If you think developing crystal-clear, consistent messaging for your company sounds complicated, we’ve got some big news: You might be right.
Messaging is all about communicating your brand’s story, and that story can be challenging to talk about if people within the organization aren’t on the same page. That’s where a messaging guide comes in to make things simple.
What is a messaging guide?
A messaging guide is a document that provides direction about how to write for a brand. It summarizes a company’s brand foundation, positioning, target audiences, value propositions, voice and tone, key messages, and messaging considerations. Whew. That probably sounds like a lot, but the more detailed a messaging guide is, the more it comes in handy when crafting your next infographic, email, newsletter, or social media post.
A messaging guide serves a few purposes for your company, and we’ll get into those in more detail in a moment. The most important thing you need to know is that a messaging guide helps you communicate your brand consistently and at scale across all your communications.
The benefits of a messaging guide
Messaging guides are jam-packed with helpful recommendations for how to tell your brand’s story. When all those details come together to create a unified communication strategy, your organization benefits from clear and enhanced messaging.
A messaging guide simplifies your communication in a few ways:
- Aligns people across the organization on their shared story
- Breaks down the key elements that define the brand’s identity and personality
- Provides key details about the company’s core audience(s) and brand position
- Defines (or documents) clear guidelines and best practices for your organization’s top communicators
- Connects your brand identity, position, and value proposition to inspiring language that can be used as needed across communications
- Gives you guidelines and language to communicate your brand at scale
How to use your messaging guide
So now that you know what goes into a messaging guide and how it can benefit your organization, it’s time to talk about how to use it. This is the fun part!
Here’s how you can make the most of your messaging:
Pull snippets directly from your messaging guide
We don’t just give you the “theory” about who your brand is and how to think about your messaging. We give you the “practice” with messages you can use, pull from, and repurpose to fit your communication needs. Lemonly messaging guides contain written material you can copy and paste with slight modifications for various situations.
Use it to create visual content
The basic information in a messaging guide contains a ton of concise, easy-to-read information that tells your brand’s story. That information is perfect for an infographic explaining who you are or an About Us page on your website.
Craft messages that speak to your target audiences
Messaging guides help you engage different target audiences by including the most critical information and message(s) you want those audiences to know. Use your messaging guide to arm sales folks with messages related to your audiences’ key barriers and concerns in sales meetings, emails, etc.
Build a complete brand guide
Once your messaging guide is in place, you’re one step closer to having a comprehensive brand guide! Use a messaging guide in conjunction with your brand’s visual identity guidelines to confirm your visual and verbal messages are always in sync.
Turn confusion into clarity with consistent brand messaging
Messaging guides are powerful tools for crafting clear and consistent communication. Creating yours will help you think deeply about your brand, positioning, and personality — AND give you detailed instructions and practical applications to make communication a breeze.
Interested in working with Lemonly to enhance your company’s communication? Let’s talk!
