Your Messaging Isn't Deep, It’s Just Repetitive (And That's a Problem in 2026)
I’m going to be blunt, because since we first wrote this, I've seen the landscape shift significantly. Too many Brisbane business owners are still pouring thousands of dollars into 'brand workshops' only to emerge with a message that sounds suspiciously like every other tradie, accountant, or boutique in South East Queensland. It’s like everyone’s reading the same playbook, and frankly, it’s making your brand invisible.
If your messaging framework is just a laundry list of adjectives – 'innovative,' 'customer-centric,' 'reliable' – you haven’t built a strategy; you’ve built a word cloud. Most agencies will tell you that 'consistency is king,' and while that still holds some truth, I've argued before that purely consistent branding strategies can actually make you disappear. If you're consistently boring, people simply stop seeing you. It’s like the background noise you tune out on your commute down the M1.
In 2026, the Australian market, particularly here in Queensland, is more cynical and digitally fatigued than ever. We've been bombarded by AI-generated fluff, generic social media posts, and endless 'thought leadership' pieces for years. To cut through this digital din, you need a messaging framework that does more than just mirror the customer’s problem back to them. You need a framework that forces a decision, creates a connection, and ultimately, drives action. It needs to be authentic, almost raw, to truly resonate.
The Frameworks We're Still Using (and Why Some Just Don't Cut It Anymore)
Not all messaging frameworks are created equal. Some are designed for global conglomerates with endless budgets. Others are perfect for a solo-preneur selling an eBook. For a growing Australian SME, especially one navigating our unique market, you need something that balances genuine emotional resonance with a clear, hard-nosed 'buy now' trigger. We’ve tested, tweaked, and even binned a few since the original post, and here’s our updated take.
1. The StoryBrand (Donald Miller) Approach: The Good, The Bad, and The Overused
The Gist: You are the Guide; your customer is the Hero. They have a problem, you have a plan, and you lead them to a climactic win. It's about making your customer the star of their own story, not your brand.
My Updated Take: Look, I still appreciate StoryBrand for its undeniable simplicity and structure. It’s the ‘Toyota Corolla’ of frameworks – reliable, hard to mess up, and generally gets you from A to B without too much fuss. However, and this is a big however, its widespread adoption has become its Achilles' heel.
If I see one more Brisbane law firm website that starts with 'You deserve a lawyer who listens,' I might just scream. Because it’s so formulaic, it can lead to incredibly safe, robotic, and ultimately indistinguishable brand voices. We tested this with a client in South Brisbane last quarter who had meticulously applied StoryBrand principles. Their messaging was clear, but it lacked any distinctive 'flavour.' We found that while it improved clarity, it didn't significantly shift their brand perception or lead quality.
If you use this, you absolutely must inject some actual personality, local flavour, and genuine empathy into it. Don't just follow the template; break it a little. Avoid naming your business or your services like a robot, even if you’re following the 'Guide/Hero' structure. Think about how you can twist the hero's journey to reflect a uniquely Australian challenge or solution.
Best for: Businesses with complex services that need to be simplified quickly for a broad audience. It's great for initial clarity, but not for differentiation. The Trap: Sounding exactly like your competitor who also read the book. In 2026, being merely 'clear' isn't enough; you need to be compelling.
2. The Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) Framework: Still a B2B Powerhouse
The Gist: People don't buy products; they 'hire' them to do a job. It focuses on the 'functional, emotional, and social' progress a person wants to make, rather than just the features of your offering.
My Updated Take: This is still the thinking person’s framework, and it's aged incredibly well, especially for B2B or high-ticket services. The data from 2024-2025 showed a clear trend: B2B buyers are increasingly looking for tangible outcomes and problem-solving, not just features. Instead of saying 'We do commercial plumbing in Logan,' you focus on the job: 'We ensure your site never shuts down due to a burst pipe so you don't lose $50k in a day.' This speaks to the financial and operational pain points directly.
I’ve seen this work wonders for tech startups in the Valley (Fortitude Valley, that is) and professional services firms across Brisbane. It moves the conversation away from 'what we do' and toward 'what you achieve' by hiring us. However, where many go wrong is making it too clinical. While the core is rational, the delivery needs to be human. You still need a brand voice that conveys trust, expertise, and a genuine understanding of the client's world. Without that, it can feel like a dry academic exercise rather than a compelling sales pitch.
