The Complete Guide to Brand Messaging

Have you ever felt like a brand, business, or influencer understood you so well that you immediately felt connected to them? That’s the power of effective brand messaging. 

We all crave meaningful connections. That’s why crafting a message that clearly communicates your brand’s values, mission, and story is essential in building authentic connections with your target audience. It’s not just about telling people what you sell. It’s about showcasing who you are and making an impact beyond your product or service. Whether you’re just starting out or refreshing your current content, this comprehensive guide to crafting powerful brand messaging will help you know your own story by heart and craft compelling content that authentically represents your brand.

Understanding Brand Messaging

What is brand messaging?

Brand messaging is strategically selecting the right words that make up your unique story.

It’s not the same thing as your brand voice or your tagline. It’s not copywriting either.

Find Out The Difference Between Copywriting + Brand Messaging

It’s what showcases your value and unique positioning. Your messaging separates you from everyone else in your industry (and sometimes, there are a lot of people in your industry).

Brand messaging is what makes people in your target audience sit up and care.

That sounds great, right? You might be nodding your head, thinking, “Okay, sure, maybe I can start working on that in between projects, or the next time I get a break.” But I’m gonna tell you, your brand message matters so much that you need to start today.

Why Does Messaging Matter?

Messaging provides it all. The voice, words, and story that show your organization’s value (why it’s useful) and values (what it believes in) all fall into “messaging.”

A well-designed brand message gives current and potential customers a true understanding of your business’ products and services.

It conveys the value that your company offers by demonstrating how your company can solve a specific problem. In the competitive marketplace, messaging inspires customers into action.

Your brand messaging tells a story that gets people excited and invites them into your community.

And ultimately, messaging forms the backbone of your overall marketing strategy because…

Your message is literally THE ONLY THING that can show your audience that your offer is worth it before they commit.

Your message influences the words on a page, in a caption, and inside emails. And those words all need to get your audience to think, “Oh yeah this is exactly who I want to work with. She’s worth it!”

When your message is crafted intentionally and strategically, it does the heavy lifting for you. So you end up with clients who think it’s a total no-brainer to work with you.

Sound good to you? Let’s get into how to start creating your brand message today.

Developing Your Messaging Foundation

Behind every great brand is a fundamental brand message. It’s the mission that your brand is trying to accomplish. And it’s a story that declares your’s purpose, what you stand for, and how you stand apart from competitors.

Your foundational brand message is a well you can return to when you need inspiration or need to remind yourself what you stand for. And above all else, your foundational message makes people in your target audience sit up and care.

It’s important to go beyond profits (the results) and address the why (the purpose, cause, or belief). Always speak from that motivation because, as Simon Sinek said, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

Why You Need Brand Messaging Before Starting a Copywriting Project

So, you’re thinking about hiring a copywriter (hi! )… But before you dive into a copywriting project, it’s crucial to fine-tune your brand messaging.

Why?

Copywriting may be the “what you say,” but brand messaging is the “how you say it.”

It’s the secret sauce that adds depth, personality, and resonance to your words. Without a solid brand message, your copy may lack the clarity, consistency, and impact necessary to truly resonate with your audience.

It’s like trying to build a house without a blueprint—it may look nice on the surface, but it lacks structure and strategy. Your brand message is what gives direction, clarity, and authenticity to your copy. It ensures that every word resonates with your target audience and aligns to your overall vision for your brand.

So, before you dive headfirst into a copywriting project— like revamping your website, launching a new product, or attracting organic traffic to your site through optimized blog posts —make sure your message is crystal clear.

How to Uncover Your Brand Message

1. Clarify Your Vision

Your vision s lay the foundation for your brand’s identity and purpose. Your vision informs where your business is heading at any point in time. Some questions to get to the heart of it are:

• What do you want to achieve?
• What impact do you want to make in the world?
• What do you believe in?

These may feel like big questions, and they are. Take some time to reflect and soul-search before writing the first thing that comes to mind. Because by getting clear on what you desire deep down, without the influence of what other people might think or say or what you think you “should” want, you can find the authentic, vulnerable, real you. And that allows you to set goals that actually matter to you and that align your brand message to what matters most to you.

2. Define Your Brand Voice

Your brand voice is how you communicate your message. It adds personality and depth to the content you create. So start by determining the tone and overall style you want to convey your messages. There’s a really easy way to do that: write the way you talk.

