Strategic Corporate Messaging Assessment
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This document contains an 11 question assessment for executives to evaluate their company's corporate messaging effectiveness. The questions address topics such as how well messaging maps to strategic goals, when messaging was last audited, employee training, and whether the company has processes to develop and deliver clear, compelling, and consistent messaging across customer touchpoints. Completing the assessment is intended to help executives understand challenges and opportunities to improve their corporate messaging.
Strategic Corporate Messaging Assessment
- 1. A POWERFUL TOOL For Evaluating Your Company’s Ability to Deliver a Clear, Compelling and Consistent Customer Experience. May 2013 QUESTIONSEVERY EXECUTIVE MUST ASK ABOUT THEIR CORPORATE MESSAGING EVERY EXECUTIVE MUST ASK ABOUT THEIR CORPORATE MESSAGING 11 QUESTIONS 11
- 2. This tool enables marketing and business executives to evaluate corporate messaging effectiveness. By answering these strategic questions you’ll have a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities your company faces with respect to delivering compelling and differentiated messaging in every customer conversation.
- 3. 11 QUESTIONS EVERY EXECUTIVE MUST ASk ABOUT THEIR CORPORATE MESSAGING 3 Q1: How well do you believe the messaging used in sales/marketing materials and customer conversations map to your strategic business drivers and product/service offerings? q Not at all q Very little q For the most part q Completely Based on your answer, what can you do to ensure your messaging more accurately reflects the strategic vision and direction of your business? Q2: When was the last time you audited/assessed the accuracy and consistency of your corporate messaging across your core sales and marketing materials? q Within the last 6 months q Within the last 9 months q Within the last year q Never been done Based on your answer, what corrective action will you take to align your messaging with the current state of your business and ensure it still resonates/connects with your customer’s needs? A STRATEGIC CORPORATE MESSAGING ASSESSMENT
- 4. 11 QUESTIONS EVERY EXECUTIVE MUST ASk ABOUT THEIR CORPORATE MESSAGING 4 Q3: How often are you frustrated when you overhear conversations with customers/prospects or see sales/marketing materials that don’t convey the story you know you should be telling? q Never q Rarely q Too often q All the time Based on your answer to this question, what specific actions can you put into play that will ensure this doesn’t happen in the future? Q4: When was the last time your employees and sales professionals were formally trained on your messaging and how to deliver your company’s story in customer and sales situations? q Within the last 6 months q Within the last year q Within the last 18 months q Never Based on your answer, what can your HR, marketing and business executives do to ensure employees understand and absorb the messages you want to convey in the market? A STRATEGIC CORPORATE MESSAGING ASSESSMENT
- 5. 11 QUESTIONS EVERY EXECUTIVE MUST ASk ABOUT THEIR CORPORATE MESSAGING 5 Q5: How would you rate your messaging in the following key areas? CLEAR: quickly resonates with prospects/customers and clearly describes who you are and what you do. q Strong q Adequate q Needs significant improvement COMPELLING: presents a compelling reason why your prospects/customers need your product/service and clearly describes the value you deliver. q Strong q Adequate q Needs significant improvement CONSISTENT: key messages are consistently used in prospect/customer situations and communication vehicles. q Strong q Adequate q Needs significant improvement UNIQUE: clearly explains your point of difference and why prospects/customers should choose you over the competition. q Strong q Adequate q Needs significant improvement Based on your answers, what action should marketing and business executives take to improve your messaging in each of these areas? A STRATEGIC CORPORATE MESSAGING ASSESSMENT
- 6. 11 QUESTIONS EVERY EXECUTIVE MUST ASk ABOUT THEIR CORPORATE MESSAGING 6 Q6: Do you have someone in your organization or a partner that “wakes up every day” with the mission of developing and managing how your message is utilized across all communication channels? q Yes q No List the reasons why you do or do not feel you should have an executive or strategic partner that is responsible for this critical aspect of your business? Q7: How would you rate your company’s ability to deliver a clear, compelling and consistent message across the entire prospect/customer experience? (initial contact, demand generation, the sales process and post-sale communication) q Extremely effective q Needs improvement q Extremely ineffective Based on your answer, what specific action or investments must you make to create a more compelling customer experience? A STRATEGIC CORPORATE MESSAGING ASSESSMENT
- 7. 11 QUESTIONS EVERY EXECUTIVE MUST ASk ABOUT THEIR CORPORATE MESSAGING 7 Q8: Does your company follow a formal, repeatable process for auditing, assessing and aligning messaging with customer needs and market trends? q Yes q No If you answered no to this question, and you feel this is critical to business growth, what action will you take to ensure a formal process is put in place? Q9: Which best describes how your current messaging helps you attract new customers and close more business? q Puts us in the best possible position to win q Adequately positions what we do but is not delivered consistently enough q Doesn’t seem to connect or resonate quickly enough with customers/prospects Based on your answer, what action can you take to ensure your messaging creates more compelling and effective customer/prospect conversations? A STRATEGIC CORPORATE MESSAGING ASSESSMENT
- 8. 11 QUESTIONS EVERY EXECUTIVE MUST ASk ABOUT THEIR CORPORATE MESSAGING 8 Q10: Do you have the resources and expertise to develop messaging that resonates with your target audience and clearly differentiates you from the competition? q Yes q No Based on your answer, how can you secure the resources/expertise required to ensure your company develops and consistently utilizes messaging that puts you in the best possible position to increase market share (for instance: hire a dedicated resource, engage a strategic partner, etc.)? Q11: Based on your answers to all of these questions, how important is it that you invest more time, resources and dollars to improve your company’s messaging? q Need to make it an executive level priority and budget item this year q Need to focus more of my attention on messaging development and delivery q At the very least I need to audit and assess our messaging to see if it is helping or hindering business growth LIST ANY OTHER ACTION ITEMS, THOUGHTS AND CONCERNS THAT CAME TO MIND AS YOU COMPLETED THIS ASSESSMENT: THANK YOU. By completing this assessment, we hope you have a better understanding of how well your company is positioned to leverage messaging as a strategic weapon in the marketplace. If you have additional questions and you would like to speak with one of our messaging experts please email info@itsonmessage.com. A STRATEGIC CORPORATE MESSAGING ASSESSMENT
- 9. About OnMessage OnMessage is a messaging infusion company with a proven model for helping organizations develop a clear, compelling and consistent message. Our methodology aligns your company’s strengths and true point of difference with customer needs to create a messaging platform that elicits optimal engagement across all communication channels. This methodology, when combined with our employee training programs, sales enablement solutions, and content marketing services, enables you to achieve the highest return on every connection and communication investment you make. For more information To learn how OnMessage is helping companies change the way leaders infuse messaging into their company, culture and customers visit itsonmessage.com. Follow us on twitter.com/onmessage facebook.com/onmessage itsonmessage.com/blog © Copyright OnMessage, Inc. 2013 | All rights reserved.