When was the last time you reviewed your position statement? If it hasn’t been for a while, this is something that you should do before you look at future message strategy and communications - both internally and externally.

When reviewing your position statement, it is critical that you look at this from the customer or prospect’s perspective as opposed to the business’ own internal perspective. This is key before developing a successful sales and marketing program, but is often neglected by most businesses.

No matter how much money you invest in marketing, your messaging can't possibly be effective if you haven't clarified your positioning.

An article I ran across (complete with an accompanying podcast), did a great job of reiterating and expanding upon those two key components. To summarize, “Positioning and Messaging together make up the cornerstone of branding, and yet so many organizations struggle with both. No matter how much money you invest in advertising and marketing, your messaging can't possibly be effective if you haven't clarified your positioning.”

The article goes on to emphasize that “even if you're clear on your messaging, you have to be sure that it's being received the way you intended. It's important to understand how your business messaging is being received in the minds of your customers. That often means testing to see how your message is resonating.”

In order to build brand value, it also means that you have to have every member of your organization on board with your brand messaging. They have to not only understand your messaging, but they also have to believe in it as well.

You might think that all of this should be standard procedures, but most companies do not take this approach nor have the expertise to effectively execute. That's where I can help as an Outsource Chief Marketing Officer. If you're truly interested in improving your or your clients’ sales and marketing efforts, I am ready to help clearly define the positioning and overall message strategy. You will find taking this approach will be immediately measurable.