In my post Do you Have a Message Map? we discussed the importance for businesses to have a clear messaging strategy that has been mapped out. Now we are going talk about what happens after you have a Message Map. How do you use it and how can it transform the way you talk to your target audience?

The simple answer to those questions is you use your Message Map each and every time you communicate about your brand or product. Your Message Map becomes the basis for all your interactions with clients and potential clients.

No, I’m not saying that you must rehearse and memorize all of the points on your Message Map. You certainly don’t want to do that because it will become just that rehearsed, canned and robotic. But you do want to learn it. You do want to make it apart of how you communicate about your brand or product.

Verbal Communications

Okay so you’re out networking, you meet somebody at the grocery store, or you are at a business event and you start talking about your business, your product. or your brand. But you are never quite sure what to say. Hello, Message Map! This is where you can really put it to use. By understanding your central story and you’re supporting points you will be prepared for any situation. Remember these are your base camp and trail markers. They give you a place to go back to and they show you that you are headed the right way.

And because they are phrases or short sentence that represent important idea points they are easy to work into a conversation. That simplicity automatically makes it seem far less rehearsed then the typical elevator speech. If you use this each time you’re having one on one communications with a client or potential client you will build your brand’s image and you’ll do it with confidence.

Written Communications

Things like emails and social media posts are where the secret sauce of Message Maps really comes into play. These are the times where you can use copy directly from your Message Map verbatim. We talked about this in the Message Map blog post. Having your map saves you time in the long run because you’re not reinventing things. You go back to that central story and supporting points over and over.

An important thing to remember with written communications is that you’re going to have to create different versions of your central story and you’re supporting points for the different places you will need to use it. But you are not creating different versions of the message. Let’s look at that more closely using social media as an example.

The social media platform you’re using will dictate the length of message you can present. For example, a tweet has a defined character length whereas a post has other guidelines. Tailoring your message for these platforms can be a daunting task. But a Message Map makes that much easier. This is where you begin to adjust (I mean cut out some words. Shorten it not rewrite it.) your central story to fit the requirement while still delivering your message. And don’t forget about those trail makers. They aren’t long in the first place and may be plenty to entice someone to go to your website where you can say so much more. As you use your Message Map you will also start to see imagery, colors, etcetera that help you convey your message along with your story and supporting points.

Website

Websites should be treated slightly different than regular written communications because they are a blend of advertising, promotional materials, and written communications all rolled into one. But most of the time you’re trying to keep it short and sweet so that people will actually read what you have to say.

Because of this, it is very important to remember to stick to your Message Map. It will guide what you choose to put on your website. Your website will absolutely need your central story. It should weave your supporting points throughout the site. The website should lead visitors on the journey with you to the final destination of creating the mindset you are looking to create. And this mindset if created correctly can lead directly to revenue in your pocket time and time again.

So, to recap what we have covered on how to use your Message Map when communicating to your customers or potential customers. Remember, these things.

Be consistent. Don’t reinvent the wheel.

Be consistent. Don’t reinvent the wheel.

Be consistent. Don’t reinvent the wheel.

Do you see a pattern here? Once you created your Message Map you’ve done most of the work all you have to do is use it and don’t forget you have it. You took the time to do create it or have it created for you so now use it to be consistent in your communications. By keeping the central story, your base camp in mind along with your trail markers you will know the path you should follow. You will clearly communicate exactly how your brand or product solves the problem each and every time.

By: Amy Matthews, CEO, AMI LC