Why PR Loves a Happy Home: Strong Branding and Culture (8/8) 🔊

A strong brand, a great culture, wonderful people, and offering true value are all vital. 

And so is telling the world. 

Especially now that you have so much to share. 

Enter messaging. 

And to learn more about that, I spoke to the founder of SowGrow PR, the always insightful Stephanie Richards. 

What messaging is

Where branding is “the overall perception of the business”, and culture is about how your business behaves, messaging “is about the choice of words surrounding your company”. 

And what do these words, through public relations, want to convey? They tell the world “how you help people”. 

PR explains to your audience why they can be excited that your business exists. 

What messaging does

PR has two main objectives:

1. Share a message people understand
2. Share a message people will repeat

And “Without a defined brand you can’t communicate the message”.

Stephanie points out that as much as repetition is essential, it also carries the risk of your message being diluted through re-telling. 

The stronger your brand, and the firmer your culture, the less this dilution occurs, giving you control over the perception people have of you. 

When messaging is successful

Messaging is effective when both the brand and the culture of the business are well-defined and are the truth. 

You have to have a defined brand, you have to have a defined culture. 

And your employees “have to know the branding and messaging”, and behave accordingly. Because, as Stephanie points out: “the best communication in the world can’t withstand employee roadblocks”. 

What next

Do your PR person a favor, and talk to them about your brand and your culture so they can craft a message that reflects reality. 

And if you are still working on all three of these areas, let me know and we can talk about a joint project with id8, SowGrow PR, and me.