How to craft a killer comms strategy that converts
Your comms strategy is rooted in your business drivers. It captures who you need to influence (your target audience) and persuade. It summarises what you must say to engage, attract and win their attention. Finally, it signposts the channels in which you need to be active.
Here’s a ready reckoner of the key components of a solid communication strategy.
Craft your value proposition
A value proposition is a simple statement that summarises what benefit someone receives from buying from you, that they cannot get elsewhere. It captures why you exist and why your customers should care. Your value proposition should form the rallying point for everything the company says, does and develops.
Prioritise your efforts
‘Everyone’ is not an acceptable target audience. Identifying your company’s sweet spot, you Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is the most effective way of achieving this.
Gather these 3 things on your ICP
- Who they are – identify a target segment.
- Where they work – document business attributes.
- Why they are a good target – include psychological attributes.
Develop your target personas
A persona is a fictional representation of your target buyer. They are not real people, but each persona description feels like a real person. Capture their hopes, fears, aspirations and challenges. Your messaging will succeed or fail on the effort and accuracy you invest here.
Develop positioning statement(s)
A positioning statement is a subset of the value proposition which speaks directly to the heart of the individual persona. It defines the target audience, the product and its category, as well as a single specific benefit that is differentiable from the nearest competitive alternative.
Develop persona-specific message box
Not every target persona knows that they have a problem you can solve and even if they did, if they are unfamiliar with your brand, why would they trust you anyway? Our approach to messaging helps you to earn trust and build a relationship so the sale becomes a logical conclusion. We have adopted a framework that enables you to deliver the right type of message, at the right time in the relationship.
Develop persona-specific messaging
There are four well-documented stages in the buying cycle: awareness, interest, decision and action (AIDA). Our messaging framework is designed to reflect the wants and needs of the target persona in each phase. We call these messages: engagement; solution criteria, reinforcement and value.
Persona specific messaging
- Engagement: Your target persona is becoming aware they have an issue, but they have not yet started considering possible solutions. Your objective is to get them to see you as an expert who understands their pain challenges. What issue will get their attention and what problem can you solve?
- Solution criteria: Your target persona is starting to explore solutions. You need to build trust by guiding them through possible options, while appearing independent, steering them towards your solution as the ideal fit. Regardless of vendor, what criteria should be met to best address the persona’s problem?
- Reinforcement: This stage is all about reinforcing, in the mind of your target audience, how your offering is the most desirable for addressing their specific needs. Describe your offering and how and why it is the best option for addressing the solution criteria. Highlight the key points of differentiation.
- Value: This phase is about communicating the value you can add, the successes you’ve delivered to other businesses and shining a light on the advantage of working with you over anyone else. Consider, as a result of implementing your offering, how will their life be better than before?
And don’t forget to validate it
Once you have completed your comms strategy, validate it with a small group of trusted advisors. This will give you confidence that you have a robust plan and powerful messages. It will also allow you to test any assumptions you have made and fill any gaps in your knowledge regarding the ideal personas you have created.
A killer communication strategy aligns seamlessly with your business drivers, capturing who you need to influence, what message resonates, and which channels are essential. Whether it’s crafting a compelling value proposition, refining target personas, or developing persona-specific messaging, each step is key to engaging your audience and converting leads. It’s not just about what you say but how, when, and where you say it to build trust and guide your prospects through their journey.
Ready to elevate your communication strategy and see real results?
Download our Pathway Guide to discover a step-by-step process for creating a strategy that converts. Start driving growth today!
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