Messaging Must be a Core Part of Your Brand Strategy

Ask most association leaders to describe their brand, and they will talk about logos, colors and design. Ask them to describe their verbal brand—the words their association uses to explain why it exists—and you're likely to hear a variety of "answers" or and perspectives are likely to vary widely.

Just as a visual brand depends on cohesion and consistency to be effective, so does the language an association uses to tell its story. Sheri Singer, founder of Singer Communications and a brand strategist for associations, says the verbal brand is the piece in which most associations consistently under-invest—and the one most likely to undermine trust when it is missing.

Messaging Is Not Your Mission Statement

Mission statements are central to associations, which is why nearly all associations have them and make them easy to find on their websites; however, messaging goes deeper than a mission statement. Singer estimates that only about a quarter of associations have formal messaging guidelines, even though nearly all have some form of creative or visual brand standards. That gap matters more than most leaders realize.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.