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Message in a Box

Message in a Box

By, Stephen Andrews, SVP, Fusion NY (@stevebandrews)

I admit it, I have a thing for messaging.  Crafting and even more importantly testing these wonderful examples of creative thought against, well reality has become a bit of a guilty pleasure.  The true test of any message is how well does work?  I know it sounds simple yet somehow overly vague.

Messaging is or should be, at its essence, the most simple and compelling thing you can say about your business that appeals to your potential customers, it should be timely and last but not least it should be something only you can say.  Often we miss the beauty of that simple message and wind up attempting to boil an ocean when all we need is a cup.

Here’s a few simple tips to follow when you are thinking about messaging:

Have a Goal

I know it sounds ridiculously simple, but many businesses, regardless of size, attempt to construct a message and position their offerings with little or no thought to the business needs.  Any communications initiative must serve a business mandate; otherwise it runs the risk of being tangential, wasteful and impossible to measure.

Stay in the Box

Messaging is a creative process and the end result should represent the very best creative thinking your business has to offer. However, overuse of tired and trite descriptors, embellishments and wild claims do not help position your company with customers, partners or media.

Cast a Wide Net

When going through the messaging process, solicit opinions from all levels of your organization.  Some of the best and most insightful thinking will come from outside your executive suite.  Where possible consider including partners, customers and others from outside your business in the messaging process.

Use a Process

Messaging is a process by definition, but like any major organizational initiative myriad opinions will be brought forward and a firm decision process needs to be in place from the outset to ensure all input is received and considered without needlessly circumventing the process itself.

There are thousands of nuances to both the messaging process and messaging; these few tips will help your business get the right information from the right people guide the process to a rewarding conclusion and keep the messaging on track.

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