Messages are everywhere. We see them, we hear them, but most importantly we feel them. Whatever is transmitted via the communication process is defined as a message. This includes both verbal and non-verbal communication, audiovisual material, symbols, images, and whatever constructs a certain meaning and can be communicated. As aforementioned, we are in continuous exposure to different types of messages. We pay attention to some, we defy or avoid others and sometimes we catch ourselves being captured by them.
When the last option takes place, the message is the trigger pushing our thoughts around the issue being mentioned (or implied) to process the relevant information in order t create a reaction. This reaction can have various forms: joy, anger, hostility, jealousy, fear, hope, self-confirmation, shock, doubt, awe, etc. In general, when a message generates a reaction either negative or positive it is considered powerful.
On the other hand, messages generating neutral reactions or no reactions at all are not viewed as powerful. These are the messages that you are bored to read, close your eyes when you listen to them or you just scroll down without even looking at the post on your feed. We have to clarify though that the power of the message is not necessarily consistent with its informational quality. The most prominent example is that a high-level academic lecture can be boring to some of the students, who at the same time may be reading yellow-press gossip on the internet.
So that means that yellow-press gossip uses stronger messages than an academic lecture does? The short answer is it depends. The longer answer is: To know that, we have to explain first what a strong message really is.
Intense Words are not a Panacea
We said before that a strong message is able to generate positive or negative reactions. This explanation however is partial and problematic and this can be indicated very easily. Just take a moment and based on this affirmation name a strong message.
Usually, when I ask people who have no tangible experience in communication strategy, to do that they automatically say phrases like "I love you" "I hate you" "You are awesome" "Freedom" mainly words with an intense evaluative or sentimental load. Whereas the use of such words is not wrong as a thought, then I ask: "So if someone called you on the phone right now and said to you "I hate you". What would be your reaction?"
The most common answers are "Emm I would say ok and hang up" "I would laugh then hang up and just forget it" "I would just hang up the phone" "I don't know, I wouldn't care if some stranger did that". How strong is this? Not much isn't it?
Conversely, the answers given by people more acquainted with communication theories and practices (not only as professionals or academics), are mostly questions: "A strong message for which purpose?" "A strong message for which medium?" "What is the audience?" These questions are absolutely right because the imperative "Name a strong message" is simply a wrong imperative when the factors affecting its power are unknown. So, let's have a look at them one-by-one.
The purpose is the foundation of any message
A message without a clear goal is a drop in the ocean. No one will notice it and the result will be insignificant. In addition, the goal of the message should be measurable and broken down further into micro-targets. For instance, if a company is about to launch a new B2B service or product then the ultimate goal is to make the current customers buy and attract new customers that may be interested in this new product/service features. The goal here is dual: attracting customers who already know how good your products and services are and customers who are not aware of their quality (but they can do their research).
So, before constructing a promotional post about your launch first think: Who is more likely to buy my product faster? An already engaged and satisfied customer or a new prospect who doesn't know the brand well? For a company that knows how you work and can put its trust in you, it is easier to be more open to a product addition rather than a new prospect.
Therefore, the first micro-target is to make your current customers aware of the launch. But wait, are all of your customers in the same need for this product/service? Is it possible that you have a niche within your clients-base where this product may have a larger impact on their operations than others? Conducting, the appropriate level of research you will have your answer. If the answer is yes, it will be easier to start personalizing your messaging to this niche or niches via a curated newsletter before the official campaign of your product/service.
Of course, the micro-targets depending on the ultimate goal, the nature of what you promote, the level of personalization that can be reached, may be able to progress concurrently or consecutively. From a messaging strategy point of view, the ultimate purpose is your compass, but the micro-targets are the coordinates helping you to reach your final destination.
"Don't just Know your Audience. Know what your Audience is made of"
I am sure you have heard that the power of any message lies in the audience's minds. This is undeniably true. Nevertheless, many communicators focus solely on the audience itself as an object and neglect the fact that audiences are living organisms. They think, they behave, they feel and most importantly they are affected by external factors to become what they are. Market or Audience Segmentation is a very useful tool either for companies, media outlets, politicians, or influencers. The characteristics that your audience has though are half-a-picture. Its demographics, preferences, beliefs, company size (for B2B audiences), culture are all precious indicators for how your target audience is now. However, this can change.
The age of readers changes, the preferences may change and many beliefs can change as well. What doesn't change in the future? The crucial past experiences that have shaped your audience up to the moment you target them. Experience is a very powerful shaping tool and it can give you insights into which messages around a specific issue (commercial, politics, financial crisis, business scandal) can trigger the desired reaction ranging from a simple subscription to a civil protest. For example, British university students who are now 20 years old have experienced: the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, the Syrian Refugee Crisis, terrorist incidents in their country, the wide use of social media and the internet in their daily lives, eCommerce surging, and the rise of cryptocurrencies as an asset, among others.
