On further analysis, we (designer and I) decided that – before putting fingers to keyboard or mouse to graphics program for version number nine, it was time to go back and revisit the strategy document behind the assignment.

Not surprisingly, there wasn’t one. Not even a short memo with a quick sentence or two about what the piece should try to do.  No wonder the wheels kept spinning:  There was no way to know when the final product had arrived at its destination!

Fortunately, the client agreed to stop the madness, take a deep breath with us, and talk about the objectives and audience for the project.  That gave us what we needed to develop a messaging strategy before another word was written.

In a recent blog post on the subject, corporate writer Andy Bartling suggests that developing a messaging strategy can reduce time spent on writing projects by as much as 30%.  Why?  Bartling says it’s because a corporate message strategy “ensures you’ll always deliver the right message, to the right audience, at the right moment in time. Even better,” he adds, “when a corporate writer works from a messaging platform, you never start from scratch–because your foundation story is already baked in.”

Corporate messaging platforms are “the surest way to write with clarity, consistency and efficiency, every time. (Not to mention the lower costs, if you’re a company outsourcing to corporate writers and designers.)” concludes Bartling. 

For more on how to build a messaging platform for your organization, visit his site, www.corporatewriterinsider.com.