Back to school for brands: Get “in shape” with a message triangle

It’s back to school season, so it’s time for a pop quiz. Here are three simple questions: What does your company do? What’s your brand’s mission? What is your brand known for?

If these questions stumped you, you’re not alone. But the goal is to have strong, succinct answers at the ready. Perhaps like many professionals, you drew a blank or found many thoughts flooding in at once. If you “aced” the quiz, you can advance to the next level. That means in an upcoming meeting, ask your team to go around and answer one of the questions. Would their answers be uniform or all over the map? Would the things they highlight be in the same ballpark as what it says on your website or sales collateral? Would the answers come naturally to them? Would they have to make things up on the spot?

Not many organizations nail that level of internal brand alignment and education. But if yours does, level up again. What if I asked some of your clients or prospects to answer basic questions about your brand? Does this idea give you pause? They will have answers. But those answers may surprise you because if you don’t clearly and consistently communicate the essence of your brand, you can’t expect external audiences to know. They will fill in the blanks on their own.