Are you feeling overwhelmed by all your business messaging floating around in your head? Wish you could write it down and look at it whenever you need? In this blog post, I’m teaching you the importance of creating a brand messaging framework, walking you through how to put yours together, and showing you how to use it to elevate your brand and copy.

Photo by Vlada Karpovich

You ever buy a new piece of furniture and experience *immediate* regret when you see the overwhelming and confusing instructions to put it together?

Ever received instructions that weren’t in the language you speak?

Or worse…ever receive no instructions at all?

😬

This is what it’s like to sit down and write your website copy without a plan.

You stare at the page with no idea how to get started until you decide you can’t do it—and the work doesn’t get done.

This is why it’s so important to understand the basic components of the message you want to share with your audience before you sit down and bring it to life.

Because if you show up without knowing who you want to talk to, what you want to say, and why it matters them, the process is going to be 10x harder than it needs to be and you’re going to get stuck.

It’s like putting the cart before the horse. You can’t write what you don’t know, just like the cart can’t move on its own.

The plan I’m talking about here is your brand messaging framework—and it’s basically equivalent to the set of instructions that come with your furniture.

You’ll have a tough time writing your copy if you don’t have guidelines to follow or you haven’t taken the time to make sense of all the marketing ideas floating around in your head.

But Val, how do I come up with my brand messaging framework? What should I even include? And how do I use it when I’m done?

I’m answering all these questions and more for you here in this blog post—so grab your coffee, a pen and paper, a blanket, and your dog and get comfy.

What is brand messaging anyway?

Your brand messaging is how you communicate the

• Who
• What
• Where
• When
• Why and
• How

of your business with your audience.

It’s all of your marketing ideas, messages, and phrases strategically placed to explain what your business is and how it works.

And you might be thinking, But I already know all of this information. It’s right there in my brain. Why do I need to write it down?

Because you might have an idea of your brand messaging, but until you write it down, analyze it, play with it, and position it to strategically support your business, you’ll never be able to take advantage of the power it has to help you grow—and writing your copy will always feel like pulling teeth.

Developing your brand messaging framework will allow you to

1. Always be clear on what to say and how to say it
2. Understand what pieces of your messaging you need to incorporate to sell your offers
3. Remain consistent in your copy and voice across all your marketing channels

Imagine how much easier your life would be if you could experience all that! 😍

What to include in your brand messaging framework

OK, Val, I’m following you. I get why I want to make sense of my marketing and I see the value in finalizing my message. But I have no idea where to start. What do I need to get clear on and include in my brand messaging framework?

Let’s break it down, my friend. I’m going to walk you through the fundamental components of your brand messaging framework, share some questions you should ask yourself when developing them, and show you some examples to help guide you.

Your Story

Your audience wants to know who you are, why you’re here, and what qualifies you to serve them, especially if you’re a personal brand. That’s why it’s so important to know your story—so you can use it to build connections, trust, and expertise with your people.

Some questions I love to ask my clients to write their story include:

• Who are you and why did you start your business?
• How does your experience relate to your ideal client’s experience?
• What’s the story behind your business name?
• What qualifies you to serve your ideal client?

Mission and Vision Statement

I know you started your business for a reason other than being your own boss or making extra income. You chose to put all this work in because you want to make some kind of change in the world—and you’re your mission and vision statements describe exactly this.

Your mission is the impact you’d like to make in your circle of clients and collaborators.

And your vision is the impact you’d like your mission to make on the world.

Here are some questions I ask my clients to help them figure out their mission and vision statements:

• What are you hoping to achieve with your business?
• What kind of change do you want to make in the world?
• How do you plan to leave the people you serve better than you found them?

Unique Value Proposition

Your unique value proposition describes what makes you different and shares your take on the problem you solve in your industry. It explains why you’re different from the nutritionist/VA/social media manager/wedding planner down the block and creates opportunity for your ideal clients to connect specifically with you.

I ask my clients the following questions to help them uncover their unique value proposition:

• What makes you different in your industry?
• What problem did you notice that you felt you could solve? Why?
• What do you want to be known for when people think of you?
• What is it about your process and the results you create that matters?

Brand Values

Your brand values are the morals and viewpoints your business supports and operates on. And they’re an especially great tool to attract the type of person you want to work with. Not only do they help you connect with your audience, but they also set boundaries and expectations. Your prospective clients will know what kind of experience they can expect to go through with you based on how you view the world and your work.

To uncover your brand values, think about how you would answer the following questions:

• What do you stand for?
• What ideals and morals guide the way you do business?
• How are these values built into the work you do?

Service Overview

If you don’t have a clear understanding of your services, who they’re for, and how they work, your audience won’t either. I always recommend creating messaging around each service you offer (if you have more than one) so you know how to explain them clearly and concisely to your prospects.

You should know the answers to these questions to create a clear service overview:

• What do you do?
• Who is it for?
• Who is it not for?
• How does it work?
• Are there any prerequisites required to participate in this service?
• What price point should the ideal client be able to meet?

Transformation Overview

I would argue that your transformation overview is the most important part of your brand messaging framework. Because people don’t hire you because of your position or your credentials. They hire you because you can produce a desired result. You should be able to tell your ideal client what’s in it for them when they choose to invest. That’s what’s going to move them into action and get them spending their money with you.

To explain your transformation, you’ll want to answer the following questions:

• What value do your services bring to the people who hire you?
• What does their life look like before they started working with you?
• What does it look like when they are finished?
• How does that transition make them feel?

Sample Client Profile

You need to know who you’re selling to if you want your copy to bring you any results! What does the ideal client for your business look like? If you want to attract them to your business with your message and promise of transformation, you’ve certainly got to know who they are.

To determine that, I’d answer these questions:

• Who do you want to serve?
• What is this person struggling with right now?
• What does this person really want?
• What does this person value?
• Why might this person decide not to hire you?
• What beliefs might be holding them back from taking the next step?
• What have they tried before that didn’t work?

Brand Voice Overview

What you say and how you say it is going to help attract the right people to your business and also repel those who aren’t a good fit. Think of your brand voice like your brand’s personality. It determines how approachable you are and what kind of relationship your prospective clients can expect to have with you during your work together.

Some questions to consider that will help you determine your brand voice:

• How do you want your brand to sound?
• How do you want to make people feel?
• What kind of language do you use and avoid?
• How fast do you speak?
• What kind of relationship can your ideal client expect to have with you?

Putting your brand messaging framework to work

Now that you’ve outline the basic components of your messaging, you can put it to work for your business with copy that clearly and consistently communicates the right information at the right time to your audience.

Not only can  you use your brand messaging framework to write your website copy, your welcome sequence and sales emails, and your sales pages, but you can also use it to create your:

• Instagram bio
• Instagram highlights
• Email signature
• Cold pitch template for PR and speaking opportunities
• Tagline or slogan
• Project proposals, invoices, or on/offboarding forms

Think about all the touchpoints you have with your current and prospective clients and how you communicate with them. Does your copy really represent you, your brand, and your business?

If not, go back to your brand messaging framework and see how you can spruce up your language to be more aligned with the business you’ve worked so hard to build.

It’ll make a huge difference in how you’re perceived and how well your audience understands and remembers who you are, what you do, and why it’s important.

Questions? Want me to do all this work for you like I did for this client—or this one? Brand Messaging and Voice Guides are complementary with all my website copy projects, and I do offer them as a stand alone service.

Reach out to me on Instagram, send me an email, or fill out my inquiry form and we can get started on your copy project ASAP!