Hey there! I’m Jess Sato, founder and CEO of Jessica Sato Consulting. Over the last 12 years, I’ve had the joy of helping leaders and entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses. As the world has evolved, I’ve seen just how important it is to boldly share your big ideas. They have the power to magnetize or repel, inspire or crush, and most importantly, create a powerful ripple effect in the world.
As a TEDx speaker coach and business growth strategist, I guide female business owners, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs with a social purpose through all phases of the TEDx process, including ideation, application submission, speaker prep, and post-talk growth strategies.
This week on the blog, I’m excited to talk about the importance of having a multi-layer messaging strategy. As business owners, this approach brings richness and depth to your marketing, allowing you to be known in a way that brings the right clients to you! Let’s dive in.
Standing out in a sea of competition can be tough, and your messaging strategy plays a vital role in differentiating you from others in the market.
Messaging, from a business perspective, is how you communicate what you do, why you do it, and how you do it differently from everyone else. Too often, though, our messaging is one-dimensional and doesn’t do much to capture the attention of your audience. That's where having a multi-layered messaging strategy comes in. In this week’s article, we'll explore three different layers of messaging, why they’re important, and what happens when you’re missing one, so you can build a powerful messaging strategy for your own business and have the impact you want in the world.
Layer 1: Your Foundational Messaging
Your foundational messaging is the basic information people need to know – who you are, what you do, and who you serve - about your business. This is the kind of stuff most people share at networking events when they get to stand up for their 60-second introduction.
This layer of messaging gives your audience an idea of what you offer and why they should care. Your foundational messaging is something that should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. It should cover the most important points about your business and make it easy for potential customers or clients to decide if they want to learn more.
This information on its own, though, isn’t often all that compelling, and it rarely captures the heart of your potential clients.
Layer 2: The Impact Of Your Business
Your impact messaging is where you start to set yourself apart from others in your industry, and I would argue, it’s the most powerful part of this process.
This layer of messaging delves into your why – why you do what you do, your mission, and the value you bring to your clients or customers. This layer is all about the story behind your business and the transformation you hope your work brings to the world.
The result: you connect with your audience on a deeper level.
This is also the layer where your values start to shine through. People want to know what you stand for, and more importantly, are you acting in alignment with those values.
In fact, according to an Accenture study, nearly two-thirds (63%) of surveyed global consumers prefer to buy from companies that are aligned with their beliefs. Further, among consumers, 62% want companies to take a stand on social, cultural, environmental and political issues.
Unless you talk about your why, your values, and the impact you want to have on the world, your clients and potential clients don’t really know you. Sharing shows your audience that you’re about more than just making a profit – you care about making a difference.
Layer 3: The Fun Stuff About You as the Owner
The final layer of messaging is the fun stuff about you and your team. For solopreneurs, especially, this layer is all about injecting personality into your messaging, so that people can get to know you on a personal level. A while back, I wrote an article about how my love for boybands and Harry Styles helped me grow my business.
On the surface, people aren’t quite sure what to make of it, but I’ve seen time and time again, in my own business and in the businesses of my clients, that when people feel connected to you as a person, they're more likely to do business with you.
This layer of messaging is where you can share your interests, your background, and anything else that makes you unique. The key is to be authentic and not to force anything – your true personality should shine through in your messaging.
So, what does this look like practically? Here's what I'd say about Jessica Sato Consulting:
Layer 1: At Jessica Sato Consulting, we specialize in equipping and supporting female founders, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs with a social mission land TEDx stages. We believe that everyone has a big idea worth sharing, and our job is to held you excavate it, polish it up, and then boldly stand on that TEDx stage sharing it with the world.
We work with people throughout the entire TEDx process, including ideation, application strategy and submission, talk prep, and post-talk leverage through visibility and messaging work.
Layer 2: Our passion for women's entrepreneurship and the amplification of their big ideas isn't driven solely by business. After growing up in the Middle East and spaces where women weren't always free to contribute fully, Jess Sato saw what happens when voices are suppressed. We know that when women run businesses, taking full advantage of their unique skills, talent, and voice, communities thrive. We are facing unprecedented challenges globally, and women's entrepreneurship can powerfully address some of those challenges, creating a more just, connected, and compassionate world.
Layer 3: Jess is a long-time boyband enthusiast, with a particular soft spot for Harry Styles. This love for music brings an energetic rhythm to her work - it's not unusual to find her orchestrating strategy sessions to the beat of "Watermelon Sugar." She’s got quirky food habits, including a strong dislike for watermelon (ironic, right?) and hot fruit. She loves to travel and spend her time hiking, camping, and climbing in the outdoors.
Whether it's navigating a foreign city or scaling a steep hiking trail, she’s consistently challenged to think on her feet, adapt, and overcome obstacles - skills that are directly connected to her work supporting female founders. All these unique traits and experiences equip her in a distinctive way to serve women who are eager to create an impact, combining purpose, profit, and a pinch of fun in their entrepreneurship and speaking journey.
Do you see how that all came together to give you a deeper, more robust picture of what we stand for, what our business is all about, and more importantly, how we made it human? That’s the power of a multi-layered messaging strategy.
What Happens When One of These Layers Is Missing?
If you're missing one of these layers of messaging, you may be missing out on potential customers or clients. Let’s play it out:
If you only have your foundational messaging, people may not see what sets you apart from others in your industry or why they should work with you.
If you're missing your impact messaging, people may not connect with you on an emotional level, may not feel like they can trust you, and worse, won’t get clarity on what you stand for and why that’s important.
If you never share the fun stuff about you as the owner, people may not feel like they know you well enough to want to do business with you.
When you combine all three layers of messaging, you create a complete and compelling message that not only captures people's attention but also builds trust and connection with your audience.
If you feel like one of these layers is missing from your messaging, take some time to evaluate the gap. Ask yourself if you're effectively communicating what your business is really all about, or sharing your unique traits, experiences, and/or passions in a way that resonates with your audience. Ask your personal board of directors, a mentor, or better yet, some of your favorite clients to get a fresh perspective on how your messaging comes across.
Remember, the more authentic and genuine you are in sharing all aspects of yourself, the more likely you’ll attract and connect with potential clients who align with your values and mission. So, don't be afraid to embrace all layers of your messaging and showcase what makes you stand out as a purpose-driven founder. By doing so, you'll not only attract the right people but also create a meaningful impact through your business.
—
If the content of this blog post resonates with you, make sure you subscribe by clicking here to get the blog delivered directly to your inbox each week.
Jess Sato is passionate about helping women globally use their unique skills, expertise, and voice to create opportunities for themselves and others through entrepreneurship. She does this by equipping and empowering female founders to grow profitable, impact-driven businesses that create positive social change. She is the founder of Jessica Sato Consulting, an award-winning large group facilitator, and a TEDx speaker coach.
She speaks and writes on the following topics:
#ImpactDrivenBusiness #ImpactDriven #MissionDriven #FemaleFounders #FemaleEntrepreneurs #BusinessStrategy #TEDx #JessicaSatoConsulting #UseYourVoice #SayWhatYouWantToSay
You can learn more about how she supports purpose-driven entrepreneurs and small businesses as they grow and scale at www.jessicasato.com or by subscribing to her podcast, Purpose + Profit - on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.