Why most businesses get brand messaging backwards (and what it's costing you)
I see it all the time: A business hires a designer to create a beautiful logo and website. Then they bring in a copywriter to ‘add text to the design’.
The problem with this approach is that the business has jumped into execution before building a strategic foundation.
I get it: The design work is fun. It’s pretty! It’s tangible. And it’s very exciting to see your brand come to life visually.
But design without strategy is just decoration.
Without a brand and messaging strategy in place, designers and copywriters have to do a lot of guesswork. They do their best to come up with visuals and words that they think the client’s customers will respond to. But there’s no actual data, research or strategy to support it.
And then the business wonders why its beautiful website isn't converting visitors into customers.
The high cost of skipping strategy
When you rush into design and copywriting without a solid messaging strategy, it’s like building a house without blueprints. The end result might look nice from the outside, but it's unlikely to function well or stand the test of time. You’d want your house’s wiring to be safe and up to code and your foundations to be solid, right? Similarly, your brand needs a strategic plan to make sure it’s not going to fall over.
Skipping strategy will cost your company in many ways:
Wasted marketing budget on designs and campaigns that don’t work or need constant revising
Missed opportunities to connect with your ideal customers on a deeper level - or engage with them tactically
Inconsistent messaging that confuses your audience and dilutes your brand, leaving them distrustful
Lower conversion rates because your communications don't address what truly matters to prospects
Internal confusion about how to talk about your business and offerings
Employee mis-hires and churn as staff are not aligned with what you stand for
Damaging partnerships with other brands that aren’t aligned with yours, again confusing and potentially losing your audiences (Adidas and Kanye West, for example).
Data > guesswork
Businesses that assume they know their customers’ goals, needs, concerns and objections without actually conducting research is unfortunately very common. Particularly with smaller companies who have limited resources.
Even after decades of working with clients across industries, I never assume I know what will resonate with your specific audience.
Instead, I dig deep into research. Research that can be anything from a quick temperature test done in a day, to a three week project that includes customer interviews, surveys and online voice of customer research. It’s always incredibly valuable to do something, rather than nothing.
Ideally I talk to your customers. I analyze your competitors. I immerse myself in your industry. Only when I truly understand what's happening in your customers' minds can I develop messaging that connects with them on a deeper level.
This isn't about creating generic "customer personas" based on demographics. It's about understanding the specific language, pain points, desires, and objections of the people you want to reach.
What a true messaging strategy includes
A solid brand and messaging strategy isn't a collection of clever taglines or a brand book filled with aesthetic guidelines. It's a comprehensive framework that gives your business clarity, focus, and direction. Here's what it should include:
Brand fundamentals: The purpose, vision, mission, and values that drive your decision-making
Positioning and competitor analysis: How you're different from competitors and why that matters
Audience insights and researched buyer personas: Deep understanding of your customers based on research, not assumptions
Messaging architecture: The hierarchy of messages that matter most to your audience, addressing everything we learnt from the research
Value articulation and differentiation: Clear expression of your features, benefits, and impacts - and why audiences should choose your brand over all the others
Brand personality: The human characteristics that make your brand distinctive and relatable
Brand voice: Guidelines for how your brand communicates everything above consistently.
When these elements are properly developed and aligned, marketing becomes infinitely easier. Your team knows exactly what to say and how to say it. Your designers have clear direction for visual communication. Your copywriters have a framework for creating compelling content.
Beyond pretty words
A messaging strategy connects what you offer with what your audience truly needs and values.
It’s about meeting your audiences where they are, showing you understand them, and speaking with them in ways that make them think you truly ‘get them’.
Doing research up front will reveal language and concerns that your brand may be completely unaware off. Applying this to your messaging means you’ll be able to address actual pain points and desires. The result? Watch your engagement, enquiries, conversions, sales and customer satisfaction take off.
The process matters
Developing an effective messaging strategy isn't something you can knock out in an afternoon. It requires a structured approach:
Discovery: Immersing in your business, goals, challenges, and current positioning
Research: Gathering insights from customers, competitors, and industry trends
Analysis: Finding patterns and opportunities in the data collected
Framework development: Creating the strategic structure for all communications
Testing and refinement: Ensuring the strategy resonates with your actual audience, and optimising it as you learn more about them
Implementation guidance: Helping your team put the strategy into practice.
This process takes time, but it saves you countless hours and money in the long run. When your messaging strategy is solid, you stop second-guessing your marketing decisions. You communicate with confidence. You connect with prospects more effectively.
From strategy to results
Ultimately, a strong messaging strategy isn't about sounding good - it's about driving business results. When your communications clearly articulate value in a way that resonates with your audience, you:
Attract more qualified leads who recognize themselves in your messaging
Convert more prospects because you're addressing their actual concerns
Retain more customers through consistent, value-focused communications
Command premium prices because you're clearly articulating your unique value
Make better business decisions guided by your strategic framework
… and your internal audiences - your team - are more motivated too.
I've seen businesses transform after implementing a proper messaging strategy. Not just in their marketing effectiveness, but in their overall direction and focus. When you're clear about who you are, who you serve, and why it matters, everything else becomes clearer too.
Don’t pour more into a leaky bucket
If you've been struggling with inconsistent results from your marketing efforts, unclear positioning, or difficulty articulating what makes your business special, the solution isn't more creativity or a better designer. Pouring more water into a leaky bucket doesn’t solve the problem - the bucket needs to be fixed.
With your brand communications, this means stepping back and building a strategic foundation that will make your comms work better. It's understanding what truly matters to your audience and connecting it to what you offer. It's developing a messaging framework that brings clarity, consistency, and conviction to everything you communicate.
If you're ready to build that foundation, I’d love to help.