Brand 101: How to Craft Brand Messaging that Achieves Results
Your Brand is a Person Too – Here's How to Make Sure It’s Saying the Right Things.
Building a successful company starts with having something unique to offer - and then effectively communicating that uniqueness to your audience.
Over the past decade, I’ve worked with many companies that had a strong product-market fit but failed to thrive because they couldn’t articulate what set them apart.
On the flip side, I've seen startups rush straight into visual branding—paying hefty fees for a slick logo and a polished website—without first defining the messaging that truly communicates their value.
So, how do you begin creating a messaging framework that’s not only clear and consistent but also memorable and compelling to your audience? That’s what we’ll cover here with seven simple steps.
This is a three-part series: the next two articles will cover internal brand messaging, and how it translates into your culture, and personal or employee branding.
Before We Get Started
Before we get started, if you’re reading this, I’m going to assume that you’ve already done your competitor analysis. If you haven’t, then hit pause and do that first. You won’t be able to build a strong messaging framework and define how you’re different if you don’t know what you’re differentiating from.
Step 1: Vision (The Why)
Your vision is the northern star of your entire brand and the bold prediction or answer to the question of how would the world be different if you were successful.
Ask yourself, how will you know if you’ve succeeded and what change do you hope to bring to the world?
For example, if you’re an energy startup, it might be: “to create a world where every person has access to clean, renewable energy.”
Your vision isn’t just a lofty idea; it’s a statement of your ambition. It's what fuels you. Keep it big, aspirational, and inspiring.
Step 2: Mission (The How to Your Why)
Once you know your vision, it’s time to verbalize how you're going to make that vision a reality. This is your mission: your tactical approach to solving the problem you've set out to solve.
Think of the mission as a one-sentence summary of your strategy and make sure it’s clear, direct, and actionable. This is not your business plan but a simple answer to the question: and how are you going to do that?
Your mission should give a clear roadmap of what you're doing today to bring your vision to life. Make it specific, but not limiting.
Step 3: The Core Pillars (What Does Your Brand Stand For?)
Your core pillars are the building blocks of your brand. These represent what you stand for - your values, principles, and differentiators. They should guide not only your messaging but also how you act as a company, and how you create and deliver value. It’s possibly the most important aspect of your messaging framework so spend some time here.
Once you’ve defined your core pillars, make sure they’re aligned with your vision and mission. They should feel authentic, actionable, and focused on what makes your company stand out.
Note that you might take a couple of laps in this roundabout, jumping from vision to mission to core pillars, and back, back again.
Step 4: Back Up Your Claims
Here’s where things get real. Once you’ve established your core pillars, it’s time to back them up with proof points. Real-world examples of how you’re walking the walk.
For each core pillar, write down three proof points that show you’re delivering on your promises. These could be metrics, case studies, testimonials, or specific actions you’ve taken to demonstrate your commitment. The more concrete and measurable these proof points are, the better.
For example:
Core Pillar: Sustainability
Proof Point 1: our products are made from 100% recycled materials.
Proof Point 2: we reduced our carbon footprint by 30% last year through sustainable manufacturing practices.
Proof Point 3: we’ve planted 10,000 trees through our reforestation program in the last 12 months.
These proof points become your key differentiators when people ask, "What makes you different?" And don’t be afraid to use data. Numbers and stats add credibility, which is vital for building trust.
Step 5: Audience (Speak Their Language)
You can’t build effective messaging without understanding who you’re speaking to.
Start by identifying who your audiences are - are they consumers? businesses? If you’re in VC, your audience will likely be fellow investors, founders, and limited partners.
Once you’ve identified them, you need to understand them - how do they best consume content, where are they, and how long is their connection cycle? The answers to these questions will vary if it’s a first-time founder or an LP, and the more you understand about these groups, the easier it will be to craft messaging that resonates with them.
Once you’ve outlined your audiences, create buyer personas to dive even deeper into their motivations, pain points, and preferences, and understand the semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers/members.
There are plenty of great resources to help you build these personas, like HubSpot’s Persona Template.
Understanding your audience inside and out will help you craft messaging that’s specific, compelling, and resonates deeply with them.
Note: as a small team, it can be challenging to speak equally to all audiences all the time. Decide which one is your ‘driving audience’ that quarter or year and let that be your focus. For example, if it’s a fundraising year, then you might focus more on producing white papers and valuable newsletters for LPs, whereas your first year in a new fund might be to produce value-adding content and thesis work for potential founders (another VC example).
Step 6: Tone of Voice (Create Your ‘Personality’)
Now that you’ve defined who you are and who you're speaking to, let’s talk about how you speak. Your tone of voice is crucial in shaping the perception of your brand. It’s not just about what you say, but how you say it.
However, tone of voice doesn’t just involve word choice or style. It’s also about language decisions. Will you be communicating in English or another language? If you choose English, will it be in American English or British English?
Making this decision might seem trivial, but it’s an important step that can impact your brand’s personality and perception. Here's why:
American English tends to be more casual and approachable, using contractions more often and favouring simpler language.
British English might come across as more formal, precise, and polished.
Your choice will influence the prosody (the rhythm, stress, and intonation) of your message. For instance, a British English tone might convey a sense of sophistication, while an American tone could be seen as more laid-back and friendly. The key is to pick one and be consistent.
Step 7: If You Want to Go Further
Once you’ve nailed the essentials - vision, mission, audience, core pillars, proof points, and tone of voice - there are a few extra elements you can consider to strengthen your brand, like tagline (Just Do It), brand promised (when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight), or jingle (Nationwide is on your side).
However, if you're in the early stages, these may not be necessary yet. Focus on your core messaging first. Once you’ve mastered that, then think about adding these elements to elevate your brand.
I have seen too many early-stage startups make a tagline before they’ve earned it. As an ‘unknown’, you need to focus on the affiliation between the company brand and vision/mission, not the logo and tagline.
Last Note: Your Brand Messaging is not About You
Many people think that creating brand messaging comes from locking yourself in a room with post-its and brainstorming ideas. It’s not. Talk to your audience.
Ask your network, your customers, and your team to tell you how they perceive your brand.
Sit down with your employees and ask them to give you their elevator pitch about the company. What’s your vision and mission?
Then do the same with external audiences and make sure your internal messaging matches the way you present yourself to the outside world.
That’s part one in a nutshell and you’re done for now! But here’s a final note. Remember my favourite saying: if a tree falls in the woods, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Your brand won’t grow if you don’t communicate it. So now that you have your one-pager with your messaging framework, then use it consistently and get it out there. Your brand is only as strong as the voice you give it.