Get the Message - Part I

Add comment April 9th, 2008

Spent this morning listening to Tripp Frohlichstein, president of MediaMasters, Inc., talk about how to uncover your company’s “message.” Tripp is in town as part of today’s seminar by the Rockford Chamber of Commerce called “Get the Message” which talks about messaging, how to use it and how to work with the media to get that message out.

Here are some tidbits I picked up about how to figure out and use your company’s message to its best advantage:

• Get a Home Base - “Home Base” is the single most important message your company promotes, and it is the message that should be carried out across all levels of your organization from your employees to your investors and customers. It is the essence of your message. It should be high-level, but not high enough so that no one understands it.
• When thinking about your message, Tripp says, it’s not WHAT or WHO you are but WHY you are. Don’t just tell people what your company does - tell them why do you do it. For example, if you’re an accounting firm, you do more than the books. You help your clients improve their bottom line by providing cost-effective solutions to their problems.
• Talk in Human Terms - use storytelling and concrete examples whenever possible. Stories generate a more emotional response than virtually any other type of speech.

Next post: What is a “23-Word Salute” and why should my company have one?