This document provides guidance on developing an effective brand message. It emphasizes that a message must be based on truly understanding both your brand's identity and your target audience. To do this requires answering fundamental questions about your value proposition, positioning, brand promise, and personality. The message also needs to be memorable, truthful, and concise in order to connect with audiences and differentiate your brand from competitors. Developing personas of key customer segments through research and interviews is key to deeply knowing your audience. An effective message will ring true and authentically represent who you are as a brand.

1. PRECISION RULES
SHARPENING YOUR
BRAND MESSAGE
How to Create Content That Connects
INDELIBLE
3 KEYS TO
BUILDING
A BETTER
BRAND
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2. “Simplicity is the glory of expression.”
WALT WHITMAN

3. Messaging
Matters
BRANDING, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
have become a complex business in the digital age, but if you peel
away the jargon and the technology, you’ll find an ageless problem.
How do you get someone’s attention? How do you get them to see
things your way? This is the ancient art of persuasion. And to be
persuasive, you need a compelling argument.
Developing an effective message doesn’t have to
be painful. The first step is to know your audience—
at least that’s what everyone says. But you also need
to know yourself, which can be much harder. Both
are crucial. It requires hard work and thoughtful
analysis to pinpoint exactly where your brand meets
your customers’ needs. Capturing the subtlety and
nuance of that intersection is the key to messaging
that works.
Branding is basically about telling a great story.
When you dial in a message that resonates with
your target customers, you’ll have a set of powerful
themes that tell a consistent story about your brand.
Whether you’re thinking about a new logo, a
redesigned website, content strategy, or a simple
copywriting assignment, good messaging makes
the process easier. It also brings coherence to your
brand, which is imperative. Applying discipline to
your message is the only way to really get traction.
Warning! Great messages are rarely created
behind closed doors, and they need to emanate
from essential truths about who you are. So as
you get started, be ready to listen—to get input
from outside the inner circle. And above all else,
make sure that what you’re saying rings with
authenticity. Unmet expectations create the worst
kind of disappointment, and nobody likes false
bravado or unwarranted embellishment.
This guide will help you understand the fundamentals
of good messaging so you can start creating content
that connects.
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4. “To forget one’s purpose is
the commonest formof stupidity.”
FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

5. Who Are You? KNOW THE HEART OF YOUR MESSAGE.
To create a compelling message, you must get
to the core of who you are. You have to know
your brand fundamentals.
Start by looking at the following questions:
» What is your value proposition?
» What is your positioning within the marketplace?
» What is your brand promise?
» What is your brand personality?
» Does your brand align with your primary
business objectives?
The answers to these questions need to be precise.
You have to come to an in-depth, nuanced under-
standing of your brand identity and how it fits
within your business plan. This understanding can’t
be vague or half-baked, or the resulting message
will be weak, confused, and won’t resonate
internally, let alone with your customers.
When everything is stripped away—the poetry
and the design—what is your point and why does
it matter to your customers? That’s the question
you have to answer. You need to know the
essence of who you are, or your message will
never come into focus.
WHAT IS YOUR POINT AND
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
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6. “Writetopleasejustoneperson.Ifyouopen
a window and make love to the world, so
to speak, your story will get pneumonia.”
KURT VONNEGUT

7. Who Are You
Trying to Reach?
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE INTIMATELY.
You can’t appeal to everyone. If you try, your
message will become so diluted that it’s almost
useless. Imagine trying to give a speech using a
mix of words from a dozen different languages.
No one would get the point.
Identifying your target audience is one key to good
communication, but it’s only the first step. You
need to get a deeper sense of their hopes, fears
motivations and turn-offs. The best way to do this
is to develop personas—mini-portraits of people
that represent your key market segments.
There are number of ways to put yourself in your
customers’ shoes, but here are two of the most
effective ways to get started:
» Secondary Research Start by working your
way in from the outside. Check in with trade
magazines, newspapers, industry white papers,
etc., to refresh your knowledge of marketplace
trends and dynamics. Then when you directly
engage your customers, you’ll sound relevant
and be ready to ask more revealing questions.
» In-depth interviews Sit down with as many
potential customers as you can. With the right
questions, you’ll be surprised at the findings that
emerge. Interviews are one of the best ways
to learn about your core audience first-hand.
THERE ARE A NUMBER
OF WAYS TO PUT
YOURSELF IN YOUR
CUSTOMERS SHOES
This rigorous attention to detail is the hallmark of
precision, and it’s what separates great messaging
from speculative chatter. It’s how you pierce
through the bubble to reach people and convince
them of your value, instead of sending flashy but
generic signals out in to the world, where they
quickly fade into the noise.
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8. “Whenindoubt,tell the truth.”
MARK TWAIN

9. Is it True? PUT YOUR MESSAGE TO THE TEST. Messaging
obviously isn’t ‘just the facts, ma’am.’ But to be effective,
it can’t be all spin, either. Think about political candidates
who contort themselves and twist reality to paint a picture
that is obviously untrue. We all see through the ruse and
it ends up doing more harm than good.
As you’re developing your message, first listen to
your gut. Does it feel right, or does it seem like a
stretch? Public opinion isn’t a courtroom per se, but
your messaging should be supported by enough
facts to make a strong case. If you’re torturing logic
or struggling to find words that bridge the gap
between reality and what you think your target
markets want to hear—it’s not going to work.
Who likes to feel like they are being hoodwinked?
Ultimately, the word to keep in mind is authenticity.
Be true to who you are and empathize with your
customers. Genuinely work to understand their
perspective and how your brand can make a positive
difference in their lives.
It might sound old fashioned, but the golden
rule applies here (as it so often does). Treat your
audience how you would like to be treated—with
real thoughtfulness, honesty and consideration.
Do that, and your message will both resonate
and endure.
DOES IT FEEL RIGHT,
OR DOES IT SEEM LIKE
A STRETCH?
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10. “I wouldhave written a shorter letter,
but I didnot have the time.”
B LAIS E PAS CAL famed philosopher and mathematician

11. Is it Memorable?
KEEP IT SHORT SIMPLE.
Think about memorable taglines, slogans and
sayings. Do they go on for pages? No.
Keep it short. Keep it simple. If you can’t,
you’re not there yet.
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12. “Don’t tellme the moon is shining;
showmetheglintoflightonbrokenglass.”
ANTON CHEKHOV

13. 303.825.4441 anabliss.com
LETS BUILD
A BETTER BRAND
TOGETHER