A messaging strategy is designed to serve as a working guide for the marketing communication efforts of your company. Its value is not only in keeping everyone in your organization on the same page, but also in providing clarity, affirming core values, and ensuring that you’re always communicating with consistency and impact.
Who needs it?
You do! Clear and compelling communication is so critical to marketing success that we’ll venture to say every business needs some form of strategy for its messaging. The larger your business, the more complex it is, and the more savvy your audience, the more important a messaging strategy becomes. But even the smallest of businesses can benefit from the power of a strong, concise, and focused message.
If your customers and prospects must find you online, it’s absolutely critical to have website copywriting that is supported by strategy. If people cannot understand what you do and why they should choose you — in a matter of seconds — you’ve likely got a messaging problem. The most successful web sites are those that can hook users quickly, keep them engaged, and convince them to take action. An effective messaging strategy fuels this process.
The strategy explained
A messaging strategy is a multi-faceted communication plan, but at its core is a basic hierarchy of written components. At Stride, we use the visual of a pyramid, broken into levels, to describe this hierarchy. It’s a system based on the belief that messaging should flow in a top-down direction, starting with the most concise, benefit-oriented content to the most detailed, feature-driven content. Top-level messaging comes first, giving way to key components that explain your value proposition, followed only then by features and details that comprise your most voluminous content. Taken together, the entire strategy should differentiate you from your competition in a way that’s compelling, authentic, informative, and long lasting.
How to use it
Once it’s developed and agreed upon, your messaging strategy can function on its own or be woven into a comprehensive brand guide. You should distribute it to everyone in your organization who communicates your brand message, in writing or in person.
When this strategy is internalized and implemented across your organization, your marketing materials and company communications are more compelling, consistent, and efficiently produced, resulting in wins across the board: your marketing team experiences less writers block, your sales reps are more effective, your executives feel a higher level of confidence in their communications – and even your recruiting efforts attract better candidates. It’s an investment that, when done well, generates incredible ROI for years to come.
Get building
Need to get started on your messaging strategy? Talk to us. We’ll work with you to help you identify the blocks to build your own messaging pyramid, and form a strategy that helps build your brand.
