Ever been scrolling your feed, stumbled on an account with a product or service you’re in the market for, visited their website and thought… “Nah, not for me”? It doesn’t take long to see whether or not a business has what you’re looking for. Nailing your key brand messaging can be the difference between seeming generic or insincere or authentic and totally tuned into your needs.

Here’s how to nail your key brand messaging and keep it real with your audience.

What’s brand messaging, and why does it matter?

Before I tell you how to create brand messaging that makes your ideal customers stop what they’re doing mid-scroll, let’s cover the basics. Like, what’s brand messaging, anyway?

Key brand messaging is the language and value you share in your content. It’s what tells your audience that you get them and how your business can benefit them.

Maybe more than any other aspect of your marketing, your key brand messaging is the thing that helps your business build connections with people. When it’s done well, your brand messaging can be what takes you from seeming like one of those “Meh” businesses to a “Holy shit. I need this” type of deal.

Good brand messaging — the kind that leaves your audience gagging to work with you — is real. It’s authentic and true to who you are and what your business represents.

Need proof? A whopping 82% of Gen Z said they’re more likely to buy from a business that shares relatable content. Plus, 77% of millennials, 75% of Gen X, and 72% of Boomers said the same thing. That’s just about everyone, now, isn’t it?

Moral of the story: Authentic brand messaging isn’t just relatable, it fucking sells.

Nailing your key brand messaging

If I’ve got you having a Nervy B that your brand messaging isn’t cutting it, don’t worry. Here’s where I tell you exactly how to nail your key brand messaging to build a strong connection with your audience.

Get real AF about your business

You can’t create key brand messaging that’s authentic if you aren’t clear on precisely what your business is all about. That’s right. You’ve got to get VERY real about who you are, what you do, and what you want to accomplish.

Getting real about your business starts with knowing your business vision. I know that sounds like some wanky corporate jargon, but stick with me here.

Your business vision is what you ultimately want your business to become. Figuring out your vision means giving some thought to:

Your core beliefs
Your values
Your ethics
Who your target customers are and how you want to serve them
Where you want to take your business in the long run

What does this vision stuff have to do with your key brand messaging? Well, you’ve got to have a solid idea of what you want to achieve in your business if you’re going to tell people why they should care about it… right?

Figure out your unique value proposition

Odds are, you aren’t the only business in your industry trying to sell what you’re selling. You’re probably just one business in a massive crowd clamouring to get your audience’s attention. Your key brand messaging plays a big role in setting you apart from the competition, and your unique value proposition (UVP) is the secret sauce.

Your UVP is a quick statement on what makes your business different from countless competitors. The key word here is value. An impactful UVP doesn’t just say how your products or services are unique but how you provide value to those you want to sell to. You wouldn’t spend heaps of money on something without knowing what it will do for you now, would you?

Not sure what makes your business unique?

Quick pep talk: Not to sound too life coach-y, but there’s only one you. No one else does what you do quite like you do. So, what is it about you that will attract (or repel! The Marmite Test is fine here) your ideal clients?

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s look at different ways your products or services add value for customers. Ways you provide value to your customers might include:

Saving money
Boosting their productivity
Giving them confidence
Providing positive customer experiences

Armed with a killer UVP that emphasises why your business is different from all the other fish in the sea, you can create key brand messaging that helps you stand out.

Get to know your audience

I’ve mentioned your ideal customers and your target audience a bunch of times now. That’s because they should always be on your mind. Sounds kinda stalker-y, but it’s true. They’re the focal point for all of your messaging. And your key brand messaging shouldn’t just target them. It should resonate with them.

Creating buyer personas (or profiles or avatars) is an excellent tactic to get to know your customers and their needs, wants, and pain points. But you’ve gotta go beyond just simple demographics (Mum of 3 living in the home counties isn’t going to cut it here). You need to get inside their heads and know more about them than you do about your best friend after too many vinos and not enough lunch. Understand what motivates and matters to them.

Start by jotting down some notes on your ideal customers’…

Demographic info: Age, gender, location, marital status, etc.)
Values: What’s most important to them at the end of the day?
Challenges: What are their problems or struggles? What’s getting in the way of them getting what they want?
Objections: What might turn them off from buying from you?
Information sources: What podcasts, blogs, magazines, or TV shows do they follow?

Completely blank about how to answer those questions? Pay attention to your audience and start researching them. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Follow them on social media, sign up for their email lists, and pay attention to what they say. Here’s a crazy idea: Reach out and ask them. There are loads of ways you can easily get good intel on your ideal customers.

When you’ve built up a solid persona and have a good idea of who your target audience is, you can tweak your brand messaging to reflect the aspects of your business they’ll be wild about.

Establish your tone of voice

I’m probably biased about this one because I’m a copywriter: but Tone of voice is fucking essential to my work. It’s integral to creating authentic key brand messaging for any business. If you’re not clear on your TOV, your messaging is going to be inconsistent, which is the fastest way to lose trust with your audience. You can’t be showing up speaking like Karen from Accounts one day, and then trying to copy Innocent smoothies the next.

There’s a reason I covered getting to know your target audience before we got to tone of voice. That’s because knowing your audience is the foundation of getting your brand’s tone of voice nailed. Your tone of voice should capture the essence of who your customers are AND the essence of your brand.

When your audience is just getting to know you, you’ve got limited opportunities to not only make an impression but to connect with them. If your key brand messaging doesn't land right, with a tone that resonates with your audience, it’s going to fall flat — and fast. Trying to speak to them without a well-developed voice is like talking to someone without speaking their language. Pretty bonkers.

How do you establish your tone of voice? Start by describing your brand’s personality as if it were a person. It sounds a bit batshit but it works.

Are they serious and analytical? Witty and forthright? Cheeky and light-hearted? Your tone of voice should reflect those qualities.

Now, consider what your business’ brand is not. Flip those qualities to give yourself some guidelines and create consistency with your tone. For example, you might be serious and analytical, but you’re not pretentious or boring. Witty and forthright, but never rude or condescending. Funny and light-hearted, but you know your shit.

With a defined brand voice, you can communicate your key brand messaging in an authentic way that turns heads and leaves your audience wanting more.

Give the people what they want

Got a good idea of what your key brand messaging should be, but need help revving up your copy to get there? I help small businesses create authentic copy that attracts dream clients. Drop me a line to learn how we can work together, whether that’s a website rewrite or setting tone of voice guidelines for your business.