Let’s test your messaging with a Corporate Messaging Matrix

In a world of fast pace, fast sell and multiple touch points, if you cannot get my interest you are not going to get my dollar. Is that true for everyone? Of course there are exceptions to every rule but it certainly warrants a look as it may apply to your business.

I recently decided to not work with a potential client. (Insert GASP Here). It would have been a great prosperous contract and great business hoodpay to submerse myself into. Am I crazy? Why would I turn down a sustainable revenue stream? The answer is simple but maybe surprising to you. They could not tell me why they were interesting or even understand what I meant by interesting. They wanted a quick fix in tough times without evaluating how they got to the tough times through their mind numbing messaging. As I examined their online messaging before the meeting I knew I was in for some confrontation.

“XYZ is the market leader for software and hardware across multiple industries in mobile data compilation.” What? What does that even mean? Sadly, redribbonlive you can insert any company name in that statement and it will be accurate. You can blush now as you bring up your webpage and see your own version of anti-WOW opening line. The good news is you are definitely not alone and it is not too late to fix it.

You probably learned the words “elevator pitch” years ago. You may even have considered yourself a master at it. In your own mind it sounds FANTASTIC. You try it out at parties and people nod their heads, smile and say, “Wow.. that sounds interesting.” Translation, “WOW, I have no idea what he just said, where’s the bar?”

Technology companies are not the only offenders of the “over my head elevator pitch”. In an effort to sound worldly, accomplished, successful or sometimes just real, we forget ristomanager what our audience really wants is to simply understand you and how you can make their world better. The combination of the safe that holds the gold is not that hard to crack – Be Authentic. Be Interesting. Be Relevant. Connect.

I challenge you to take the time either on your own or with your company executives and complete a corporate messaging matrix. What is a messaging matrix? Simply you are going to create a chart something like what is shown in figure 1.0. In that chart you are going to decide what your messages are RIGHT NOW. No cheating and coming up with new ones. Derived from your website, brochures, online media, even your invoices, assemble your messages. Now walk away for one week. No more, no less. In that week you are going to talk, examine and maybe even do a little research on your target market audience. Look at who they are (today, not when you started the company), what they are looking for, corporate personality traits, etc. Write it all down.

One week later, reassemble and compare your MATRIX CRACK messaging to that of your market. My guess is that 9/10 of you will see two common trends.

1. You are talking way too much about yourselves and never even mention the customer challenges, needs and even victories
2. You are talking way above, around and maybe even below your market’s head.

We can look at ANY market and understand that what they want is the goods/services that will help them to succeed, solve or identify problems or even just exist – hey we all need tools to be great.

The last step in this is to rework your messaging to your market and audience. But in reworking it, be INTERESTING. Do not fall in the trap of trying to sound big and corporate. Connect with your audience. On your website, it should be written as though you are having a cup of coffee with a prospect or client. Be honest and real. And please, please do not start your landing page by telling me that you are the market leader in XYZ for ABC. I don’t care and neither will your audience. Catch me off guard and engage me.

Now take your new messaging matrix and incorporate it everywhere that you can. Be consistent, be determined and be flexible. Messages are meant to be tested before you get a winner. They are not messages that will work forever and so this little exercise will have to be repeated and messages challenged at a minimum every year.

In closing, have FUN with it. Be creative in how you are going to stand out, relatable and reliable to uphold your messages. They are more than words, they are corporate promises. I pinky swear!

	 Company	 Product	 Services	 Market

Message 1

Message 2

Message 3

Message 4

IMPACT Message

CLOSING Message

Are you looking for a little help with your messaging? Contact Word Design Ink and we will help you through the process! Let’s start creating the conversations you need to be successful!

Tanya Miller is the founder and CEO of Word Design Ink. After spending her career as a marketer for many high tech organizations, Tanya decided to branch out and start a different kind of marketing agency, a marketing un-agency. Identifying a need for organizations to be able to engage a marketing department quickly, Tanya helps companies that need to:

– Expand their marketing department

– Add resources quickly for high volume seasons

– Create a full marketing program when in start up phases.