Are you from the South? Does “ya’ll” roll off your tongue? Or maybe you use short sentences and avoid long flowy adjectives in your sentences.

It’s these little quirks that help identify you as you. With or without your visual brand elements, someone will still be able to know you wrote that.

Your voice should also be geared toward your ideal customer. For instance, you’d probably use different tones when addressing young adults as opposed to retirees. They care about different things, and they communicate differently. So you want to understand your customers and apply that information to your messaging.

3. Organize Your Brand Values

Start by collecting what you already have for your brand. Then, if the list is looking short, or contradicts itself, take some time to brainstorm.

Here are some things to include:

• mission statement
• tagline
• core values
• punctuation preferences (oxford commas, parentheses, exclamations, capitalizations, etc.)
• favorite emojis
• common phrases
• a bank of favorite words
• word descriptors (i.e., cheeky, humorous, sarcastic, heartfelt, soulful)

4. Check For Consistency

This might seem obvious when we’re talking about your brand message, but it’s worth mentioning. Sometimes it feels like we’re constantly repeating ourselves, but that’s a good thing! It takes that kind of repetition for people to grab hold of it. Think of Nike’s “just do it.” It’s always on repeat, and it sticks with us as consumers!

5. Check For The Grunt Test

Now that you’ve started getting a feel for your brand’s message, you’ll want to test what you have. Some things sound cute and clever in our heads, but they aren’t as appealing when said aloud.

To test your copy, imagine someone has asked you about your business, and you say something from your brand guidelines.

Does it quickly answer the questions below (in a grunt)?

• What do you do?
• How does it make my life better?
• How do I get it?

If you can clearly answer these questions in short responses, you’re on the right track. This test helps you feel confident in your message before you share it with current and potential customers!

How My Messaging Strategy Process Works

Everyone has a story to tell and an impact to make. This four-step framework has helped 75+ businesses clarify their message. Are you next?

Step 1: Getting to Know You

In our first call, we’ll take stock of who you are today so you can confidently share it with those around you. We’ll start with questions like we’re meeting up for a quick coffee date and move into bigger questions that’ll point you to a clearer (and more successful) future.

The questions I ask can feel big or ambitious.

• I want to know why you started your business, your “why” that keeps you going.
• I also want to know about any pain points or struggles you may have faced in your business so far.
• I want to know you. And I promise, there are no right or wrong answers.

All of these answers help me discover that special something that sets you apart.

Step 2: Understanding Your Audience

Now, let’s pivot the spotlight from you to your audience. We’ll dive into in-depth competitor and industry research to identify who your target audience is and what they need. This isn’t just about demographics; we’re talking about getting into the nitty-gritty of their pain points, desires, and how you can solve their problems. Knowing your audience shapes the core of your message, making it more impactful and relatable.

This wraps up our first of two strategy sessions. By the end, you’ll feel tired of talking, and my hands might be achy from typing everything you say. But the wheels will start turning for you (and definitely for me!) on how to honestly share your story with the world.

Step 3: Writing Your Story

Here’s where the real fun begins. I’ll organize all of my notes from our calls. As I clean up the feverishly typed notes from our call, I’ll look for powerful phrases and themes that come up repeatedly. What are you constantly going back to? What words are you using to describe yourself and your process? I love to find these gems that are hiding in plain sight.

Then, I’ll start researching the ideal customer you described and industry trends. Leaning on reliable third-party data, I dig up some stats for credibility. Now, your story isn’t just an opinion. You’re making a compelling case.

I’ll combine all the notes, data, and trends into the story that lays the foundation for all future copy for your brand! Here’s the framework I usually start with to get the ball rolling!

• Start with your audience, what you know about them, and their needs. 
• Address a desired result they’d like to achieve right now or how to stop a pain point they’d like to avoid 
• Grab a data point or two to back up the problem.
• Introduce the solution to the pain point (your product/service/offering)
• Pop in with how you solve their problems and why you’re the best person to help them solve their problems
• Paint a picture of the future after you’ve helped them solve their problem
• Close with a call to action or how they can get started

But your story is just the start of your overall messaging strategy

Once the story is written, reviewed, and finalized, I start crafting even more copy. I’ll use key words, phrases, and themes to shape your tagline, Unique Selling Proposition Statement, and other key messaging pieces. Copy that feels true to you but gets cut during this process is saved under Word Bank. Now, you can grab one of these phrases when you write headlines, quotes on your site, or captions for social media posts.

