(Guest post by Kayla Brown, Intern)
Good communicators don’t just wing it! When you have a concise, powerful idea of what you want to say about your company or product, your audiences are more likely to be engaged, more likely to understand you and more likely to remember you. In order for that to happen it is imperative to take the time to prepare and develop strong key messages.
What Are Key Messages?
Simply put, they describe how and why you exist as a company. The goal is to have your audiences understand the same basic message. Well-crafted messages should be tailored to the specific audience and also support your mission, explain what your company is aiming for and include a call to action.
One way to think of it is, what are the main points you want your audiences to remember?
To Be Effective, Key Messages Should Be:
- Few in number, usually three or four;
- Simple, short and concise;
- Compelling and believable;
- Focused on one idea each; and
- Written down and practiced.
How to Create Strong Key Messages:
Remember the “Who”: Think about who you want to receive your message, and what’s important or of interest to them?
Do You Have Data on That?: Use brief, credible, easy-to-understand facts with figures and statistics to back them up.
Test It Out: Your key messages do not flow off the tongue easily, rework them.
In a nutshell, you should start any form of communication with your key messages, return to them throughout, and then summarize them at the end.
Key Message Examples:
Social Media Company:
- Foursquare turns your life into a game.
- Foursquare helps you discover new places.
- Foursquare lets you make the most of where you are.
Technology Company:
- 3M is a diversified technology company.
- 3M applies innovation systematically to anticipate and respond to customer needs.
- 3M is a global company with local presence throughout the world.
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