Focus On Communication Newsletter
March 2009
What’s Your Home Base?
If someone asked you to describe your company in one sentence, could you do it? Would you be able to synthesize what you do, why you do it, and what makes you who you are? It seems a difficult task, and you’d want to make sure that one sentence was spot-on. You need a home base.
A home base message isn’t a tag line. It’s a foundational statement that tells the world who you are and, more importantly, why you do what you do in 25 words or less. It should be focused, consistent, and true, while also being easily accessible. And once you have that home base, you need to get it out there – it should be included in everything from company collateral to media placements to internal communications to conversations at the grocery store.
Here are three tips for establishing and maintaining your home base message:
Be On Message, Not Robotic
It’s important to keep messaging consistent in internal and external communications. But delivering a consistent message is not the same as delivering the same message – there are ways to stay “on message” while also being fresh and original and not sounding like a pre-programmed robot:
Creating the Message was the Easy Part...
You’ve established your home base and can deliver it with ease in a practice session. But even the most seasoned PR pros will tell you that remembering to actually use your message can be the biggest challenge because it requires a fundamental shift in thinking. For example, when someone asks you a question, your general reaction is to give that person the information he wants – not the information you want to give him. Integrating a key message requires you to take a minute to consider how to connect the requested information with the message. It’s not an easy skill, and it’s even harder when you’re on the spot – but you can master it.
Consider the following approaches to help you hang on to your home base:
What’s Your Home Base?
If someone asked you to describe your company in one sentence, could you do it? Would you be able to synthesize what you do, why you do it, and what makes you who you are? It seems a difficult task, and you’d want to make sure that one sentence was spot-on. You need a home base.A home base message isn’t a tag line. It’s a foundational statement that tells the world who you are and, more importantly, why you do what you do in 25 words or less. It should be focused, consistent, and true, while also being easily accessible. And once you have that home base, you need to get it out there – it should be included in everything from company collateral to media placements to internal communications to conversations at the grocery store.
Here are three tips for establishing and maintaining your home base message:
- Think outward, not inward. One of the most important things about a home base is that it speaks directly to the customer. What’s in it for the customer? Maybe it’s your excellent customer service, your simplified process, or industry-leading expertise. Frame your home base through your customers’ eyes.
- Understand what’s important. Bringing a team together is key, and conversations from across your organization will assist in determining what is most important to the company as a whole. Revisit your business strategy in the process. And remember, your home base speaks to your customers, so take a fresh look at what’s important from their perspective.
- Prove it with facts. Can you back up your home base with facts? What makes your key message ring true in practice? These facts and details tell your story and create the foundation for your core message. Is there a special program that your company has that contributes to your overall culture? Are there any statistics that support your assertion of excellence or success? If you can’t back up your home base, go back to the drawing board to create something that is proven and apparent in your company.
Be On Message, Not Robotic
It’s important to keep messaging consistent in internal and external communications. But delivering a consistent message is not the same as delivering the same message – there are ways to stay “on message” while also being fresh and original and not sounding like a pre-programmed robot:- Be authentic. In today’s digital world, everything is logged online somewhere, which makes it even more important to add some flavor to statements, interviews, or comments that reflect your key messages. Having personality and delivering key messages are not mutually exclusive. It’s monotonous to read yet another canned statement from an executive with no personality who seems out of touch and just wants to get their messaging in.
- Know your audience. Don’t be afraid to refresh your key message to match certain demographics or specific situations. You can still deliver key points while directly addressing a particular audience – remember that your home base speaks directly to your customers, so speak their language and keep it real.
- Go back to the facts. Your core message should be consistent, but you can change the supporting facts and details you use to back it up. Don’t be afraid to update tidbits to fit the situation or add new details where appropriate. They can help shape your home base in an inventive and fresh way while still staying consistent.
Creating the Message was the Easy Part...
You’ve established your home base and can deliver it with ease in a practice session. But even the most seasoned PR pros will tell you that remembering to actually use your message can be the biggest challenge because it requires a fundamental shift in thinking. For example, when someone asks you a question, your general reaction is to give that person the information he wants – not the information you want to give him. Integrating a key message requires you to take a minute to consider how to connect the requested information with the message. It’s not an easy skill, and it’s even harder when you’re on the spot – but you can master it.Consider the following approaches to help you hang on to your home base:
- Embrace your home base. Having it in front of you consistently will increase retention and awareness of your key message – whether it’s on the screensaver on your computer, present on internal memos, or part of the daily office conversation.
- Learn to “bridge.” Make a connection between what you are asked and what you need to say. For instance, if there’s been a fire at your plant, and a reporter asks you about damage to your products (and your home base is the safety of employees), you could respond, “we suffered some substantial damage to products still in storage, but what we’re really happy about is that all our employees are safe and unharmed.”
- Have a message guru. Working with a messaging pro on a regular basis can help you touch on your key points and brush up on your messaging periodically. Practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to answering on the spot in media interviews.
- Use a key message checklist. You took the time to create your home base and its supporting facts, so use it in a productive way. Having a checklist of sorts in front of you when you write or prep for an interview or presentation will not only keep your key messages top of mind, but also give you ideas about how to weave them in seamlessly.
- Study up. It’s important to analyze media clips and look for places you could have improved the messaging. Being diligent about reading, watching, or listening to yourself will make you more aware of your most important points next time.
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