in your blog writing and videos.  

Write about previous customer experiences using these guiding questions:

• What is your ideal client looking for?  (“Brand” Promise / Campaign intention/Landing page promise)

• What’s their struggle, their main big problem. ("I need more clients.”)

• What empathetic statement can you make to help them feel cared for?  (“I know. I get it. Everyone looking for  ______________  has this problem.”)

• Why are you an authority to solve your client’s problem?  (“We have been working with ________ for 16 years and we've see this time and again.”)

• What’s your plan to ease your customer’s fear and confusion?  (“Our Soul Story Creative Brand Process works and generates real results.”)

• Talk about value, desire, why you can solve their problem.  (Your Explainer paragraph - short and concise)

• What is the direct call to action?  (“Download my Copy”, “Schedule A Call”, “Get More Info”, “Donate Now”)

Write blog posts about your differentiator and the benefits. 

Blogging is one of the best ways to use your website to attract new customers by establishing yourself as an industry expert and places you in a position of trust.  

For example, I frequently stress our ability to emerge your soul story as a selling point. “We don’t tell you who to be, we show the world who you are” is our tagline. Why? Because our prospect's #1 fear is being misunderstood and misrepresented in their brand story. It’s the one thing that keeps them in the hamster wheel of wasting time and money on marketing tactics. Therefore, I've written blog posts about Tell Your Client’s Story, Not Your Own and The 3 Most Important Questions to Ask in Brand Storytelling. 

Writing blog posts that revolve around your brand message is what makes it clear, cohesive, and consistent - the key to making more money and a bigger impact. 

3. Social Media

Social media is a great place to share helpful industry news and communicate your brand message. It’s another way to distinguish your business and improve your value.

Social media gives you the opportunity to share the content with your target customer that aligns with your company’s brand message and values.

Think lifestyle. What will your ideal client’s life be like after working with you? 

Like Nike - clearly they are an active lifestyle brand.  Their Facebook page is filled with sports posts. Their audience is clearly those who want to live active lifestyles.

You will need to understand not only the message that will appeal to your ideal customer, but also which social media platform does your audience spend the most time on? Develop an active presence there where a conversation about your industry is already taking place.

4. White Papers and Case Studies

For technical, more complex industries, white papers and case studies make sense and are excellent ways to develop your brand message and showcase your expertise. 

Let your potential customer know you are the answer to their problem. Tell them of your proprietary methods for helping customers you’ve developed by sharing a story using the questions outlined above. Considered more of a case study, this is an excellent method for showcasing that expertise. 

White papers are also a way to showcase your industry expertise. Both are an extension of your website’s content library and can be highly effective ways of communicating your brand message in a meaningful way. Just make sure they are professionally designed to be engaging and easy to assimilate. 

And make sure you don't fall into the trap of just using technical details without discussing the benefits you provide.

5. Landing Pages

Landing pages are a great way to be specific about an offering or product. 

Use the story questions above in the “Blog Posts” section to craft your landing page copy.  When you design the landing page copy in the order of the questions asked, you will end up with a storytelling, persuasive message. 

Add testimonials, data, and stories to your landing page that tell of the effectiveness of your product or service.

6. Email Marketing

Email still offers one of the highest ROIs of any marketing medium.  In fact, email generates $42 for every $1 spent, which is an astounding 4,200% ROI, making it one of the most effective options available.

Therefore, you want to have sales funnels in your marketing to collect names and emails. Once someone puts their information in, they are saying “I want more.” You now have a warm prospect. They are interested enough to give you their email address - treat it as an honor.  Because when your message lands here, it means that your reader likely has a higher level of trust. 

When your brand message permeates your customer emails, the message is likely to resonate and your company will see a higher level of conversions.

7. Power Statement

Last but certainly not least, is your Power Statement.  Every business should have a powerful and concise short statement whose sole purpose is to make people curious. 

The reason people get curious about you is because you may be able to solve their problem.

Here are the steps to create your power statement. 

• Start with a problem that people feel. When you say it, it hooks them. It makes them feel it.  “It’s daunting to run a business in the digital age.”   

• State your product or service that resolves the problem.  “But by following the Soul Story Brand process, you save time and money."  

• Describe the positive result your client will experience. “Take it step by step, first things first, and build your business right from the beginning so you stand out, gain momentum, and make money faster.”

Now put it all together. 

It’s daunting to run a business in the digital age. But by following the Soul Story Brand process, you save time and money. Take it step by step, first things first, and build your business right from the beginning so you stand out, gain momentum, and make money faster.”

That's the three parts of a power statement.  

The purpose is to quickly excite your target customer within a short few seconds and to cause them to take the next step - scroll through the rest of your homepage, opt-in for a free PDF in exchange for their name and email, or book a call. Keep it short, simple and straight to the point. 

Conclusion

Your brand message should permeate your entire online (and offline) presence - from website, to social, to email. From the way you talk about your company, to the way your team talks about your company.

It simply must be clear, cohesive, consistent to get the attention you need to stand out and sell your products and services. 

Ask yourself:  

• “Are my beliefs, values and vision communicated in my online presence?” 

• “Is my website functioning like a full-on digital marketing machine - guiding, persuading, and converting? 

If your online marketing efforts have fallen flat and you’re not getting the results you expect, it may be time to reevaluate your brand message.  

Because believe me, it’s NOT your logo. 

A brand strategist and communications expert can help you determine your key differentiators and highlight them in your marketing materials. 

Contact us today for a complimentary Brand Review.