Key Messaging 101

Copywriting / 25 Nov 2021

Clear, concise, consistent messaging that sums up exactly who you are and what you do requires curiosity and objectivity in equal measure. That’s one of the many benefits of working with a professional copywriter. An inquisitive mind is a role requirement. Asking the right questions to get to the nitty-gritty of what your prospects care about is all part of the copywriting service.

It’s fundamental to get your key messages right because they shape what your ideal clients think about your business and determine whether or not they take action.

Key messaging that’s bang-on is the difference between a successful conversion and a missed opportunity.

Defining Key Messages: Where to Begin

At times, proximity to your business can be a curse. Constructing key messaging is one of them. Your detailed knowledge is impossible to switch off, sometimes blurring the lines between what you want to communicate and what your audience needs to know.

When constructing your key messaging, it helps to go back to basics. Your company values and your USP are logical places to start. They’re the foundational principles that guide your overall business objectives, culture, and strategic direction.

Understanding Key Messages: Rules of Thumb

Key messaging has one job, to engage your audience, spurring them into action. Messages that convert share 3 common traits – they’re clear, consistent, and convincing.

1. Key Messages Must be Clear and Concise

When it comes to core messaging, less is definitely more. Simple language is memorable and easy to understand, and you retain more control over what your audience ‘sees’ and ‘hears’. Concise messaging minus the fluff leaves less room for assumptions, misunderstandings, and selective interpretations.

Questions to ask yourself when constructing your messaging include:

•     Have we defined what the business does and what we’re about?
•     Have we differentiated ourselves from our competition?
•     Does our messaging align with our business vision, values, and tone of voice?
  

2. Key Messages Must be Consistent

Your core values and business objectives guide your key messages as they reflect how you do business.

Just as important is whom you do business with, AKA your target client. You’re in real trouble if your messaging misses the mark with your target audience. Always ensure it speaks to their pain points and self-interest.

Your key messaging should always embody your brand, not any brand or a particular competitor whose style you admire. Authenticity is a buzzword right now, but the point remains that prospects perceive a consistent brand as a credible one.

In essence, your key messages must characterise your brand and be consistent with your brand image wherever you are, both online and in real life. Consistency creates familiarity. Familiarity builds trust. Trust forms the beginning of every prosperous relationship.

3. Key Messages Must Convince

The function of compelling copywriting is to convince someone to take a specific action ranging from reading more or getting in touch to the highly coveted ‘buy now’.

Your key messages should be like a catnip to your ideal client. Appeal to their emotions (usually pain or frustration), and provide a quick, convenient solution to their pressing problems.

To tick all the right boxes, it’s imperative that you know your ideal clients inside out, upside down, and back to front. Market research has a crucial role to play in this process.

Influential messaging works because it demonstrates empathy, relatability and has a sense of urgency to inspire immediate action.

When done right, it secures your rightful place as the agency of choice for your ideal client.

Want to Stand Out From the Crowd?

With so much choice out there, your agency’s key messages must be more than words on a page, a slogan on a website, or a scripted statement.

Your key messaging is the golden thread running through your business from its foundations to the front lines. It must perfectly encapsulate what makes you, you.

As it happens, our agency is renowned for its darn-tootin’ digital marketing, wonderful white label copywriting services, and stellar SEO strategy. Our collective zones of genius mean we’re uniquely equipped to support you with all your white label digital marketing needs.

Give us a call today to find out how we can help your agency grow.