Planning Your Messaging Strategy
TL;DR:
- A structured messaging plan keeps you from overwhelming customers while boosting engagement
- Set clear objectives for what each message should achieve
- Create a messaging calendar to manage timing and content types
- Segment your audience to send relevant messages to the right people
- Keep your tone and timing consistent across all platforms
Planning your messaging strategy properly makes the difference between engaging your audience and annoying them. Here's how to get it right from the start.
Why Your Messaging Needs a Plan
Before you send a single message, you need to know what you're trying to achieve. Are you looking to drive sales, improve customer service, or keep people engaged with your brand? Each message should have a clear purpose that ties back to these goals.
Without a plan, you'll end up sending random messages whenever you think of something. This approach usually leads to either overwhelming your audience or going silent for weeks at a time. Neither works well.
Building Your Messaging Calendar
A messaging calendar keeps you organised and helps you avoid the common mistake of sending too many promotional messages in a row.
Getting Your Timing Right
Work out how often to message your audience without overdoing it. This varies depending on your business and audience, but start conservatively. You can always increase frequency if people are engaging well.
Most businesses find success with a mix like this:
- One welcome message for new subscribers
- Weekly updates or tips
- Monthly promotional offers
- Seasonal campaigns when relevant
Planning Your Content Mix
Rotate between different types of messages to keep things interesting:
- Informational messages: Tips, guides, or industry updates
- Promotional messages: Special offers or new product announcements
- Engagement messages: Questions, polls, or community updates
The general rule is to provide value more often than you ask for something. A good starting ratio is three helpful messages for every promotional one.
Mapping Your Key Message Flows
Some messages work best as part of a sequence rather than standalone communications:
Onboarding Flow: Welcome new customers or subscribers with a series of messages that introduce your business and set expectations.
Promotional Campaigns: Plan out product launches or sales with a sequence that builds interest, announces the offer, and includes follow-up reminders.
Re-engagement Campaigns: Bring back inactive customers with a series of messages offering value or special incentives.
Use a simple calendar tool or spreadsheet to map these out. You need to see what's going out when to avoid message conflicts or gaps.
Segmenting Your Audience
Not everyone on your list wants the same messages. Segmenting lets you send more relevant content, which improves engagement and reduces unsubscribes.
Start with basic segments based on:
- How people joined your list (website signup vs purchase)
- Purchase history (new customers vs repeat buyers)
- Location (if relevant to your business)
- Engagement level (active vs inactive subscribers)
You can get more sophisticated over time, but these basic segments will make a big difference to your results.
Keeping Your Messaging Consistent
Consistency in your messaging builds trust and sets proper expectations with your audience.
Tone and Style: Decide how your brand sounds in messages and stick to it. If you're casual and friendly in your first message, don't suddenly become formal and corporate in the next one.
Timing: Try to message on consistent days and times. If you usually send updates on Tuesdays, people will start to expect and look for them.
Frequency: Once you establish a messaging rhythm, stick to it. Going from weekly messages to daily ones without warning will irritate your audience.
Testing and Adjusting Your Strategy
Your initial plan won't be perfect, and that's fine. Pay attention to your open rates, click rates, and unsubscribe numbers to see what's working.
If engagement drops after you increase frequency, pull back. If certain types of messages get much better responses, create more content like that.
Keep notes on what works and what doesn't. This information becomes valuable when planning future campaigns.
FAQs
How often should I message my audience?
Start with once a week and adjust based on engagement. B2B audiences often prefer less frequent messages, while B2C audiences may engage with more regular contact.
What's the best way to segment my audience when starting out?
Begin with how people joined your list and their purchase history. These two factors usually create the most meaningful segments for messaging.
How do I know if my messaging tone is working?
Watch your engagement metrics and direct feedback. If open rates are steady and you're getting positive responses, your tone is likely working well.
Jargon Buster
Messaging Strategy: Your plan for who gets which messages, when, and why
Audience Segmentation: Dividing your contact list into groups based on shared characteristics or behaviours
Message Flow: A sequence of related messages sent over time, like a welcome series or product launch campaign
Engagement Rate: How many people open, click, or respond to your messages compared to how many receive them
Wrap-up
A good messaging strategy prevents you from winging it every time you want to contact your audience. Take time to plan your approach, understand your audience segments, and create a consistent schedule.
Start simple with basic segments and a manageable messaging frequency. You can always refine and expand your strategy as you learn what works for your specific audience.
The goal is meaningful communication, not just regular communication. Every message should serve a purpose and provide value to the people receiving it.
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