What Is A Brand Message?
I’ve read that a brand’s message is “the value proposition of the brand that’s conveyed to the target audience.” But Stephen Houraghan’s definition that a brand message is “a set of key messages that shapes the perception you want your audience to have about your brand”, is hands down, my favorite definition.
It's so simple to understand, you can immediately begin identifying messages with that ability if the topic interests you. Yet, when you scan the content of local founders, you can tell they still don’t know what their brand’s message is.
Have you ever heard The Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley say “that’s not a topic for the office of The Prime Minister, I’ll let The Hon. Minister X answer that”? Going back to Mr. Houraghan’s definition of what those key messages do, Mr. Rowley's statement spotlights The Office of The Prime Minister. In other words, if it's a security matter, speak to The Minister of National Security, if it’s a finance matter speak with The Governor of The Central bank, if it’s works and infrastructure speak to The Works Minster and if it’s a legal matter speak with The Attorney General.
So, *you can take control of the rudder and steer those key conversations in the direction you want to go or simply allow the waves (generated by your competitors) to shipwreck you.
What Is A “No Cock N Bull” Brand Message?
A “No Cock N Bull” Brand message is identified by a distinctive quality, people (the competition), who speak about the same things you do, don’t have: a voice.
The voice, (which I have a different perspective on) must have three characteristics to be considered a voice.
It must have a unique tone
It must tell your ideal client why you’re calling them
It must instruct them on a better approach to achieving their goal
To me,*The Voice is like A Northstar: always pointing to the solution you provide for the problem your ideal clients have, throughout the messages you share.
…But I help (X) Do (Y)!
Yeah, I’ve seen locals busting out with the ‘I help (X) Do (Y)' phrase too, which is fine on its face, but as it pertains to my definition of a voice, it doesn't fly!
‘I help (X) Do (Y)’ isn't a listing associated with any well-known brand online. But neither is just a flashy phrase…the voice is always accompanied by the solutions provided and the process supporting it.
That said, even without one, it doesn't mean people can’t be entertained or even inspired by a message or story you share. But my point is without a voice, who remembers that “slow and steady wins the race"?
It's said of Tupac Shakur that despite his rhymes in 1990 being better than average, it wasn’t all that until he thugged it out: gave it a voice. Twenty six years later, his voice, (the thing that differentiated his music from his counterparts when he was alive), is still referenced today.
My…Dogs Know My Voice?
A brand voice is the way you talk to your customers and is defined by your brand's style of communication.
What does that mean in practice?
My brother is a hunter, and he has this call he trained his dogs (who are hunting dogs) to respond to. No matter where they are (and I’ve seen it in action), once they hear his voice, they either take off running towards him, or stand still waiting for him despite other hunters with their dogs being around.
This is how I could define the voice as a call, with its own set of characteristics (not limited to just tone), that to the one being called, it’s distinct from other voices around them.
Inspired one night by John 10 vs 4-5, exhausted by the world's vague, cryptic definition of the voice (and I’m not alone in that feeling), I finally began understanding what it is. 1st Corinthians 14 vs 8 says "if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" Well, you’re not going into battle, but the point is clear. Who shall respond to a Cock N Bull Brand Message? There are no talking points, no voice, so it's only logical the value of the service it represents won't be seen.
It's ‘a call’, and this definition, literally leapfrogged a prospect into a client in the beginning of May 2022, and even up till the beginning of this month, it had my inbox flooded with requests to work with me from local founders.
So, How Do You Find Your Voice
Think about your mission. What is it? What inspires it? Does that mission influence how you execute your services? Who is this service for? Why do they care about what you’re contributing to the industry?
Those questions read simple enough to answer, but simple is hard for most to achieve because (even with someone reminding them of what they are trying to accomplish), specificity is still scary.
One way to know when you're straying from whatever that blueprint looks like are questions that suggest your audience has ‘the wrong story’ (i.e is confused) by your content. If one minute you're a coach for high-end entrepreneurs and the next you're giving DIY tips for small businesses, that’s a sign you're off the message you're sending.
"I generally don't think i can't talk about their problems, it's just flowing from one into the other and to my solution."
Feel like the DIY journey from novice-valley to guru-ville is a cock n bull train ride?
*Bonus: Being Perfect vs. Having Flow
Shake Your Cock N Bull Graphic Designs, my free Facebook group is exclusively for local founders who want to give their most secrete fears about being online a good shaking, so they can venture online with confidence!
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