Picture this: You’re in a coffee shop. You order an iced coffee with oat milk, but the barista gives you a confused look. Internally, they call it an “iceberg latte” and only stock almond milk – they just haven’t updated the menu. Later, your friend mentions seeing their “glacial grind” on TikTok but swears it was made with hazelnut milk.
Confused? Welcome to how your customers feel when your team can’t agree on what you do.
Here’s a stat that’ll make your coffee go cold (and not in a good way): Grammarly’s 2024 State of Business Communications report states that poor communication costs companies the equivalent of $1.2 trillion annually.
That’s not a typo; that’s your bottom line leaking faster than a dodgy espresso machine.
But here’s what’s really wild – 85% of leaders think their company communications are helpful and relevant, but only 45% of employees agree.
It’s like that dress debate all over again, except this time it’s costing you serious money (and it was blue and gold btw).
Internal chaos creates external confusion. When your sales team describes your service one way, your marketing team describes it another, and your CEO has their own special version that they keep to themselves, you’re not building a brand – you’re building a Tower of Babel. Mixed messaging helps no one, least of all your sales.
Companies with strong internal communication practices are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their competitors.
Meanwhile, 74% of employees feel they’re missing out on company news and updates.
The gap isn’t just clear – it’s a chasm.
Beyond the headline-grabbing billions, here’s what mixed messaging costs your business:
Customer churn: 68% of customers switch to competitors due to poor business communication.
That’s not about your product quality – that’s about your ability to explain why you matter.
Team burnout: Poor communication causes 43% of people to experience burnout, stress and fatigue.
Your brilliant team is exhausting itself, trying to decode what they should be saying.
Lost productivity: Business leaders estimate poor communication results in 7.47 wasted hours per week per worker. That’s nearly one in five work days spent untangling communication knots instead of creating value.
Here’s the thing everyone gets wrong: it’s not always the loudest voice that gets heard – it’s the clearest.
The solution isn’t more meetings, longer documents, or another Slack channel. It’s getting crystal clear on your story and making sure everyone can tell it with confidence.
Think about brands you admire. Apple doesn’t have a different story from their engineers versus their marketers. Netflix doesn’t confuse you with mixed messages across departments.
They’ve cracked the code on consistent, clear communication.
As content creators, we’re uniquely positioned to solve this. We understand the power of messaging. We know that the right words in the right order can transform understanding.
But here’s what’s happening in most organisations: marketing creates beautiful content, but it’s based on assumptions about what the business does rather than aligned, agreed-upon messaging.
The fix? Start with story alignment before creating content.
1. Audit The Confusion: Grab three people from different departments. Ask them to explain what your company does in one sentence. If you get three different answers, you’ve found your problem.
2. Create Your Message House: Think of it like a house: Your overarching value sits on top, your three to five core messages form the pillars, and your proof points, statistics, and testimonials create the foundation. Getting your story straight means everyone can tell it with confidence.
3. Test and Refine: Try your new messaging with real customers. Do they get it? Do they care? Does it make them want to know more?
4. Create Content Systems that Support Consistency: This is where your content creation skills start to shine (again). Build templates, frameworks, and guidelines that make it easy for anyone to create on-brand content.
By 2027, more than 40% of digital workplace operational activities will be performed using management tools enhanced by GenAI.
However, here’s the catch: AI can’t fix unclear messaging – it’ll just amplify the confusion faster.
Get your story straight first, then let AI help you scale it.
We’re living in the attention economy. The internet is saturated with content on every platform. Fully saturated and, if we are being honest, overflowing.
In a world where everyone’s shouting, clarity becomes your competitive advantage.
If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And they might not get it right.
Your customers shouldn’t need a decoder ring to understand what you do. Your team shouldn’t feel anxious about explaining your value. Your content shouldn’t contradict itself across channels.
Clear messaging isn’t just nice to have – it’s business-critical.
Ready to get your story straight? Your content (and your bottom line) will thank you.
