Refresh Your Messaging, Boost Your Sales

As a business owner, there are so many things competing for our audience’s attention - - - not only other businesses - aka competition - but entertainment, family, LIFE.  The messaging you use for your business is meant to capture your audience’s attention.  To hook them and hold them so they become aware and interested in your vision, your values and ultimately, your offers.

Your message isn’t just words strung together.  It’s a feeling.  An experience.  It’s the bridge that connects your audience to your offers and solutions.  A great message will reach your ideal clients’ ears, hearts and minds. There’s an art and a strategy to effective messaging that can elevate your brand and boost your sales.

The Foundation of Effective Messaging

To create impactful messaging it requires a deep understanding of your audience.  Your ideal customers aren’t just demographics - the statistics and outward descriptions that might identify them from others.  They’re unique individuals with shared pain points, desires and aspirations.  If you want to craft a message that truly resonates, you must delve into the psychographics of your audience.

1. Empathy Is Your Superpower

To understand your audience, you need empathy – the ability to step into their shoes and feel what they feel. Psychographics describe the internal motivations of your audience: What are their challenges? What keeps them awake at night? What are their dreams and aspirations? The more intimately you know your audience, the more authentically you can speak to them.

2. Create Detailed Customer Personas

Even though your audience may share certain challenges and goals when it comes to what you specifically offer, you have multiple ideal clients, or segments, of your overall audience.  Identifying WHO makes up your audience is key: what they value, where they hang out, how they search for information or solutions - - - this list can go on and on.  By creating customer profiles, you gather and gain insights that can guide the tone, language and content of your messaging.

3. Speak Their Language

Every brand has a primary love language that can woo their audience.  The most effective messaging resonates because it speaks the language of the audience you’re seeking to attract.  You want to use words and phrases that they use in their daily lives.  You want to choose words that come from their mouths to use in your own messaging so they feel seen and heard.  Avoid industry jargon that could alienate or confuse.  The goal with your messaging is to connect on an emotional level, establishing a rapport that goes beyond a transactional relationship.

Positioning Your Offers

Once you have a better understanding of your audience, your next step is to position your offers in a way that directly addresses the pain points and desires you unearthed and discovered.  Effective positioning is specific messaging that showcases how your product or service is the solution they’ve been searching for.

1. Features vs Benefits

If you’ve been with me for awhile you’ve heard me talk about the distinction about features vs benefits.  While it’s essential to communicate the features of your offers, the real magic happens when you focus on the solutions - the benefits - they provide.  Lead with the benefits, then follow up with features.  Even better?  When you’re describing the features of your offer, tag a benefit onto the end of it.  

For example: 

FEATURE ONLY: Join my 6 month business mastermind that includes 2 coaching sessions and 1 mastermind hot seat session each month.

FEATURE + BENEFIT: Join my game-changing 6 month business mastermind, where each month you receive 2 coaching sessions to elevate your mindset, receive accountability, and organize your goals, plus 1 mastermind hot seat session to gather specific feedback and solutions from the other powerhouse business women you’ll be in community with as you all level up your brands.

Positioning your offers as transformative solutions rather than just a list of features can make all the difference for your business.

2. Show, Don’t Just Tell

People resonate with stories and experiences.  Use real-world examples, case studies and testimonials to demonstrate the tangible impact of your offers.  When potential customers can see the results others have achieved, it builds trust and credibility.

3. Create A Sense of Urgency

Tell your audience why your offer can transform their life and/or business right now.  Tell them why they shouldn’t wait on this.  Always be transparent and truthful, but incorporating a sense of urgency in your message so they understand if it’s a limited-time offer, exclusive access, or a special bonus for early adopters can make all the difference in motivating your audience to act now. 

4. Personalization Is Key

If you’ve discovered multiple ideal clients with unique needs and desires, it’s essential that you create distinct messaging to speak to them and your message doesn’t seem like a one-size-fits-all approach.  This can water down your message, rendering it ineffective.  Personalize your communication to make each segment of your audience feel seen and understood.  The more specific you can make it, the more relatable and resonant your message will be.

The Art of Storytelling

At the heart of effective messaging lies the art of storytelling.  Humans are wired to connect through stories, to remember stories, and to pass on stories, making them a powerful tool for businesses looking to engage their audience.

1. Create A Compelling Brand Story

Your brand story is the foundation of your messaging.  Share the journey of your brand, the challenges you’ve overcome, and the values that drive you.  A compelling story creates an emotional connection, moving your audience, and making your brand more relatable and memorable.

2. Narrative Arc for Offers

Position your offers using the principles of storytelling to talk about each of your offers.  This includes creating a narrative arc that introduces the problem, presents your product or serve as the hero (aka solution), and concludes with the transformative impact it brings.  This structure can engage your audience and captivate their attention.

3. Visual Storytelling

Never underestimate the power of visuals in storytelling.  Why do you think video has been king for so long?  People love watching videos, but they also love seeing images and graphics that appeal.  You want to have visuals that align with your overall brand strategy, what you’re known for, creating a cohesive experience so your audience can always identify your brand easily.  Visuals can make your message more shareable, too, so elevating both these storytelling strategies is essential.

Ready To Amplify Your Messaging for 2024?

Introducing the 2024 Message Refresh - a personalized 90 minute strategy session with Brand & Messaging Strategist, Hilary Hartling, to refine your messaging, captivate your audience and align with your business goals.   New Year, new messaging!

Let’s create taglines, redefine content pillars and refresh your promotional messaging that attract your ideal clients to your offers.  Check out all the details here for your 2024 Message Refresh.