Do you Have a MessageMap?
One of the most important elements in any marketing strategy is messaging. And yet, this is where many small businesses and entrepreneurs fall short, they don’t create a strategy for what their messaging should be. Most of them believe they know what their product is and so assume that they can adequately talk about it in any situation. And although they do know those things, the problem lies in the fact of not having a strategy can often have you rewriting your messaging on a regular basis. This can prove confusing in the marketplace.
Entrepreneurs that want to be highly effective communicators about their brand and their products know that they must have a strategy for how that communication will be handled.
At AMI we call this a MessageMap.
Terrain
You need to clearly define what problem or concern that your target audience has. This lets you know what kind of terrain you must cover to show them that your brand or product provides a solution. It’s the question you plan to provide the answer for. This doesn’t have to be a complicated explanation of the problem. You just need to do it in such a way that’s concise and easy to understand for not only yourself but for anyone else you will communicate with about your brand or product.
Vehicle
Whenever starting out on a journey you always need to know your mode of transportation. In terms of your MessageMap, we are referring to the style and tone you are going to use when communicating. Some brands and products warrant using a knowledgeable tone, others an authoritative tone, while some call for a playful tone. If you know this going in all the rest gets easier. It is important to note that the same brand or product may use different styles and tones with different target audiences.
Base Camp
Before you start any journey you need to be to build a base camp from which to operate. When it comes to a MessageMap this base camp is your central story. It’s the story of what your brand or product is? What is it trying to achieve? How it solves the target audience’s problem? Your central story should not only resonate with your target audience but provide a solid foundation on which to base all your communications with your target audience. Until you have a good, solid base camp you are not ready to set out on your journey.
Trail Markers
Along the way on this journey you will need to have trail markers so that you know you’re headed in the right direction. In the case of your MessageMap, these are the supporting points of your central story. These are the other things you can say that help show how your central story is accurate. These should be short and easy to remember. You can think of them as sound bites.
Destination
Every journey needs a destination. And in the case of your MessageMap, this is the mindset you want to create with your target audience. What do you want the end result to be off all the things you are going to tell them? What do you want them to do, believe, or think after hearing your messaging of how your product or brand solves their problem?
Put Your MessageMap to Use
Now we are going talk about what happens after you have a MessageMap. How do you use it and how can it transform the way you talk to your target audience? The simple answer to those questions is you use your MessageMap each and every time you communicate about your brand or product. Your MessageMap becomes the basis for all your interactions with clients and potential clients. You do want to learn it. You do want to make it apart of how you communicate about your brand or product.