What is Brand Messaging? (AKA How to Make Your Business Impossible to Ignore)

Ever found yourself tongue-tied when someone asks, "So, what do you do?" or "What is your business about?" If so, you're not absolutely not alone.

In this  episode of Talk Copy to Me, I'm tackling the question, "What is brand messaging?" I'll cover why it's important to move from a bland "Ehhhh....We sell stuff?" question-like response to a comfortable, cozy, well-practice narrative. I'll break down common messaging mistakes that might be holding you back and serve up practical tips to craft a brand message that's authentically you.

By the end of this episode, I'm hoping you'll feel as if you have the know-how necessary to make your brand's voice impossible to ignore.

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EPISODE 136.

Read the show notes and view the full transcript here:
https://erinollila.com/what-is-brand-messaging-episode/

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Here's info on your host, Erin Ollila
Erin Ollila believes in the power of words and how a message can inform – and even transform – its intended audience. She graduated from Fairfield University with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, and went on to co-found Spry, an award-winning online literary journal.

When Erin’s not helping her clients understand their website data or improve their website copy, you can catch her hosting the Talk Copy to Me podcast and guesting on shows such as Profit is a Choice, The Driven Woman Entrepreneur, Go Pitch Yourself, and Counsel Cast.

Stay in touch with Erin Ollila, SEO website copywriter:
• Learn more about Erin’s VIP intensive options if you’d like to learn more about how you can hire her to help you with your marketing efforts
• Reach out her on Instagram,

