#11: Writing Without a Core Message Strategy
The Problem:
You’re producing quality content that fails to convert. Your messaging varies across channels, creating confusion rather than building momentum.
The Data Gap:
Research shows that consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by up to 23% (Marq). Yet most organizations lack a unified messaging architecture.
Without a core message strategy, your content operates in isolation. Each piece requires re-establishing credibility, wasting cognitive bandwidth and marketing resources.
🚨 Warning Signs
- High traffic but low conversion rates
- Stakeholders describe campaigns as “disjointed”
- Prospects ask questions you’ve already answered elsewhere
- You can’t articulate your core message in one sentence
🛠️ The Framework: Message Architecture
1. Core Message
One sentence that captures your primary value proposition
"We help [audience] achieve [outcome] through [differentiator]"
2. Supporting Messages
2-4 substantiating claims with proof points
3. Tone & Voice
Consistent personality across all communications
4. Journey Mapping
Message adaptation for awareness → consideration → decision
📝 Implementation Example
Before:
Scattered messaging across 5 different value propositions
After:
One core message: “We help B2B SaaS companies reduce churn by 30% through predictive customer health scoring”
📋 90-Day Implementation Plan
Month 1: Conduct message audit and stakeholder interviews
Month 2: Develop messaging architecture and obtain leadership alignment
Month 3: Implement governance and train content creators
#12: Marketing Like an Expert Instead of a Guide
🎭 The Persona Shift
The Expert:
• “We’re the industry leader”
• “Our patented technology”
• “20 years of experience”
The Guide:
• “Let me show you how”
• “Here’s what worked for others”
• “Three steps to get started”
The Psychology:
Buyers aren’t looking for experts to worship—they’re looking for guides to reduce their cognitive load. A Stanford study found that guidance-based content generates 3x more engagement than expertise-focused content.
🔍 Self-Assessment:
- Does your content start with their problem or your credentials?
- Do you provide clear next steps or just information?
- Are you answering “what’s in it for me?” in the first paragraph?
🔄 From Expert to Guide: Practical Templates
Expert Headline:
“Our Award-Winning Platform”
Guide Headline:
“How to Choose the Right Platform: A 5-Step Checklist”
Expert CTA:
“Request a Demo”
Guide CTA:
“Get Your Personalized Assessment”
Expert Content:
Feature lists and specifications
Guide Content:
Implementation playbooks and decision frameworks
📋 Guide-Centric Content Audit
- Analyze top 10 pages for “we/our” vs “you/your” ratio
- Convert 3 expertise-focused pieces into guide formats
- Create one diagnostic tool or assessment quiz
- Train writers using role-play scenarios
#13: Not Repurposing High-Performing Content
The Opportunity Cost:
Your best-performing content represents validated audience interest. Leaving it as a single asset wastes potential reach and efficiency.
Data Insight: Repurposed content generates 3-5x more traffic than single-format content (HubSpot). Yet 65% of marketers don’t have a repurposing strategy.
📊 Identification Criteria:
- Content with >1,000 organic visits/month
- High engagement (time on page >3 minutes)
- Multiple conversions or assisted pipeline
- Evergreen topic with lasting relevance
🔄 The Repurposing Matrix
1 Article = 12 Assets
| • LinkedIn carousel | • Email sequence |
| • Podcast episode | • Webinar script |
| • Infographic | • Sales deck |
| • Checklist | • Twitter thread |
⚙️ Systematic Repurposing Workflow
Identify
Top 5% performing content
Deconstruct
Extract key ideas & frameworks
Adapt
Create 3+ derivative formats
Distribute
Schedule across channels
📋 30-Day Repurposing Sprint
✅ Audit past year’s content for top performers
✅ Create repurposing briefs for 5 assets
✅ Produce 15 derivative assets
✅ Measure traffic lift and cost savings
#14: Forgetting to Tell Stories
The Neuroscience:
Stories are 22x more memorable than facts alone (Stanford). When we hear stories, our brains release oxytocin, increasing trust and empathy.
Business Impact: B2B companies using storytelling in sales see 20% shorter sales cycles and 15% higher win rates (Forrester).
📖 Story Architecture Template:
1. Protagonist: “Sarah, a marketing director at a mid-size SaaS company”
2. Challenge: “Facing 25% quarterly churn with no clear pattern”
3. Journey: “Tested 3 approaches over 90 days”
4. Resolution: “Reduced churn to 8% using predictive scoring”
5. Lesson: “The one metric that predicted 90% of cancellations”
🎭 Strategic Story Types
Transformation Story
Before/after with measurable change
Decision Story
Frameworks for complex choices
Learning Story
Failures turned into insights
📝 Story Integration Framework
Email Sequences
Open with micro-story (2-3 sentences) that sets up the value proposition
Case Studies
Use hero’s journey structure with decision-point emphasis
Sales Decks
Every 3 slides = 1 story beat to maintain engagement
📋 Storytelling Implementation
- Collect 5 customer stories using structured interviews
- Create story bank with tagged themes and metrics
- Train teams on story structure and delivery
- Measure engagement lift from story-integrated content
#15: Talking More About Yourself Than the Reader
🧠 Attention Economics
Readers allocate cognitive resources based on perceived relevance. Self-focused content triggers immediate disengagement.
Data: Reader-focused headlines generate 73% more clicks than self-focused headlines (BuzzSumo).
The Diagnostic Test:
Analyze your homepage, key landing pages, and email templates. Calculate the “You/We Ratio”:
Formula: (Number of “you/your” references) ÷ (Number of “we/our” references)
Target: ≥ 3:1 (Reader-focused companies average 4:1)
Warning: < 1:1 indicates excessive self-focus
🔄 Before/After Rewrites
❌ Self-Focused:
“Our award-winning platform features advanced analytics and machine learning capabilities that have earned us industry recognition.”
You/We Ratio: 0:1
✅ Reader-Focused:
“Reduce your forecasting errors by 40% in 90 days. Our platform identifies patterns you’re missing, giving you reliable predictions for better decisions.”
You/We Ratio: 5:1
❌ Self-Focused CTA:
“Schedule a demo of our platform”
✅ Reader-Focused CTA:
“Get your free revenue leakage assessment”
📋 Reader-Centered Overhaul
✅ Audit key pages for You/We Ratio
✅ Rewrite top 3 landing pages
✅ Create reader-focused CTA library
✅ Train teams on benefit-first writing
🎯 The Content Excellence Framework
How these mistakes connect and compound
Foundation
Core Message Strategy (#11)
↓
Guides everything else
Voice & Approach
Guide vs Expert (#12)
↓
Storytelling (#14)
↓
Reader Focus (#15)
Efficiency & Scale
Content Repurposing (#13)
↓
Amplifies all the above
📅 90-Day Content Transformation Roadmap
Month 1: Foundation & Audit
✅ Conduct message architecture workshop
✅ Audit top 50 content pieces
✅ Calculate You/We Ratios
Month 2: Transformation
✅ Rewrite key pages for reader focus
✅ Launch 3 guide-style content series
✅ Implement repurposing workflow
Month 3: Optimization & Scale
✅ A/B test story vs non-story content
✅ Measure performance improvements
✅ Train entire marketing team
💡 The Professional’s Edge:
“Great content strategy isn’t about publishing more. It’s about publishing with purpose—every piece reinforcing your core message, serving your reader’s needs, and building toward measurable business outcomes.”