What it means
Messaging, also sometimes referred to as copy, is the art of generating carefully crafted phrasing for use in marketing, communications, and audience engagement. It is created with the intended audience in mind to maximize effectiveness or resonance.
How it’s used
Messaging is used in advertising copy and communications outreach and as talking points for internal teams. It should make a clear and compelling assertion to advance some organizational objective, such as selling tickets or encouraging donations. Sometimes what we think we are saying is not what is being heard, and so its effectiveness can be improved through market testing, market research, and workshopping—all ways of listening to your audience.
Why it matters
Messaging serves to build awareness, create consistency, and develop positive associations with the museum. Messaging helps the audience understand why the museum matters, the work they do, where they want to go, and any big shifts (new directors, new board, crises, etc.). It serves to drive brand, perception, and action.
There is always a gap between what the organization wants to communicate and what is received by the intended audience. Messaging is the art of reducing the discrepancy between intent and result in external communications.
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See: Can you hear me?