Going a little deeper, how could these experiences affect their reaction to an NGO campaign about "The victims of war"? or a product launch by one of the prominent Pharmaceutical companies excelled in delivering covid-vaccines? Are there any other parameters? Do some experiences contradict others? Which are considered more powerful in your audience's point of view? These are starter questions and problematics to indicate where to look for more data behind data.
Usually, communicators stick to findings like "Generation Z values diversity and inclusion" or "Meta-millennials pay more attention to high-level customer experience than past generations" without further investigation. The characteristics and findings surrounding your target audience are valuable hints, but if you gain information about how they were constructed will enable you to speculate messaging effectiveness within future contexts not yet unfolded. Here the weapon is delicate and focused research.
The medium defines your flexibility and limit zone,
nothing more and nothing less.
In the digital era, I am sure you have also heard the phrase "The medium is the message". Personally, I have heard it many times and more recently by a prominent professional. Indeed the medium determines the message's effectiveness as it has its own rules and special features affecting the way we communicate.
In TV interviews we see politicians, business-people, and celebrities talking using their body language to project themselves as open, relaxed, and conversational.
On Instagram pages, we see users' images and videos participating in relevant events, promoting products, showing their lifestyle, and sharing personal moments.
On Twitter, we mostly read opinions (justified or non-justified), see fake news spreading, witness labeling through hashtags, and exchange thoughts about social matters.
LinkedIn is associated with communicating our professionalism and expertise.
News Media Outlets combine written and audiovisual material to transmit events and opinions based on the journalism rules and criteria.
Books and Films aim to convey ideas, values, and theories to influence how people see the world, should see the world, and uncover what they know and don't know about the world.
Indeed the medium determines the effectiveness, accuracy, and finally, the power of the message like the rules of a game determine the best strategy to win. The rules of a game though cannot exist without its clear purpose and to whom it is addressed. The same applies to the media.
The medium is highly attached to your purpose and the audience you are targeting. You wouldn't ask for a journalist to publish your CV in the NY times, wouldn't you? No, you have LinkedIn for that. Of course, the features and particular characteristics of one medium may overlap. TikTok and Instagram can complement one another but they are different from Twitter. This means that a trending topic or message on the former may not be trending on the latter. Moreover, we have to bear in mind that a medium may be popular as a whole in a country, age-group but unpopular to another. In the same vein, one medium may be overused in one era and forgotten in another. This brings me to mention the last and, to me, the second most important aspect of a messaging strategy: The context.
The context is your chessboard. Without it, there is no game to play.
There are multiple types of context when creating a message, but in my point of view the most substantial are three:
The Factual context: What are the facts surrounding your message? What is the main event? Is it a crisis, a scandal, a product launch, an anniversary? The facts will determine your micro-targets, your tone, the words to be used and to be omitted, and the whole aura of the message.
The Socio-political context: To which society or social category do you address? It may sound obvious, but it isn't. The qualitative characteristics of the society or the social category that your audience is part of (or is identified with if your audience is a specific society) again play a highly important role in the expression and the media that you are going to use. As aforementioned, different societies and social categories may prefer different media, while being affected differently by the same words.
The Technological context: What is the current level of technology? Different technological contexts bring to the surface different media to dominate. 20 years ago the dominant medium was television. Before that, we had the radio. Now, we have television, radio and the press to be adapted to the format of social media due to the rapid digitalization the Internet brought into our lives. The metaverse will definitely affect the way we receive, produce, and respond to messages. New types of messages will be created too.
In the process of creating a strong message, all three contexts should be taken into account concurrently. The contexts themselves may change, but the analytical process of breaking them down and adjusting them into your message is relatively stable. Remember without the definition of a solid context the message will resemble the stranger calling and saying "I hate you" out of the blue.
The Bottom Line
Returning to the initial question: What is a strong message?
If I had to summarize all the analysis above, it would look like this:
A strong message is able to impact the thoughts and actions of the audience selected towards the desired direction through harnessing the facts surrounding it, the socio-political norms within which it is created, and the media allowing its maximum diffusion and effectiveness given the current technological developments.
As the media training specialist and founder of Media Training Worldwide, T.J. Walker, states: "Messages evolve as circumstances change and facts change, but the process of how you have a good message is remarkably consistent".
To be up-to-date about relevant topics you can:
Connect with the (In)vincible community via the Spaces Mobile App with the invite code: LHD1WT
Follow _1nvincible on Instagram
Follow Demi Michail on Instagram and/or connect to LinkedIn