Transcript

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So what does your business do? If you've ever been asked this question and found yourself fumbling for words, or worse, not even sure how to respond, you're going to want to stick around. Today, we're talking about brand messaging. It is the art of making your business impossible. Hey friends, welcome to the Talk Copy to Me podcast. Here, we empower small business owners to step into the spotlight with their marketing and messaging. I'm your host, Erin Ollila. Let's get started and talk copy. Welcome back, friends. It's me, Erin. And last week, we were here with Belinda Weaver, who was kind enough to share her insights on Being choosable without really defining your unique selling proposition. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, I highly recommend stopping after, of course, after you listen to this episode and going back to give it a listen. Now we're going to shift into the heart of this mini series that we're having, and that's on messaging. Your business has a personality. It has values, it has a story, and today we're going to learn how to start to tell that story in a way that makes people sit up and listen. And more importantly, remember you. So welcome to the world of brand messaging. I bet you might be wondering, what exactly is this? Like, everyone thinks that they understand brand messaging, but I think what happens is so many copywriting terms or marketing terms or even design terms muddy the water to make understanding messaging very clear. So at its core, brand messaging is the art of communicating your business's value and personality through words. Also, through design. I want to point that out here. We're going to really be talking about words within this conversation, but when possible, I'll try to, I don't know, report back on how this could influence design as well. It's not just about what you say, your message. It's really also about how you say it. It's the voice of your brand and the personality that shines through in all of the communications that you put out there and release to the world, or to the wild, let's say. Think of brand messaging as the difference between simply stating what you do. And expressing that value that you bring to your customers lives. It's about crafting a narrative that really resonates with your audience. And it also makes them think like. Oh my goodness, yes, this is exactly what I need. Or, oh, I really feel so comfortable and confident working with that service provider. Like, I don't even need to look for anyone else to hire for this project or experience or whatever they're hiring you for. Let me give you an example. Imagine there are two coffee shops that have extremely similar offers. The first one says, We sell coffee and pastries as their subtitle or, you know, their business slogan. Okay, that works. It's factual, but it's not exactly Exciting, is it? Now, the second one for their subtitle says, We craft the perfect cup to fuel your adventures and sweeten your day. Do you see the difference there? The second one doesn't just sell coffee. It's selling an experience, a feeling, and that is brand messaging in action. You know, and as the copywriter, another point I want to make here is if you notice the word choice, right? So, Coffee, uh, the word fuel, right? That is fueling them. We're talking about like caffeine. It's giving them the energy. If you look at sweeten your day, it's not just making it a good day, but like most coffee is sweetened when it's drink. So not only did that slogan or title, subtitle, whatever you want to say, Have a nice ring to it, a nice tone to it, have it be something that is a little bit more exciting and descriptive and shows the value that the customer gets, but the word choice was actually so crisp and concise and doing double the duty. Now, when we look at those two examples, that's, that's brand messaging in action. Consumers are bombarded with information, but brand messaging is really what makes someone choose your business over a competitor's. You know, think of that coffee example, if they were side by side and that slogan was right underneath the sign of the coffee shop, I think you'd probably choose the more descriptive coffee shop over the other, at least for the first time to test it out before you kind of weighed the flavor or taste of the coffee, because the experience is what's selling it for you. It's what's standing out. So if you and a competitor, like think of a couple of people in your head who do similar things to you, if you're all being What is going to make you stand out? You know, I just mentioned Belinda's episode a second ago, and we both talked about how frustrating the USP is, that unique selling proposition. Actually, in the next episode with Zoe Callahan, which I'll tell you about a little bit later, we mentioned the same thing. Generic to think of like what is this one superpower you have that no one else has ever had It's not very authentic and easy to accomplish within marketing for small businesses Yet, there are so many brand messaging touch points that allow you to Essentially do that to stand out from your competitors, you know, it's those stories you tell it's the promises you make with your brand message that Unique Should we bring it back to the coffee example? It's the flavor that only your brand is bringing to the table. So, before we go forward, let's kind of clear up some common misconceptions about brand messaging. Brand messaging is way more Then just a catchy slogan. Yes, I know I just talk slogans and subtitles for the coffee shop, but it is way more than that. It is way more than just a pretty logo. And this is why from the beginning I mentioned that design. While, you know, messaging does influence design, design is not the main point of our conversation or this mini series. Those are part of the brand messaging picture, but brand messaging is more of a strategic communication framework that's guiding all of that. All of your marketing efforts, whether that's copy, whether that's design, whether that's PR, networking, uh, collaborations, any of those things. Your brand messaging's guiding that whether or not you think it is, or you think you have brand messaging, your lack of messaging or your strategic messaging. Is Doing the Influencing, and I mean, I would much rather have strategic messaging influencing the outcomes