The word bank is great for giving you a launching pad for writing copy yourself. But my goal is to keep your voice consistent and make it as easy as possible for you to do that. That’s why I also write up your brand voice, tone, and a detailed description of your ideal customer.  

Step 4: Taking Action

With your story polished and ready, it’s time to put it into action. In our second strategy session, I’ll guide you on how to weave your story into all your copy, whether it’s for your website, social media, or emails. You’ll also receive a comprehensive 20+-page Brand Messaging Guide. This Google Doc is your go-to resource filled with notes from our sessions, quick-grab phrases, and actionable tips to keep your message consistent across all platforms.

By the end of this process, you’ll have a brand message that’s uniquely yours and resonates deeply with your audience. So, are you ready to start telling your story and making an impact? Let’s get to it!

The Advantage of My Brand Messaging Process

The process is the same every time—these four simple steps. But the beauty of this process is that every result is different. Every client’s messaging is unique and tailored to their brand, audience, and goals.

Over a few months, I worked with two wedding photographers who were both based near Topsail, NC. On the surface, they’re the same. They provide the same service. They’re in the same area. But their messaging couldn’t have been more different.

One leaned into a romantic, adventurous aesthetic. Cue the pictures with the couple’s ring fingers held up like a middle finger. She was bold, young, fun, and unapologetically real.

The other photographer focused on a candid, documentary style. She had a love for nature and the scenery in the Carolinas. She’d been in business longer. And, she had grown kids, so she brought a maternal wisdom and nurturing energy to her brand.

Despite their similarities, they had different stories and goals. Through my process, I was able to craft unique messaging for each of them that spoke directly to their target audience.

Each brand now has a strong and authentic voice that sets them apart from their competitors. And as a result, both have seen an increase in bookings and overall success in their businesses. By being true to themselves and understanding their audience, they were able to attract the right clients who valued their unique approach.

Why Clients Love My Brand Messaging Strategy Process

They have confidence that what they’re saying is what their audience needs to hear to make an impact (and, yep, conversions, too!)  

They have a consistent voice across all platforms. With a 20+ page Brand Messaging Guide outlining all key messaging points, clients can easily refer to it when creating content for any platform or channel. Or they can hand it off to a freelancer taking on email marketing or social media. However they use it, the guide guarantees consistency and strengthens their overall brand.

They’re not constantly starting over. Once they’ve gone through my process, they have a solid foundation and a deep understanding of their brand message. They have one single source of truth to revisit instead of constantly trying to redefine their brand.

They know what makes them unique. My process dives into the heart of their brand, so they can quickly and easily communicate why they are the perfect person for their target audience.

They convert more. With a well-defined target audience and compelling story, clients can connect with the right people who resonate with their message. The the right audience and see an increase in conversions.

Keys to Making This Process Work

It takes two to make this process work. I’ll bring my best, and trust my clients to do the same. These are a few things we need to make the most of the brand messaging process.

The time to make it happen

Crafting a brand message that truly resonates takes time and effort. It’s important to schedule the strategy sessions and set aside time for review. Rushing through this process will only produce mediocre results.

Pro tip: If you’re thinking about a website redesign or a rebranding, I highly recommend starting this process at least a month before your website build starts so we have ample time to craft a strong brand message.

Honesty and transparency

To truly connect with your audience, it’s important to be honest and transparent about your story, values, and goals. It may feel vulnerable at first, but sharing your authentic self during our strategy calls will help you stand out and build trust with your audience.

Open communication

Throughout the process, I encourage my clients to ask questions, share concerns, and provide feedback. I’m here to point out things you might not have noticed before and share my expertise. But you know what’s in your heart and what you want to share with the world. Together, we will shape and refine your brand message to make sure it truly reflects your unique voice and connects with your audience.

Be comfortable with change

As you go through this process, you may find yourself shifting your focus or changing some elements of your brand. Embrace these changes, as they will ultimately lead to a stronger and more impactful brand message.

Ready to Find the Heart of Your Story?

My brand messaging process gives clients the tools they need to confidently share their stories and make an impact in their industry.

Are you ready to join the 75+ businesses who have already benefited from this process? Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refresh your brand, I’m here to help you craft a compelling brand message that sets you apart from the competition.

Let’s work together to tell your story and connect with your audience authentically and effectively.