How Our Brand Messaging Agency Process Drives Growth
Talking about strategy isn't enough. You've got to build it. Codify it. Share it. Align around it. Here's how our Message Map framework turns scattered ideas into strategic alignment.
TL;DR Key Takeaways
A brand messaging agency builds your company's constitution, not a Google Doc—it's strategic bedrock. Define who you serve AND who you actively repel to stop chasing poor-fit leads. Jobs to Be Done has three layers (Functional, Social, and Emotional)—speak to all three. The best brand messaging agency work ensures value props include Capability + Benefit + Proof, not just features or vague promises.
Why brand messaging is the first lever you should pull
At Laurel Leaf, our brand messaging agency goes on (and on) about the importance of building a strong messaging foundation. But here's the thing:
Talking about strategy isn't enough. You've got to build it. Codify it. Share it. Align around it.
Because the alternative is... chaos.
⚠️ What Chaos Looks Like
- • Knowledge buried in Slack threads
- • Conflicting value props across decks and docs
- • Endless rounds of "Does this still sound right?"
- • Nobody remembers what the last agency wrote
At Laurel Leaf, we treat messaging as your company's constitution, not a Google Doc. It's the strategic bedrock we build everything on. And after refining it across dozens of client engagements, we've developed a way to make this process repeatable, collaborative, and genuinely useful:
🚀 Our Message Map
The flagship output of our brand messaging agency process. If you're looking for an agency that doesn't just create decks but builds a system that scales, you're in the right place.
ICP, buying teams, and the power of disqualification
Before you can communicate value, you need to know exactly who you're talking to. Our Message Map starts with:
ICP Definition
Company stage, industry, size, priorities, and tooling. For us? Seed to Series B SaaS/AI startups with lean GTM teams.
Buying Team
Champions, decision-makers, end users. Because you're rarely selling to just one person.
Psychographics
What they value. What they fear. Where they hang out. What triggers action.
Anti-Customer
Who not to target. If your messaging attracts everyone, it resonates with no one.
Key Insight
We believe in defining both who you serve—and who you actively want to repel. This clarity prevents misalignment and stops your team from chasing poor-fit leads.
Jobs to Be Done: Functional, Social, Emotional
Too many messaging frameworks stop at "what we do." Ours digs deeper:
Functional
What are people hiring you to do? For us: clarify positioning, build strategic content, drive conversions.
Social
What image are they trying to project? "I chose a smart partner who gets our space."
Emotional
What deeper need are you satisfying? Confidence. Trust. Relief from the overwhelm.
Understanding the JTBD layers ensures your strategic messaging speaks to both logic and emotion.
Desired outcomes and core problem
Instead of jumping straight to pain points, we zoom out:
- Desired State: What does success actually look like for your buyer?
- Core Problem: What's blocking them from achieving that?
- Symptoms: The nagging issues that surface when your messaging is misaligned or unclear.
💡 The Shift in Focus
Your job isn't just to solve pains. It's to pave the path to their desired future. This shift—from patching problems to enabling outcomes—is a key differentiator of effective brand messaging agency work.
Why now? Stakes, triggers, and the cost of inaction
The most powerful messaging introduces urgency.
- What external market shifts make this the right time to act?
- What internal dynamics (funding, hiring, pressure from leadership) are pushing your buyer to prioritize messaging?
- What happens if they don't fix this?
Doing nothing is always an option. Your messaging needs to show why it's the wrong one.
Your POV, the villain, and old vs. new way
What do you believe about your market that others don't?
At Laurel Leaf, we believe:
"Most early-stage teams skip foundational messaging and jump straight into content—which leads to fragmented efforts and flat results."
We help clients define:
- Their point of view
- The villain (made popular by StoryBrand)
- The old way vs. new way comparison
This is where you start standing for something—and stop sounding like everyone else. It's also where your positioning framework starts to take shape.
Build your positioning foundation
Now that we've clarified the audience, needs, and narrative, it's time to build structure.
Category
What kind of solution are you? What mental box should buyers place you in?
Main Capability
What does your solution enable?
Process
How does it work? What should buyers expect once they're in?
💡 Why Process Matters
People don't just buy outcomes. They buy confidence in your process. This is one of the most overlooked areas where a brand messaging agency can add real value: translating abstract value into a tangible positioning framework and roadmap.
Value propositions = Capability + Benefit + Proof
The most misunderstood part of messaging? Value props.
A good value prop isn't just a feature or a benefit. It's a mini-argument:
🔎 The Formula
Capability + Benefit + Proof = Value Proposition
For example:
- Message Mapping Workshops: Align your entire GTM team in one week → Led Autoblocks and Fifth Dimension through this with measurable results.
- ICP-Specific Value Prop Development: Stand out in a crowded market → Helped Vanilla Steel 3x landing page conversions.
This is how you go beyond vague promises to actual differentiation—and strengthen the core of your strategic messaging.
Deleted workflows (especially for AI startups)
For AI companies, we include a dedicated slide:
Workflows to Be Deleted: Which slow, error-prone, manual processes are you eliminating?
This framing helps articulate impact in clear, relatable terms—critical in a market flooded with hype. It's one reason our brand messaging agency has become a go-to partner for AI startups navigating early GTM challenges.
The pitch stack: One-liner, first floor, tenth floor
Because sometimes you have 10 seconds—and sometimes you have 3 paragraphs.
One-Liner
Who you are, what you do, who it's for. 10 seconds max.
First Floor Pitch
One paragraph. Slightly expanded version for quick conversations.
Tenth Floor Pitch
Full strategic narrative for deeper conversations.
Clarity at every level—crafted with the support of your brand messaging agency and embedded into a complete positioning framework.
Language to use—and avoid
We capture the voice of your audience and map landmines:
- What phrases resonate?
- What terms alienate them?
- Are there regulatory red flags (especially in health tech or fintech)?
We've seen great messaging fall flat because it sounded good to the company—but not to the customer. Avoid that trap with help from an experienced brand messaging agency focused on precision and strategic messaging.
Bonus: Modular, customizable, practical
No two companies are the same. So our Message Map is:
- Modular by segment, product, use case, or vertical
- Tailored to your customer journey
- Flexible enough to update as your business evolves
Use it to write your homepage, revamp your deck, brief your agency, or align your founders before fundraising. It scales with you—just like a great brand messaging agency should.
The takeaway: This isn't just a framework. It's a foundation.
One PMM at a Series B AI company called it "probably the best framework I've ever used."
We've used this Message Map with:
- Teams who needed to rebuild their homepage in 2 weeks
- Founders pitching to enterprise buyers
- CMOs aligning cross-functional teams on one narrative
Every time, it brings clarity. And clarity creates momentum.
If you're serious about creating a content engine that drives growth, start with your message.
Want a brand messaging agency that makes the strategic stuff actually usable?
See our Message Mapping packagesFrequently Asked Questions
Caitlin McCarthy
Messaging and Content Strategist at Laurel Leaf