4 RULES FOR A BRAND MESSAGE

Developing your “umbrella proposition” can be challenging; it’s difficult to distill the value of your business down to a simple phrase that captures the essence of why you exist, but doing so is critical. Your content, your sales, your marketing, your product roadmap, your service offerings - everything - should be derived from and consistent with your core value statement. At synthesis, we’ve developed 4 rules to guide the development of a core value message:

1. Address a Benefit
   It’s not about what you do, it’s about what you can do for me. Your value statement should speak directly to the potential customer and express the tangible benefit you can bring to them or their business. It’s the difference between “I make raincoats” and “I keep people dry”, the latter is far more appealing to the listener.
   

2. Broad but Focused
   Addressing a benefit can sometimes slip into a meaninglessly vague over-reach like “we make your life better”. Your benefit should be constrained by a hint of practical application or the HOW of what you do.
   

3. Leave Room for the Future & Past
   If our sole product is umbrellas, should we say “we keep people dry through the design and manufacture of the world’s most durable umbrellas”? Only if we’re sure we’re never going to expand into adjoining product categories like boots, raincoats, or an invisible force-field that repels rain. Additionally, if we formerly made umbrellas but have expanded into tents, should we say “we help people explore the outdoors through the development of the best camping gear”? To do so erases the brand equity, experience and value of our past. “We protect you from the elements with high quality apparel and outdoor gear” embraces both legacy and future product possibilities.
   

4. Simple Language
   No “inside baseball”:
   (noun) - a figurative adjective meaning appreciated by only a small group of insiders or aficionados." It usually refers to a detail-oriented approach to the minutiae of a subject, which requires such a specific knowledge about what is being discussed that the nuances are not understood or appreciated by outsiders. - Wikipedia
   
   Don’t fill your value statement with business buzz-words, industry acronyms, technical jargon or any language that couldn’t be understood by an 8 year old child.  Not only is it limiting, since technical details change, but it suggests you don’t have a clear purpose other than the exploitation of a temporary business or technical opportunity. 

These rules don’t build your value statement, in fact they make it infinitely harder to develop.  But, when followed, they ensure that you’ve arrived at something meaningful, lasting, and which accurately portrays the reason your business exists.