Message Framework & Development

The objectives of the workshop are to

• Clearly identify company objectives for communication and messaging.
• Clearly identify target audiences, the content and subject matter to be communicated, and the stage of need for each audience.
• Explore the range of marketing vehicles and tactics appropriate for combinations of audience, subject matter, and need.
• Develop a consistent set of preliminary messages.
• Develop a messaging framework that enables the company to perfect and evolve messages in the future.

Companies develop messages and communicate with the outside world in order to drive market behavior consistent with their objectives and goals. Messages that clearly and consistently articulate the company’s strategy, key value propositions, and product positions drive behavior of target audiences quickly and efficiently toward the desired outcome (i.e. investment, purchase, partner, etc.). Too often, companies produce key messages in a disorganized and ad hoc manner that leads to conflicting information and an unclear image that fails to differentiate the company in the market. RPM’s messaging workshop uses a structured and proven approach to develop a comprehensive set of consistent master messages the client needs today, and the messaging framework it needs to synchronously update company messages as market conditions change. During the workshop, we explore multiple dimensions of messaging:

• Content (industry, market, company, technology, product, buyer wants, and financial).
• Target audiences for the content (analysts, journalists, prospects, customers, partners and competitors, employees, investors, etc.).
• Audience need (awareness, credibility, education, engagement/interest creation, transaction, post-sale support, follow-on sales, etc.).
• Tactics, appropriate messaging vehicles (public relations, advertising, literature, presentations, trade shows, seminars and briefings, web-site, sales call aids, etc.), and implementation schedule.

Workshop participants should include key members of the marketing and sales team, and perhaps senior strategists from the company’s public relations/advertising agency. Participants contribute expertise and experience regarding company direction, product and technological differentiation, customer requirements and sales experience, marketing communications resources and plans. In the days following the messaging workshop, RPM takes the output and works with the client’s marketing staff to develop a Messaging Workbook for the company. The Workbook becomes the foundation that enables the company to articulate the company’s sustaining competitive advantages inexpensively, clearly and consistently - driving investors to become owners, and prospects to loyal customers.