Developing Communications Messaging

In this section, we will study in detail the key aspects of creating a communication message and strategies that go behind it to make sure that the message yields its intended objective for the chosen channels and audience.

Developing communications message involves taking decisions on four key areas:

1. Message content: What to say?
2. Message structure: How to say it logically?
3. Message format: How the message will be shared?
4. Message source: Who would say it?

Let us discuss these areas in detail.

1. Message content: Each communication is driven by some specific objectives of the firm (product). As discussed in the previous section, objectives could range from a product’s presence across the marketing funnel or its present PLC (product life cycle) stage or would be driven by some specific external event (for example, a brand’s reputation being questioned, a new competitor taking market share, the product being subject to compliance, etc.). In the case of large firms, it is typically the agency which does the job of getting the content created in line with the brief shared by client. This brief should typically cover details on the message objective, target audiences/personas, their buying criteria, value proposition, and how the audience should feel after the promotion.
2. Message structure: The second part of message development is how to put forth the content to selected audiences. The objective of any communication would be to impact the audience in a manner which is either cognitive, affective, or behavioral. Also, various channels might be required to bring home different elements of a message in a holistic impactful manner. Key concepts which form a part of message structure include:
   • Brand voice: One of the important objectives in developing the message structure is the ability to present a consistent experience across all channels, which means defining and developing the ‘Brand Voice.’ A brand voice depicts the personality elements which a marketer would want to share if the brand was taken to be like a person. The idea is that while using multiple channels, even though the message tones could be a bit different (entertainment led for a YouTube video vis-à-vis a serious tone on LinkedIn), there should be consistency in the content shared for the audience to relate to it.
   • Message tone: The tone in which a message is put forth assumes high importance. Stephanie Schwab of Social Media Explorer breaks down a brand’s voice into four categories: character/persona, tone, language, and purpose. Examples of attributes for each of these are:
     • Character/persona: friendly, warm, inspiring, playful, authoritative
     • Tone: personal, humble, clinical, honest, direct, scientific
     • Language: complex, savvy, insider, serious, simple, fun, whimsical
     • Purpose: engage, educate, inform, enable, entertain, sell, amplify
   • Message framing: The way in which a message is framed and its tone affects its persuasiveness. Messages can be framed in a positive manner to share the product’s benefits or in a negative manner to induce fear in the mind of the consumer (for example, the need to use helmets).
   • Order effects: Typically, the order in which a message is presented affects its reception by the audience. In advertising, for example, the first and last messages are more likely to be seen and retained than those presented in between; this is known as the primacy and recent effect. Also, how the product/service attributes are listed in an advertisement matters. With customers typically having less time to scan through messages, it is crucial that important attributes/benefits are shared at the top, followed by those which are less important.
   • One-sided vs two-sided messages: It involves a decision on whether the message should only talk about the pros or about both the pros and cons.
3. Message format: It involves taking a decision on the method of presentation of the message. This is also referred to as the creative strategy and involves decision on the kind of words being used, the way the communication story is developed, the use of images, audio and video elements built for certain effects, etc.
4. Message source: Source refers to the origination of the message. Source credibility is crucial as the audience is influenced by factors like the level of perceived expertise/knowledge of the source, personal motives behind the source involvement, the degree of trust that can be placed on the source, etc. Typical sources include formal sources—organization/firm celebrity endorsements, product experts, and informal sources—family, friends, peers, colleagues, and other social groups. It is widely believed that communication which comes from informal sources is perceived as being far more credible than that coming from informal sources. This is also the reason for social media channels having a big impact in terms of being the most influential vehicle for message dissemination.