Excellent brand messaging is an asset to any and every organization. You can see the appeal of a strong, distinctive voice for international-famous brands like Apple, which leans heavily into creativity and freedom of expression. Home Depot has a 'DIY, get it done' style of messaging that informs all of its commercials, tutorials, and services. Even Wendy's has seen worldwide online benefits for developing a sassy tone on social media that gives its communication a unique flair and its products a jump in demand.
It's not just that great brand messaging is good for your company; not having it is bad for your business. According to marketing statistics gathered by HubSpot, "Consumers are most frustrated with inconsistent brand messaging."
Before that frustration becomes a cog in the works, keep reading to learn more about what brand messaging is and how to incorporate it into every stage of the inbound marketing flywheel.
What Is Brand Messaging?
Brand messaging is the (deliberate) style, word choice, tone, and syntax your brand uses to communicate with visitors, shoppers, and other audiences. Your brand messaging might be luxe and formal, friendly and informal, a little bit sassy, or direct and instructional, just to name a few.
Through the brand messaging your organization creates, you communicate your brand's personality and core values.
Developing a distinctive brand messaging approach makes your brand more recognizable across verbal and non-verbal communications, allowing both dedicated followers and casual observers to be more likely to identify a message as belonging to your brand. This recognition reinforces your brand identity and makes touchpoints and outreach more effective while strengthening your relationship with audiences by creating a consistent and reliable voice.
Deliberately constructing your brand messaging through style guides and a consistent review processes is essential because:
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It's an important tool for setting the tone of communications.
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You can build strong relationships with your target market by developing consistent messaging that resonates with them.
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You'll become more distinct and recognizable.
However, you need a robust messaging style guide to develop your brand messaging and build that connection with audiences.
Brand messaging goes beyond your company name and slogan. It includes your mission statement, core values, value proposition, landing pages, blog posts, video and podcast content, and so much more.
How Does Strong Messaging Drive Your Inbound Engine?
Once you focus on your brand messaging through the lens of inbound marketing, the value of good brand messaging becomes much clearer.
Inbound marketing is a marketing approach that companies use to generate brand awareness and buy-in by creating content.
This content could include educational blogs and articles, social media posts, and other forms of content that are either broadcasted to audiences or available for searching consumers to find - which then draws those consumers to the company's website or other platforms to make a purchase. Since engaging content is such a critical aspect of this strategy, consistent brand messaging is essential.
Brand Messaging Impacts Every Stage of the Inbound Marketing Flywheel
The flywheel is HubSpot's model of how proper brand and service alignment can attract, engage, and delight customers in a continuous cycle of excellent experiences that encourage recurring purchases and life-long customer loyalty.
In this model, companies attract consumers, engage with them through increasingly sophisticated interactions, and delight them during and after the purchase before creating a new attractive offer to begin the cycle again. This approach systematically converts strangers within a target market to prospects, then to customers, and finally to promoters who make additional purchases and even refer family and friends to the company.
Here's How Excellent Brand Messaging Fits Into The Flywheel
The Attract Stage
At this stage, your company generates content that 'waits in the wings' for new shoppers to need it. Social media posts, lead magnets, and blogs are all types of content that, once they exist, can stay published and available for audiences to find when they need that content the most. By developing a robust library of helpful and engaging content, your marketing engine can rev up whenever a potential buyer is looking for more information.
For example: Shoppers may be looking for help with their personal finances. If you have a well-organized library of detailed how-tos, informational posts, tips, and resources, you'll be much easier to find online. Readers will also trust you more as they continue to engage with your content.
To optimize success with this strategy, we recommend the Pillar Approach:
- Identify three to five core topics your audiences care about or start with a single one.
- Develop a long-form overview of the topic in its entirety.
- Then create more in-depth content that branches out from the overview to provide more detailed information on a very narrow element of the wider focus area.
To continue with our personal finance example, one of your pillars might be 'Individual Taxes,' which will, in turn, have more specific posts about tax-advantaged retirement account contributions, self-employment taxes, filing advice, and more.
The goal is to prevent reader confusion or frustration by readily having content that answers their questions and helps solve their problems.
The Engage Stage
Engaging your audience is a more in-depth, personalized process. You may communicate one-on-one with prospects through calls, direct messaging, or back-and-forth emails.
The engagement stage may also have automated — but still personalized — content. Including:
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Email newsletters
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Landing pages built for a specific buyer persona, and
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Any other content that keeps the audience coming back - inching them ever closer to a purchase.
Not only does your brand messaging need to be distinct and well-suited to the customer at this stage, but it also needs to be solutions-based.
Remember: The goal isn't to sell to your audience. It's to create a mutually beneficial relationship where you can help them solve their problems.
The Delight Stage
Brand messaging is pivotal at the delight stage and during post-purchase communications. It's your chance to prove to your audience that you weren't just in it to sell a product. Instead, you're here to continue providing engaging, helpful, valuable — and even fun! — content that they'll look forward to seeing, no purchase necessary.
At this stage, types of content include:
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Additional blog posts, articles, and FAQ pages that provide assistance and support
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Surveys for feedback and collaboration
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Emails to keep the conversation going
Create On-Point Brand Messaging to Keep Your Revenue Engine Revving
What kind of brand do you want to have, and how will you communicate those ideals to your target market? Great brand messaging is the 'show, don't tell' of brand identities, and it should underscore all the things about your brand that your shoppers love.
At House of Revenue, we know significant revenue results start with strategic marketing foundations, and we're ready to help as your HubSpot Certified Partner.
Contact us today to learn more about how to create the right brand messaging to power your inbound marketing strategies and start driving more revenue into your business.