At my agency Halcon Marketing, we often get asked “How much for a logo?” but rarely “How much for brand messaging strategy?”. As a die-hard brand strategist, this hurts my soul juusst a little bit (okay, maybe a lot!), because I know how vital brand messaging is in creating a true brand.
When it comes to brand messaging, it’s all about making it easy for your audience to understand who you are, what you do, and what makes you different from the other businesses out there.
Unfortunately when folks think of branding, the first and sometimes only thing that comes to mind is the logo. Don’t get me wrong, your logo IS IMPORTANT! I like to think of it as what you are wearing. We all know that first impressions can make or break whether a customer stays on a webpage or browses to some other store. Your logo, along with your other visual identity components, contribute to that first impression.
But looks aside, your logo is just one small piece of what makes up your brand. Once you grab a customer’s attention, you have to keep it.
That’s where brand messaging comes into play. I like to think of brand messaging as what you say, and how you say it. Having clearly defined brand messaging will help you not only during one-on-one conversations, but it will also help you craft marketing copy for everything from your website to handouts to social media posts.
The goal of branding is to create a connection with your audience that not only conveys what makes your products or services unique, but also what makes you unique. Your message is your chance to share your values and ideals, your mission, and overall to craft your identity in the mind of the consumer.
This identity, or perception, is what will stay with them long after the visual elements of your color palette and logo fade.
If you are ready to get started developing (or refining!) your brand message, consider these questions.
- Who is your target consumer?
- What are they struggling with?
- What are your values as a business?
- What differentiates you from the competition?
All of these elements will go into crafting your core brand message. Eventually, this compact statement will help you shape your marketing messages and talk to real clients or potential clients about who you are. This message should declare why your brand matters, what it stands for, and how it stands apart from your competitors.
While visual brand identities tend to be more long-lasting, your brand message can shift and change often over time. I refer to my message whenever I need inspiration or a friendly reminder of what my business stands for. I encourage you to refer to your message often, and revisit it at least every quarter to update it as needed!
So I want to know: what’s your brand message? How has it changed over time? Tell me below!
