Key messages. When you’re in business (or if you’re trying to build your own thought leadership position), having key messages is vital.

Consider Subway – what do you remember about them? That their sandwiches are made fresh and to order? That they’re the ‘healthier’ fast food option? Now why do you think those things? Because they’ve kept those key messages at the heart of nearly every piece of content and advertising that they’ve created throughout the years.

Or take someone like Simon Sinek. Although he’s done hundreds of talks and written a huge amount of content, what we remember is ‘Start with Why’ – because that’s the key message that he incorporates throughout most of his content.

Key messages – your communications foundations

Your key messages are the main points that you’re trying to communicate, told in a succinct way that makes them easy for other people to remember.

You might have only one or two key messages, or ones for every part of your business – but either way, they’re short, concise statements that highlight important aspects of your business and how you help customers. They should be easy for you and your team – and your customers! – to remember (or at least absorb the gist of them, in your customers’ case!

But why are they so important?

They keep your communications consistent

People remember and trust companies that are consistent. Creating consistent communications is key for building your professionalism, ensuring that people understand what makes you special and different, and keeping you top of mind among existing and prospective customers.

By establishing clear key messages, you’ll ensure all your communications are ‘on message’, professional, and appeal to your audience.

They arm your team with how to talk about the organisation

Whether sales people, your marketing team, or just general workers out there representing the company, everyone should know how to talk about what you do and what makes you special. Providing everyone in the organisation (particularly those who are interacting with potential customers) with key messages makes them feel confident about knowing how they can discuss the organisation. Plus it ensures that everyone gets the same brand experience, at least when it comes to your communications.

They provide direction for content creation

We know how much businesses struggle to come up with content ideas – but having strong key messages can provide a clear direction. Not only should your key messages form the basis of your website content, but they can also help with your blog or social content.

Don’t have any ideas? Take a look at your key messages and see whether you can create a post around one of them. Consider if you could address it in a different way. Is it likely to spark questions among prospective customers? Write content answering those questions. Using your key messages to spark content topics will help you ensure that any content you create is relevant and supports what your organisation is trying to achieve.

They make you memorable

If your customers can’t remember what you do, or what makes you different, how can they tell other people about you? Making it easy for your customers to remember how to talk about you is key if you want to stay top of mind, and build your brand positioning as leaders in the market.

Keen to get to work on your key messages? Book a call with our expert team to discuss how you can get your foundations right – and your people armed with awesome key messages.