How to Conduct a Communications Audit. Focus on Messaging

Key Takeaways

• "Message creep” destroys brand value increasing acquisition costs and turning your brand into an interchangeable commodity.

  
  

• Just consistently applying your brand message can increase growth by up to 20%

  
  

• Most communications audits miss the mark by focusing on performance rather than identifying off-brand content

While ostensibly, a communications audit is undertaken to determine how well a brand is conveying its brand value, too often, the focus drifts. Message alignment and, importantly, consistency get overlooked, and that’s a BIG mistake. Simply being consistent can equal growth of up to 20%. Yet, a shocking 77% of brands in a recent survey said they often post off-brand messaging.

Don’t waste resources conducting a communications audit focused on design standards, follower counts, and posting frequency; look for off-brand, inconsistent, and incoherent messaging instead. It has a much bigger impact on your bottom line.

Why? We’re Scatterbrained and Skeptical

Media proliferation, screentime, and constant bombardment have made us all a bit scatterbrained. In 2025, it takes 8-12 touches for someone to remember your brand... but the message has to be consistent in every touch to embed the memory.

Once embedded, that memory is your brand’s secret weapon because it engenders TRUST. Bombarded with conflicting information, 80% of consumers say TRUST is a deal breaker or deciding factor in their brand-buying decision.

Message Creep: The Silent Brand Killer

"Message creep" happens to the best of us. Marketing teams, in their rush to create viral TikToks and engaging social content, often forget their primary purpose—communicating your value proposition consistently.

A gradual erosion of your core value proposition, when messaging is all over the place, confuses customers, not only eroding trust but also creating cognitive dissonance - the paralyzing state that prevents them from making a purchase decision.

A memorable brand's market dominance isn't accidental; it's a direct result of disciplined communication.

The Cost of Inconsistency

Inconsistent messaging can be costly. Lower conversion rates may be the first sign, but the long-term costs are even more significant.

Higher customer acquisition costs escalate as inconsistent messaging requires more touchpoints to convince customers. Reduced word-of-mouth follows because people only share brands they can easily describe, and inconsistent messaging makes this impossible. Team confusion emerges when external messaging inconsistency creates internal strategic misalignment. Marketing spending gets wasted as competing messages reduce overall campaign impact.

Finally, your brand becomes a commodity—without clear positioning, you become interchangeable with competitors in the minds of consumers. I've seen companies spend millions on advertising only to undermine it all with inconsistent messaging. One financial services client was shocked to discover they were using eight different value propositions across their marketing materials.

Clear up Chaos with a Messaging Audit

Message creep is inevitable without vigilant oversight. The solution? Before you start your communications audit, identify message dilution. Here's how.

1. Collect 3-5 samples from each communication channel

• Website headlines and subheads

• Social media bios and recent posts from each platform

• Ad headlines and email subject lines

• Sales materials and product packaging

2. Check for alignment within channels

   
   

• Organize samples by channel and audience

• Include adjectives, benefits, and recurring taglines in your analysis

• Is the messaging consistent within each channel consistent?

• Are they prioritizing the same benefits?

• Do messages align with the channel's audience

• Do messages align with your messaging hierarchy for the targeted market?

• Could they all be describing the same brand?

3. Now check for alignment between channels

   
   

• Is the messaging consistent across channels?

• Are they prioritizing the same benefits?

• Are they targeting the same target market? If not, do the messages align with the targeted market and messaging hierarchy?

• Could they all be describing the same brand?

4. Compare to your value proposition

   
   

• Do all channels support and amplify your value proposition?

• Where has message dilution occurred?

5. Realign your messaging strategy

   
   

• Review your brand book and messaging guidelines. Do they need to be updated?

• Distribute an updated brand book to all team members.

• Conduct yearly or quarterly workshops to ensure everyone involved in communications is on the same page.

If you don’t have a brand book or doesn't include messaging guidelines, you'll want to add these three sections:

• Brand value proposition: Document the singular, compelling reason customers should choose you over competitors.

  
  

• Messaging guidelines: Translate your value proposition into audience-specific language for each target segment

  
  

• Channel execution standards: Adapt the messaging guidelines for each platform's style and tone. Include appropriate hashtags and image guidelines.

Messaging Matters More Than Ever

In this fragmented and polarized media environment, each inconsistent message reduces consumer trust, creates friction in the buying journey, and wastes marketing dollars. When you skip a messaging consistency check, your communications audit is measuring outcomes based on a foundation of sand. Any corrections fix the symptoms, not the problem.

Winning brands aren't necessarily those with the biggest budgets or the most creative campaigns, they're the ones that maintain a laser focus on their core value proposition across every channel.

Maryanne Conlin is an award-winning, classically trained marketer and founder of NeuroD Marketing. She's worked with leading Fortune 500 brands, including Disney, P&G, and Tesla, and helped over 500 clients build their businesses strategically for sustainable growth. An expert speaker and writer on targeting & positioning, she runs workshops and teaches internationally.

Contact me to learn more about messaging and communications audits or team workshops on messaging strategy to create strong foundations for your brand.