Introduction

You’ve heard us say it before–your messaging is the cornerstone of all communications coming from your company. It’s not only all the words you use to communicate, it also feeds into your logo design, color palette, media style, website design, and more. And while branding and media can catch someone’s attention–buying decisions are primarily made because of the words that you use.

So how do you know if you’re using the right ones? Today we’re going to look at four reliable ways to tell whether or not your message is working. Spoiler: Just because you have a lot of leads/clients, doesn’t mean your message couldn’t use some tweaking. In fact, let’s talk about that one first.

You have plenty of leads, but…

You might think that if there’s lots of interest in what you’re doing your message is spot on. That may be true! But if you get into your discovery calls or are interacting with potential clients/customers/patrons and they don’t totally understand what you’re all about, you probably have a messaging problem.

Clear, specific messaging not only brings people “through the door.” It also saves you time by speaking to the right people. (Does this mean that it works 100% of the time? Of course not. But if you feel like you’re doing a lot of explaining, or bringing in clients that are just an “okay” fit, you should revisit your messaging.)

You’re not getting enough leads.

Marketing is a tricky business. It can be difficult to determine why paid opportunities are successful or not. It takes time, investment, and trial and error to really learn what works and doesn’t for your company. But if you’ve been at it a while, and you’re not still not seeing a return on your investment–you may want to look at your messaging. 

Are you communicating how your product or service will improve the life of your customer? Are you providing a clear purpose for the ad? Do you have an engaging CTA (Call to Action)? Is your copy a giant wall of text? All of those and more are part of your messaging inventory and if one or more don’t vibe with your ideal customers, your ads aren’t going to work very well.

Your description has variants

No…not variants like Loki.

Has this ever happened to you? You’re copied on an email referral from a current client to another client. You’re so excited–they are recommending you as a vendor or organization! Only…they didn’t actually describe what you do correctly. And now you have to send a follow-up email explaining that “Actually…what we do is this…” 

How about this one? You overhear a current employee describing your company to another person…and it’s not remotely how you would describe the company yourself. You kind of want to strangle them. But also…it’s not really their fault.

Both of these situations happen A LOT and it can be really frustrating. Neither of them comes from a bad place, though.  People want to talk about what you’re doing. That’s wonderful! Unfortunately, they just don’t have the whole picture.

Luckily it’s an easy(ish) fix. When you have a short business description as part of your overall messaging, you can teach it to your employees and have it live in your marketing materials (like on your website homepage). Include it in your kickoff packet for new clients. Put it in your email signature. The more you can make it available for people to see, the more they are going to understand exactly how to talk you up.

You don’t know what to write

Last week we talked about Brand Voice–that’s the way you talk to your customers. But knowing how you want to sound and knowing what to say are two separate things. If, every time you sit down to plan your social media copy or a press release, or an email, you’re not sure what to write, you have a messaging problem. 

A proper messaging inventory essentially gives you a set of parameters. You choose a purpose for whatever it is you’re trying to get down on paper, consult your messaging inventory, and the bulk of your copy should already be there for you to type up.

Conclusion

Clear, personalized, concise messaging is one of the best tools you can invest in for the success of your business. If you feel like you’re having to explain yourself a lot, if you’re not bringing in enough leads, if your current clients and employees have trouble communicating what you're all about, or if you’ve learned to dread the blank page–your messaging isn’t clear enough. If pulling together a comprehensive messaging package sounds daunting–never fear. We’re here for you. Contact us today to see how MessageQuest can level up your messaging.