The excitement and overwhelm in her voice were hard to miss.
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Our conversation made it clear that she was excited to get her program/solution out into the world but overwhelmed by the best way to communicate it.
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She was also concerned that the current program she was enrolled in was not helping her figure out how to talk about her offer, which is why we were speaking.
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I hear this a lot.
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You enroll in a program (certification) only to find out halfway through that it doesn't give you the confidence you need to articulate clearly who you are and what you do in a meaningful way.
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Many of these programs teach things out of sequence, like building a house from the second floor up; you may learn many things but won't be able to apply them successfully since you started out of order.
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And most programs will tell you they help with messaging, but unfortunately, they either gloss over it or give you a formula to figure it out on your own.
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As we talked, we discussed the following three things that form your business foundation: your message, your audience, and consistency.
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Identifying Your Core Message
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We discussed how a muddled core message leads to ineffective communication and misunderstandings with your target audience.
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I explained that you can have the best product or service (and you probably do), but without a clear message communicating the value and benefits, it's like playing the telephone game with prospects. If your core message isn't crystal clear, it'll get lost in translation, leaving your audience puzzled or disengaged.
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To get to your core message, we talked about how, like distilling a fine whiskey, each step removes impurities, filters out the noise, and leaves you with the purest expression of your brand's essence.
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1 Gather - Determine the four key ingredients needed to craft your core offer: Objectives, Obstacles, Objectives, and Outcomes. (What I call the Four O's in The Brand Messaging OSβ’)
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2 Filter - Review your ingredients and eliminate any that do not serve your core message.
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3 Refine - Boil down your message to a simple, impactful statement.
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4 Shine - Share your message with your audience. Tweak your message based on actual responses until it resonates clearly and strongly.
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Know Your Tribe
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As we spoke about her audience, I asked her to imagine playing darts at the pub after you've had a couple. It gets tough to hit the bullseye when the target starts getting fuzzy, which can skew your marketing efforts. Finding your target audience can feel like this.
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Understanding who you are aiming your message at is crucial, and there's a difference between who you want to target and who makes the decisions.
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During our discussion about her audience, it became clear she wanted to target CEOs, which sounds great, but that's not who was making the decisions.
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Targeting CEOs sounds sexy; I mean, who doesn't want to talk to the big wig?
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But in most cases, I've encountered clients who need to target people under the CEO, not the CEO themselves. The C-suite is called a suite for a reason: they're the people reporting to the CEO who make the decisions and control the purse strings.
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I suggested she try these actions to narrow in on her tribe.
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1 Conversate - Start conversations with your audience via surveys, interviews, or reaching out on social media engagement.
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2 Create - Refine what you learn into an Ideal Client Profile (ICP).
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3 Update - Adjust your ICP as you have more conversations and learn more.
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Be Consistent
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After talking through her message and audience, we moved to consistency. Why? Because there's nothing worse than a watered-down drink, except maybe a diluted brand message.
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A diluted brand message = a diluted brand.
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Inconsistency in your message across platforms sends your audience mixed messages, like the person winking at you at the end of the bar. In some cases, it comes across as creepy.
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Great positioning and messaging are quickly ruined by inconsistency. Once you have your message and audience nailed, stick with it across all platforms.
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Think of your audience as a private investigator. Once they find out about you, they will investigate you everywhere to get a complete picture.
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So, consider these actions if you want to keep any dark secrets secret.
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1 Audit - Review all your communication channels, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, your website, etc. Make sure they are singing in harmony.
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2 Ensure it - Create a rule book for your brand to ensure what you publish fits your core message.
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3 Check it - Periodically check your content to ensure it's on-brand and on-message.
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Last Call - Your Message Matters
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As we closed out our session (yes, we covered this much during a half-hour strategy session), I reminded her that crafting your message so it resonates is like tuning a vintage radio.
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Once you find the right frequency, the connection is unmistakable.
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