We talk about “messaging” a lot around The A Group, in our blog posts and on our podcast. While we understand and value its crucial role and the value it brings to organization’s marketing efforts, sometimes it can feel a little intangible until a client experiences the results of what effective messaging can do for their brand.

When someone visits your website, sees your brand on social media or receives a piece of collateral meant to solicit donations or inform them about mission, it should take less than 7 seconds for him or her to have a good grasp on what it is you do as an organization. If your message is confusing, unclear or too vague (or too granular), there’s a good chance people will quickly bounce to the next thing trying desperately to gain their attention.

So what is messaging?

Brand messaging is the external common language you use to describe your brand to your audiences. While this language can be adapted for certain formats, it should be used as consistently as possible.

There are three key elements of brand messaging that we develop at The A Group:

• Brand Promise: Sometimes called a tagline, this is a short phrase that includes a promise or statement about the value the brand offers its audience. It should be memorable and transferrable.

• Positioning Statement: A one- to two-sentence statement that describes your target audiences, the unique way you serve the market and your unique value promise.

• Overview Statement: Your “elevator pitch” – a longer description of what you do, to be used in marketing materials.

Each of these statements need to be written purposefully and with your audience in mind. If you have yet to identify who exactly your target market is, this should be your first step. You need to understand their motivations, what your audience needs to hear from you and what will activate them to becoming a follower of your brand.

Click here to learn more about identifying your audiences and download a free audience matrix to walk you through this helpful exercise.

Identifying these key messages for your organization can be tough when you’re in the weeds. Keep in mind, you know what your organization does and how you fulfill your mission (down to the tiniest detail). For that reason, it’s easy to unintentionally write this copy in a way that only makes sense if you have more context, neglecting to understand how the brand can be perceived at a glance, and what wording will actually resonate with someone.

If you are interested in having brand messaging developed for your brand, we would love to help. This is one of our favorite services, and after working with nonprofits and ministries for over 18 years, we like to think we’ve got a good handle on the unique needs of these markets. Click here to get in touch with us and to learn more about how we can partner together to help you make a bigger impact.