that I have than a lack of messaging, and I think you would too. And this is why I think it's important to kind of stop for a second and indicate that brand messaging doesn't exist. In one specific place, meaning it's not just what you say on your website copy. It is not just how you appear on social media, be it, you know, an image post, um, text on threads or an actual video of you talking. It is not just your email marketing. It is. All of those things, which is why I say very often, I see people trying to have a consistent brand messaging, um, or trying to use the, excuse me, let me say that differently, trying to use their brand messaging, like strategy consistently in different areas, though they're showing up slightly different in those areas. So that consistency kind of falls through the cracks. It feels less authentic than it could and it doesn't allow them to really shine as they're, they're trying to, you know, they're trying to follow the strategy set out for them. They're just doing it in a discombobulated way. So let's shift for a second and talk about the role that brand messaging is playing, because it's actually a pretty significant It's doing a significant job. First, and maybe most obviously, what it's doing is it's shaping your customer perception. It's what makes the difference between how you're seen based on things, like small things like voice and tone as a, as an easy example. For example, are you approachable and relatable? Or are you distant and corporate? And neither, you might have some gut feelings, but neither of those are bad. You know, for example, if you are working with big brand clients as a consultant, obviously they'd like you to be an approachable human. However, to make that hiring decision, they don't need you to be relatable, and they don't need you to have a ton of personality within your branding. They need the confidence that you know how to do the job. They need to see experience and action, and sometimes that happens with distance. So, Again, regardless of how you're perceiving those words, and maybe you have a different feeling on your brand, it's about making these key decisions on who your audience is and how they perceive you. Good brand messaging is really what helps create that connection, and it's building the trust by consistently delivering on your brand promise regardless of who your audience is. When it comes to marketing and sales, effective messaging is important. is really what influences so much. It's attracting the right people to your business. You know, your SEO could be top notch, and if so, claps to you, snaps to you, whatever the young people are saying these days. But if your SEO is on point, and they land on your website, and the messaging is so off, they're bouncing. Immediately. They are not going to invest their time. We just, I just mentioned that consumers are bombarded with information. So if that first glance at your information is lackluster or off tone that they expected, it really doesn't matter how much you've invested into your SEO or the fact that it's serving you. You need to keep people there. So if You need to have a message that is resonating with them. And if you do, they're already halfway to becoming a customer before they even interact with you or your sales team or whomever they're interacting with in order to convert into being a paid client or customer. And in truth, the impact of brand messaging is really going beyond external communications. It's also playing a role in guiding your internal decision making. And I'm really excited we're talking about this on the podcast next week, too. Because when you're clear on things, It becomes so much easier to choose which projects you're going to pursue. Even, like, you know, it could be your own marketing projects. Or it could be which client projects you want to pursue. What products you want to develop. It's a framework for really ensuring that What you're doing is aligning with your brand's core values, with the mission and the vision that you have set for your business. And it takes that, um, decision fatigue. It takes that, what is it called? Analysis, paralysis, all of those things. It takes them off the table because you are able to effectively look at your messaging that you've created, that actual brand messaging strategy and say, does this sit with my values? Am I moving my business closer to that vision that I've indicated for myself and my clients by doing this X, Y, Z, whether it's a project or whatever. And as someone who has ADHD, who already struggles with things like decisions and information overwhelm, having a guiding source. You know, my brand messaging is worth so much more to me. Brand messaging in this regard, I would take that over how it influences marketing. Now, those aren't separate. They're not silos. It is both influencing my marketing. As it is influencing me and that internal business decision stuff, but I don't think it gets talked about as often enough. And I think this is, again, where people go so wrong. They invest in these brand messaging guides, which I mean, I actually recommend you do invest in brand messaging guides. I love creating them for my clients, and I love how It actually changes people's businesses once they start using them. But where I see it falter is you're investing a lot of money into a brand messaging guide that is collecting dust in a Google folder, or maybe you've printed it out and just thrown it in a filing cabinet. What? Not a good decision, friends. Not a good decisions. You want your brand messaging guide to very clearly indicate how you are Owning space on the internet, in person, however your business works, and how you run your business. And I just think, you know, as a solo business owner myself, having that guide, it's kind of like having, um, a COO to my CEO. I don't have a person that I can just check in with and say, Hey, uh, Fred, what do you think about this decision? Should I create this project? Nope, Fred doesn't exist. I mean, I'm glad Fred doesn't exist because I like being a woman owned business, but I don't have that, that person who's there. Sure, I have business friends and I am so grateful for the role that they play in my life, but I can reflect back on whatever it is I'm trying to sort out when it comes to being a business owner and my next steps by looking at that mission, by looking at the brand story or the manifesto