With so many online marketing services available, one can easily become overwhelmed by all the different options. Some may not even know where to start. No matter what tactic(s) you choose, an important key to any communications strategy is the development of a fundamental core message to represent your company. The majority of your communications – including content – will be generated from this “messaging blueprint,” setting up a framework for what you might post on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and all the others.

This core message will also feed into other divisions of your company so that you may create consistent messaging for internal communications, product lines and to specific target markets.

Make sure to follow these rules to ensure an effective messaging blueprint:

1. The message should clearly articulate what your company is, does and the core benefits it provides.
2. Messaging will reinforce your brand, so it should be supported by concrete information that differentiates you from the competition.  Consistent, repetitive communications using your blueprint helps reinforce your brand’s image.
3. Tailor your message to your audience/market. Messaging context may differ, but the core message should stay the same. For example, if you are speaking about your company to investors, the primary focus might be financial data, but you still want to reinforce this data with your company’s core benefits.
4. It should be something that you could explain in under 30 seconds but then expand into an entire presentation or brochure.  Support your key message with 3-4 points and continue to define the layers starting with the simplest and expanding into more details and complexity.

Creating a consistent message with buy-in from key stakeholders in your company will enable you to support your company’s vision and mission. It can serve as a guide to writing sales and marketing copy. It can help build your brand. But best of all, creating a core message will help ensure all external communications have a consistent voice, further reinforcing your communications both inside and outside.