Your Branding Strategy lays the roadmap for the message you want to communicate to your customers and the world about your company. How you want to be known…what do you want to first pop into the head of a client who thinks of you. Quality? Dependable? Expert? When I say “it’s the real thing”…what do you immediately think of ??? (see the answer at the bottom). You control the message through your Branding Strategy.
Having raised two ADHD children I have learned firsthand the importance of communication, not only in the message itself, but how it is transmitted… AND how it is received. Just because the message you’re sending is clear in YOUR mind, it doesn’t mean that it was received in the same fashion. For that matter…was the message interpreted the same way it was intended? Anyone with teens know “right now” is relative, and “I’ll do it later” could mean never 😉
How many times have you given your child direction knowing that it was in their best interest, only to be ignored? Truth be told, probably too many times to count. BUT do you stop instructing and teaching them? No. You continue to transmit the same message, maybe changing the delivery method, (think texting), but you continue to send your message because as a parent you know that is your job.
It is the same way in the business world, we have to be consistent in communicating our “brand” through all forms of communication available and this message must be clear and consistent. Your Branding Strategy needs to create a clear image in the mind of your prospects and clients when they think of you. Therefore, how do we ensure that the message was received the way we intended it to be received?
Communicating your “Brand” via your Branding Strategy
With the advent of new technology and the blend of various generational communication types it is more important than ever to beflexible in how you communicate. Just as there are many forms of communication, there also are various tones that can go along with the messages. Sometimes what is ultimately communicated has nothing to do with the actual words used – it could be a look, a perception or a statement not made that tells more than the words used. In short, the tone of what is communicated can be as critical as the message.
Common Communication Tones
Here are some of the different tones of communication that are often interpreted or perceived incorrectly in the business environment.
- Just the facts. Where only facts are stated without context, the recipient gets the data, but not necessarily significance – this is ultimately left up to the readers interpretation.
- Angry eyes. The importance of the message is communicated but the anger is perceived, leaving the recipient thinking he is being chastised when the anger may have been meant for another recipient.
- Between the lines. We hear what was said but sense another unspoken message is actually being sent.
- Curt. A curt tone leaves the listener guessing whether the message is really important or not – like a fact without context.
- Generic. This tone describes the way the boss generally communicates. These messages can often lead to being discarded as just “matter of fact” or “information only” messages.
- The big one. This is the memo that talks about all you’ve been through together and the tough times coming during the next year. Translation? Dust off the resume – a hit list is being made.
- The joker. Some messages contain so many genuinely funny comments that it’s difficult to tell when the person is really not kidding.
- Pals’ talk. There are times when you can communicate as buddies rather than subordinates. Depending on the message the communications don’t always carry the necessary weight. It can be a shocking surprise when the really tough message has to be delivered. Suddenly, the pal is no longer a friend.
Although these examples relate to internal communication styles, the key point is to understand that how you communicate involves more than just words. Out in the field when communicating with potential clients, it is even more important to control the way a message is delivered and received. You will not have second-chances like you would in an office environment. Therefore, have a Branding Strategy in place minimizes misunderstandings and maximizes the bottom line.
One suggestion for ensuring that your message is being received the way that you intended is to have the receiving party interpret what they just heard back to you. Unfortunately in mass communication, this isn’t feasible, thus it is important to be flexible in how you deliver the SAME MESSAGE to everyone. The forms of communicating your message include social media, email, print, video, in person, etc. The key points however remain the same, understanding who the target audience is and adapting theSAME MESSAGE in your communication medium.
Answer to what is “it’s the real thing“…Coke…commercial last ran over 20 years ago…yet we remember…
Call us if you need help developing your Branding Strategy and getting the right message out.
DAVNA Enterprises, LLC is a marketing solutions firm dedicated to the Architectural, Engineering and Construction industry to improve the effectiveness of their marketing initiatives and keeping marketing professionals apprised of new and upcoming marketing tools and resources.