and saying, Is this right for me? Like, is this really the next step? Or where does this fit in the longevity of my business? So having something out of my head and on a page that helps me gut check these decisions is really key to me and my business personally, which makes me want to talk about. Growth for a second, because I think this is something a lot of people feel anxious about when they are investing in a brand messaging guide or working with a strategist. It's, well, what happens if my business grows? You know, what if the market shifts and suddenly I'm inundated with clients? Or what if my personal interest? shift and I am showing up in a different way in my business. And I would actually like to argue that good brand messaging is what facilitates that growth because it allows your brand to evolve on that, like road you've set for it while maintaining its core identity. So markets do shift. You know, businesses grow, people's interests change, or maybe they develop an expertise in a different way that they had when they originally started their business, and your brand messaging is helping you navigate those changes. You know, you have the ability to stay true to this brand that you have created while shifting slightly. Or more seriously, in the direction of growth versus like, I don't know, like sidestepping or going down a completely different route than you had planned for yourself and your business. And I think just to sum up this section of this episode, I really do just want to. Effective messaging is not about shouting the loudest. I've said this in so many different ways in so many different episodes on different topics. When we say things as a copywriter like, What's your brand personality? or like, Show up with some personality. That does not mean being a Valley Girl. That does not mean And I guess the Valley Girl is reference for the Gen X's and Millennials who are listening. That does not mean saying like, Ohio State. If you are a Gen Alpha or Gen Z, which I can't even imagine any of you are listening. But anyway, you get my point here. It is not about showing up and trying to be the loudest and most obvious person in the room. It's really more just trying to claim the space that you want to take up without having to overshadow anyone else or any other businesses. This is a side story, but I remember one of my girlfriends dated this guy, and it didn't last, but he was such a nice guy. And one thing that he said that stood out to me, and I just thought it meant so much to hear this about my friend, was that he said, you know, when she entered a room She claimed the space in the room without doing anything obvious, like I'm totally butchering what he said, but it was pretty much just like she held her own in a room full of people who were trying to stand out. Because when you do have that brand messaging strategy and you have really developed who this persona or brand character is that that is your business, that's what you're doing. You're claiming that space and you're just showing up as you are, as your business is, and it. Feels good to do that. So we are almost done today. Um, to kind of sum up things, let's just, let's share a couple of tips. I'm not going to get super in depth into how to, you know, develop these brand pillars or kind of build it out into a true brand messaging guide, because we're going to do that in the next two weeks. But Here are some tips to get you started. First, it's really knowing your audience. You want to understand what their needs, desires, pain points are, what their questions may be, and your message really needs to speak to that. Like, what matters to them and how can you reflect that you're the right person to help them with whatever it is that matters to them. Next, it's being authentic. You know, using that example of my friend, like, she wasn't trying to be anyone else. Like, what made her stand out was the fact that she was being herself. Your business can do that. You know, genuineness is way more appealing than it has ever been in the past in this online offline. People are looking for genuineness. So if you start acting like something you're not or something your business isn't, your audience is going to see right through it. And then, you know, I want to bring it back to the earlier. I want you to keep your message simple and clear. If it is too complex, it is very likely to be misunderstood. You know, remember those coffee shop examples. The first coffee shop was a little bit too simple by saying we offer coffee and pastries. Obvious, yes, that is true, but it wasn't hitting what that value is. However, example number two, the coffee shop who is fueling adventures and Sweetening Experiences, or whatever I had said in the example, they're not overdoing it, right? Like, I remembered the key words were fuel and sweeten, and that's just something I made up when I first started talking before, so to be able to remember it now is showing that it's memorable without being overwhelming or complex. You know, this is just really another instance where clarity is beating cleverness every time. Thanks We've covered what brand messaging is, why it's so important for your business, and you know, a few tips on how to craft effective messages. But I just want to reiterate one more time. It is about clearly communicating your value in a way that resonates with your audience. You want to make them feel something, and whatever that something is, it could be curiosity, excitement, trust, even a sense of belonging. You want to make them feel. So if you are eager to learn more about brand messaging, you're in the right place, because next week we're going to be back by copywriter and brand messaging strategist Zoe Callahan from Lexicon CopyCo. She is lovely and super smart. So you're really going to get a lot out of next week episode if you show up. But until then, you know, keep refining your message and remember your brand has a story and it's up to you to make sure that you're telling it and showing it well. Alright, that's it friends. Show up next week and we'll keep talking copy. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Talk Copy to Me. If you enjoyed spending your time with me today, I would be so honored if you could subscribe to the show and leave a review. Want to continue the conversation? Head on over to Instagram and follow me at Erin Ollila. Until next time friends!