2022 | Best Way to Come Up with a Brand Message
Many people that jump into coming up with a brand, really don't realize the game they are about to come into. I was in that same boat and still am learning constantly how stay consistent.
One thing that will always keep you consistent however; is for your customers and people that may possibly want to network with you is, your brand message 100%!
The important thing is, is that you're here. As I said, many brands don't even have a brand message surprisingly. Which is scary. This is part of your identity and should be what you stand for.
If no one knows what you stand for, what really makes you stand out?
Did you know, from an article done by Maryam Moshin back in 2020, stated that 86% of consumers agreed authenticity is a key factor in deciding whether they want to support a brand or not.
What's even more scary, but is good for you, if you take advantage. Is 57% of consumers think that less than half of brands create authentic content!
That was done by research done by Stackla, back in 2019. Could you imagine what that means now in 2022?!
And yes, a brand message is most certainly content!
Coming up with a brand message is just as, and is if not the most important thing a business of any sorts needs.
If you don't know what a brand message is or if you are struggling to figure out how you can come up with one. You came to the right place!
Below is what we will go over.
Table of Contents
1. What is a brand message
2. Why is a brand message important
3. How you can create your brand message
4. Identity (Who are you?)
5. Business Model (What do you do?)
6. Representation (Who do you do it for?)
So, without any hesitation, lets get into it!
One: What is a Brand Message?
A brand message is simply: What your brand stands for, and what do you want your audience to know about your brand.
Brand messages shouldn't be an essay long, nor should they really even be a page long. I made this mistake when coming up with my brand. My message was three pages long and it was enough to give a whole presentation. No customer or consumer is wanting to read all that.
However; By me making an essay long brand message, I was able to dissect and come up with a shorter version.
Brand messages length can be a couple sentences to about a 1/4-1/2 page long. It's all about how you want to deliver it.
If you need inspiration on how to come up with your message. It's more simpler than you think.
Just look at Nike's brand message, Adidas, or even Puma. They all are very simple and are unique to each other. If you need even more inspiration, look at brands that aren't billion dollar corporations like, Alphalete, or VQ Fit.
What every brand message should include:
A brand message should always be unique, define your audience, and if you really want to stand out, add your brand values in them. I suggest having 3-4 values
Heres a short example (Fictional): "Love | Laugh | Live is a t-shirt brand that brings optimism to the world that supports people that go through depression, have delt with loss, feel struggle, and want to come out of it"
Values - "Love | Laugh | Live"
Unique - "brings optimism (a feeling), and paints a picture of what the product could bring"
Define an audience - "People that go through depression, have delt with loss, feels struggle, and wants to come out of it"
Two: Why a Brand Message is Important
This should be easy to realize if you simply read what was above as well. But, why it's important is simply because of one question.
"Why do you buy anything from any company?"
People buy from Apple because consistently they have talked about how it will help teachers, it could help students, how the new innovations will help businesses thrive from architecture, to graphic design and many more things.
People buy from Puma because it represents being the fastest. Thats why they sponsor so many racing teams. From representing Fifa to representing the top F1 racing teams. Thats what makes people want to buy them.
A brand message is your brands belief. Without it, there is no reason to support it.
Three: How Can You Create a Brand Message?
Creating a brand message is easier than you think, once you know what you are looking for.
Again, ask yourself these questions to help you figure out if you think this brand can become something.
1. Is my brand unique?
2. What values does my brand represent? (3-4)
3. What is my audience
The awesome thing about answering these questions is, you don't have to just sell clothing. You can use this to sell pretty much anything.
For me personally, I worked backwards. Before I decided I wanted to start a clothing brand, I knew why I wanted to start a business in the first place.
My message was actually one of the first things I came up with.
Now, these last three tips is how you can quickly find out if your brand is strong enough.
Four: Identity (Who are you?)
When I say, "Who are you?". I don't mean what is your name. I mean what is your company called. This is how you find out if it sounds good once you speak it out loud.
The cool thing is about your company/ brand name. Is that it doesn't always have to be related to what you are selling. It could be your initials with the name "apparel behind it"
Example: DJ Apparel, CDL Lifestyle, DQM Athliesure
Honestly, I came up with "Stage One Athletics" Because I loved cars, I loved fitness, and the name resonated with the pain I felt from my past. That I know many of you, and others felt whenever they dove into starting any passion project.
The answer is always much simpler than it seems.
Five: Business Model (What do you do?)
This is basically what it sounds like. Do you do printing? Do you sell clothing? Are you a manufacture?
Another thing to add to this that you could do, is what makes you stand out by what you do.
You can honestly use something someone else does thats unique, but that isn't used everywhere.
For another short example (Fictional): "Better at the Beach is a vacation wholesale brand that makes ethnical beachwear for businesses that represent saving the ocean"
What made them different is that they use "Ethnical" right in their quick brand message. Many other brands are ethnical, same as a lot of wholesalers. However; by using that one word, makes you stand out better than the brands that don't use it at all.
Fun fact: If you are representing different ways to save the environment. You could potentially have a non-profit that is into what you stand for and wants to partner with you!
Six: Representation (Who do you do it for?)
Your audience is what this is all about! Once you figure out who you are and what you do. It's now time to define who your audience is.
Once you figure out your audience, it gets a whole lot easier. Mainly because you aren't going after random people. Now you have people that will most likely, believe what you believe and will want to support!
If you are like me, I started to find my audience by finding out who I was as a person. I went after like-minded people since my brand came from a lot of personal experiences. You may not be in the same boat however.
If you want to see an example of my brand message. Click this link for an example of what you could do. Link
I believe finding your audience is the hardest part of this. Mainly because it takes the "You" out of the business and turns into a "We".
You have to think selfless to figure this out. No secret will get you this answer.
Conclusion:
To see if my brand will stand out, you must answer these.
1. Is my brand unique?
2. What are my brand values? (3-4)
3. What is my audience?
To find out my brand message, you must have these.
1. Identity (Who are you?)
2. Business Model (What do you do?)
3. Represenation (Who do you do it for?)
How long should it my message be?
A couple sentences - 1/2 a page long.
If you loved these tips, and want to support me:
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Derrick Jones
Derrick Jones
