Brand Messaging: The Importance of Brand Messaging for Startups
In a world where digital marketing is paramount to startup success, having coherent brand messaging is so important. The problem is that many startups don’t realize how critical this part of promoting their business is or may not even understand the concept of brand messaging at all. That makes sense — after all, when you’ve created a great tech product or support service, all your efforts and passion tend to be drawn in that direction. At Arch Collective, we work with numerous tech startups to help them build their brand messaging. Here are the basics.
Brand Messaging: What Is It?
Your brand message tells stakeholders and potential customers or clients who you are as a company, what it is that you do, and how that provides value. It’s more than a catchy slogan or a colorful logo. It’s the whole ethos of your company, distilled into a consistent and continuous brand experience.
Your brand message may include:
Value Proposition(s)
Competitive Differentiators — what sets you apart from the competition?
A mission statement — what is your company trying to achieve? What is its core purpose?
A vision statement — similar to a mission statement but distilled down to an overall vision of the future as your company sees it. How will your company change the world?
Elevator Pitch
Company values.
Brand Tone of Voice
Brand Pillars
Your logo and other visuals may be linked to your brand message, but creating and really understanding that overall brand image should be the step that drives that — not the other way around.
Why Is Brand Messaging Critical for Startups?
Startups may argue that they’re not established enough to know what their ongoing brand message will be. In the world of marketing, this thinking will actually prevent new businesses from making the impact they need to in order to secure that all-important funding. Your brand message may evolve or change over the course of your company’s growth, but having confidence in your brand’s values and meaning from the get-go creates a great first impression that’s more likely to draw investors and attract potential buyers.
The message doesn’t even need to be attached to a product, app, or service that you offer. Apple is a great example of a company with consistent brand messaging no matter how their products change. “Think Different” was their slogan until 2002, coined by Steve Jobs’ advertising teams in 1997. It doesn’t refer to any particular product. It’s not even grammatically correct! But it tells interested parties what Apple is about. They aim to think outside the box and work against the norms, to be beneficially disruptive.
Of course, we’re not suggesting that every startup can use two words to sum up their brand message. But it’s important to tie your brand messaging to your company goals or values rather than a single product or service.
Why Do You Need a Consistent Brand Message From the Start?
Your brand message is the first impression investors and other stakeholders have of your organization. If the way your company presents itself is continuously changing, it can be confusing for your stakeholders and even your consumers, and cause them to lose confidence in your products or services. Taking the time to work with a marketing expert from early on can help you plan and forge a coherent and sustainable brand image and message that becomes intrinsically linked with your company and your products.
This brand messaging should be consistent across all your stakeholder engagement points:
Websites
Blogs
Marketing emails
Digital marketing efforts and other forms of advertising
Social media platforms
Any video content
Physical content such as brochures
As well as displaying your company as a fully formed entity ready to take on competitors within your industry, coherent brand messaging displays a confidence that’s more likely to attract investors and customers — especially when combined with effective research into your target demographics.
Final Word
Finding your brand’s message can be tricky as a startup, especially if you have little to no marketing experience yourself. Hiring a permanent marketing expert can be expensive, which is why marketing freelancers are becoming more popular with savvy startups. Work with an experienced fractional CMO and take advantage of the expertise that comes from working with many successful post-series-A funded B2B tech startups.
Book your 15-minute introductory call and find out how our marketing experts can create a long-lasting and impactful brand message for your startup. Alternatively, take a look at our brand messaging framework course and turn your company’s story into a powerful tool for gaining traction in your industry.
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