Brand messaging and website copy are two different things that work together to help you build your business.
In this post, you'll learn the difference between these two essential parts of your business's communication ecosystem and how to ensure your web copy reflects your messaging so you can get the best results!
Read on to discover:
1. The difference between brand messaging and website copy
2. How to weave your core messaging onto every website page
3. What to know about using brand voice in your web copy
4. Where to use specific brand messaging assets on your website
What’s the difference between brand messaging and web copy?
Brand messaging is a strategy-informed style and set of communication assets that capture your brand’s voice and articulate its value to your audience. In short, brand messaging is what you say and how you say it.
When you develop your brand messaging, you identify your core messages, dive deep into what your target audience cares about, and create specific assets like your tagline, mission statement, and core values statement, as well as your brand voice guidelines.
Website copy, meanwhile, refers to the words that appear on the pages of your website. The copy on your site serves as an audience-facing marketing tool that works in tandem with your site's design to connect with the right people and convert them into customers. Strong website copy helps people understand your value and prompts them to take action by inquiring, buying, booking, or subscribing.
For your website copy to do its job effectively, it needs a solid messaging foundation. Copy that’s grounded in messaging helps you:
Give every site visitor a consistent, accurate impression of your brand
Differentiate your business from others in your industry
Attract the people you most want to work with (and repel bad fit customers!)
Make every word on your site feel intentional
Mind your messages on every page.
A crucial component of any foundational brand messaging process is identifying the core messages that capture your differentiators and your value. Once you have clarity about those messages you can use them to develop web copy that converts more effectively.
In my Foundational Brand Messaging process, I call these core messages your Big Three.
Three is considered a magic number in marketing and storytelling. The Rule of Three suggests that concepts are more easily understood and remembered when presented in groups of three. When you present three related pieces of information, they give the brain enough information to make connections and form a pattern.
By limiting yourself to three overarching messages, you do two things:
1) You force yourself to ditch the fluff and get crystal clear about what you want to say.
2) You help your audience remember what you want them to remember.
There are many paths to and through your website, and few people will visit every page. That's why it pays to incorporate your Big Three on every page of the site.
Here are some tips for adapting and including these umbrella ideas throughout your website:
Identify the page's primary goal.
Find opportunities to incorporate your messages in ways that fit the page’s purpose and the audience (bonus points if you can get them in “above the fold,” meaning before a user needs to scroll).
Make sure to leverage site styles and layouts to make your core messages pop.
Check your voice throughout the site.
When you speak your audience’s language in your brand voice, you build an immediate connection.
The term "brand voice" refers to how you use language to express your brand's personality, values, and unique position within your market.
Brand voice has four main components: personality, tone, language, and cadence:
Personality refers to the human traits that define your brand’s persona and are reflected in the way you speak. For instance, a brand might be playful, irreverent, serious, or warm.
Tone conveys your brand’s overall attitude and helps your brand feel recognizable and human. Just as you might speak differently to your spouse or your boss, your tone may vary slightly depending on the situation, medium, or specific message.
Language is about the specific words you use—or avoid—when communicating on behalf of your brand. You can document common words and phrases in your Brand Lexicon for reference.
Cadence is the typical rhythm of your brand's written materials. For example, are you a brand that uses short sentences and sentence fragments, or do you share ideas at a more relaxed pace?
Your website is often the first place a potential customer experiences your brand. Here are a few ways to ensure you’re sounding on point:
Conduct a Personality Sweep
When infusing personality into your copy, I like to aim for sprinkles— not bucketfuls. Remember, clarity is queen. While your personality should be present, you also want to help people easily understand what you offer and what to do next. A few of my favorite places to personalize the copy include subheadings, FAQ answers, product or service descriptions, and the 401 redirect page!
Use the Right Point of View
Here's a simple but often overlooked tip: determine the point of view you'll use on your site and stay consistent with it. To be most approachable and conversational, I recommend using the first-person plural (we) or the first-person singular (I).
Leverage Your Brand Lexicon
Pull out your Brand Lexicon and make sure you follow it throughout your site. For instance, are you a brand that says "fast" or "quick? Do you prefer to describe your spa as "peaceful" or "serene?" Are there abbreviations you try to avoid? All of these details matter!
Check for Brand Style
Your Brand Style Guide documents how you format dates and numbers, whether you use emojis (and which ones!), and how many exclamation points are too many. Have it open alongside your website and check that you are consistently following your own guidelines to achieve a polished site.
A Word of Caution:
Applying brand voice to your web copy is an area where digital editing software like Grammarly and AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT can lead you astray. Increasingly, these tools like to give suggestions that "clean up" your language or work in less common synonyms. The problem is they don't know you or your brand voice. Be cautious with these suggestions, or they may strip your copy of personality and distinction.
Activate your assets!
There are also some messaging assets that you can—and should— incorporate directly into your site. These are three examples:
About Statement
An about statement is a brief narrative explaining who you are, what you do, and why you do it. Your long About Statement is often the perfect centerpiece for your About Page.
Core Values
Brand core values are fundamental beliefs and ideals that guide how your brand operates and shows up in the world. Approximately 7 in 10 adults in the United States choose to buy from brands that reflect their personal values. Many purpose-driven brands incorporate their Core Values statement on their About Page or their Process or Approach Page.
Tagline
A tagline is a short phrase that memorably communicates what your business does. Your tagline can work well in your site header, homepage hero section, or site footer, depending on the tag and the broader copy strategy.
Crafting messaging and using it well is hard work—but it pays off.
Brand messaging is only worthwhile if you put it into action!
Your website will always get better results when it's built on a strategic messaging foundation.
If you’re doing your own website copywriting, be sure to use the tips shared in this post. Or, if you’re feeling stuck and want help from a professional, reach out and let’s talk about how I can help.
