Your brand's core message… it's kind of a big deal. If you don't have the following components defined, written down, institutionalized in your processes, and known by your entire company, not to worry. You know where you need to start or re-visit. 

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I cannot emphasize strongly enough… You MUST define your core message. 

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This process takes time, maybe you book a day by yourself in the mountains, or an offsite with your leadership team to get the creative juices flowing. But this is the fun part. Defining what your brand is all about!! Below are the critical components that make up your core message: 

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1. Mission:

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When your purpose is clear, you won’t be able to tell what industry you’re in. Why does your organization exist? Your mission should be stated in three to seven words, be big and bold, create excitement, and come from the heart. It is not about money and it is bigger than a goal.

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EXAMPLES: 

Cunningham/Limp: Customer delight 

McKinley: To enrich the quality of life in our communities 

Image One: To build a great company, with great people, and great results 

Schechter Wealth Strategies: To create lifelong relationships and raving fans 

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2. Niche:

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Your niche should be simple and be a filtering mechanism for you and your team to make decisions as you move forward. This is the “what” you do. Do one thing and do it better than anyone. Unlike your mission that is not industry specific, your niche should be specific to your industry.

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EXAMPLES: 

Autumn Associates: Creating the right program with right coverage for the right clients 

Orville Redenbacher: Popcorn

Atlas Oil Company: Moving gallons 

Image One: Simplifying companies' printing environments 

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3. Values:

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Your organization’s values are a small set of timeless and guiding principles for your company that should excite and energize you. Without your core values clearly defined, your organization can lack clarity which hinders growth. You should be able to hire and fire against your team’s shared values. You should have three to seven values and as always, less is more. QUESTION: CAN YOU LINK A PDF DOCUMENT?

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EXAMPLES: 

Can do attitude

Open and honest

Passion for the brand

Humility 

A complete "WOW" experience for customers 

Integrity 

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4. Target Market:

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Identifying your target market involves defining your ideal clients. Who are they? Where are they? What do they care about? What do they want? You need to know their demographic, geographic, and psychographic characteristics. Once you know your target market, all sales and marketing efforts should be directly focused on speaking to these groups. I suggest having no more than 3 target markets per brand or offering. 

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5. Proven Process:

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There is a way you provide your product service to your clients. You do it every time, and it produces the same result. Your Proven Process should be captured and communicated to your sales team, and it must have a name, and it must be documented and institutionalized in your operations. There are typically three to seven steps in your Proven Process. Think of this as your Client Experience. 

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6. Competitive Advantage:

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What is your secret sauce? That thing about you, the way you do it, that nobody else in your industry has? If you are struggling to know what this is, my best tip is to ask your top clients. They are the best people to tell you why they work with you and stay with you. Your competitive advantage should be the top 3 things about your company that make you  unique and different. A great exercise to doing this is a SWOT (Identify your company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats). 

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Once you have all of these crucial elements defined, it's time to document them and write them down. Make sure these foundational elements are weaved into all of your marketing communications and storytelling. The goal is for your team should know all of these without needing to reference the document. 

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Last but not least, set a month every year for your leadership team to audit your Core Message to make sure it is always current and relevant (I like to audit the brand in September, right before the crazy Q4). It likely won't change drastically, but I promise you it will evolve! 

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And, most importantly, have fun in the process! 

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Sources: Traction - Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman

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