Best for: B2B, SaaS, high-stakes service providers, and any business where the purchase decision involves significant risk or investment. It's about aligning your solution with your customer's ultimate goal. The Trap: Becoming too clinical and losing the emotional 'heart' of the brand. Remember, even B2B decisions are made by people.
3. The 'Enemy' Framework: The Contrarian Choice for a Crowded Market (My Personal Pick for 2026)
The Gist: Define your brand by what you are against. You create an 'us vs. them' narrative that builds intense loyalty among those who share your frustration with the status quo.
My Updated Take: This is my personal favourite for 2026, and honestly, we got this mostly right in the original post, but its relevance has only increased. In an era of beige, taking a clear stand is a superpower. People are tired of fence-sitters; they crave authenticity and conviction. When everyone else is trying to be everything to everyone, being explicitly not something is incredibly powerful.
Last year, we worked with a client in the financial planning space who was sick of the industry’s jargon-filled, 'set and forget' approach. By positioning themselves against 'cookie-cutter financial advice that leaves you guessing,' they doubled their lead flow in six months and attracted a much more engaged, loyal client base. They weren't just offering a service; they were offering a solution to a shared frustration.
This requires guts. You will alienate some people – and that's okay. In fact, it's often the point. As I often tell our clients, if you aren't annoying someone, you’re probably not interesting enough to be remembered. This is especially true when defining your internal culture; if your core values are boring, your messaging will be too. The 'enemy' framework aligns perfectly with the current consumer desire for brands that stand for something beyond just profit.
Best for: Disruptors, boutique agencies, brands in crowded or complacent markets, and anyone tired of blending in. It's for brands with a clear point of view. The Trap: Coming across as arrogant, mean-spirited, or simply whiny if you don't ground the 'enemy' in a legitimate, widely felt customer frustration. Your 'enemy' shouldn't be a competitor's specific product, but rather a problem or mindset that your competitors embody.
Why Most Brisbane Agencies (Still) Get This Wrong
I’ve sat in on enough 'discovery sessions' to know the drill. An agency sits you down, asks you who your 'avatar' is (still usually someone named 'Sarah, 35, loves Pilates and coffee,' which, no offence to Sarahs, is becoming a useless stereotype), and then writes a mission statement that says you provide 'quality service at an affordable price.' Side note: this used to work, but Google's changed the game – they want specificity, not generalities.
That isn't a framework. That’s a platitude. It's a marketing equivalent of a participation trophy.
Real messaging strategy requires you to make a choice. You cannot be the 'premium, luxury choice' and the 'affordable, everyday choice' at the same time. Most agencies are too afraid to tell you that you need to pick a lane because they don't want to be responsible for the customers you 'lose.' But a good framework should be a filter, not a magnet for everyone. It should repel those who aren't a good fit, allowing you to focus your resources on those who are.
How to Build Your Own (The 'No-Fluff, No-Nonsense' Method for 2026)
If you’re sitting at a desk in Milton or Chermside right now wondering how to fix your messaging without spending $20k on a consultant, do this today. This is what the updated data actually tells us is working:
1. Identify the 'Status Quo' Pain (The Unspoken Frustration): What is the annoying, inefficient, or downright infuriating thing everyone in your industry does that drives your customers nuts? Go deeper than surface-level. (e.g., 'Tradies who don't show up on time' is a start, but 'The anxiety of waiting all day for a no-show tradie, costing you a day’s income' is better). This is about emotional and practical impact. 2. State Your 'Anti-Thesis' (Your Bold Stand): We are the brand that [Does the Opposite] with conviction and purpose. This isn't just a promise; it's a declaration of intent. (e.g., 'We provide real-time tracking and guaranteed arrival windows so you can plan your day, not reschedule it'). 3. Prove the Transformation (Show, Don't Just Tell): Don't just say you're better. Show the 'After' photo, the measurable outcome, the emotional relief. If you’re a landscaper, don't just show a perfectly mown lawn; show a family actually enjoying a Sunday BBQ in a space that feels like an extension of their home, not just a backyard. Use testimonials that speak to this transformation, not just 'great service.' Video testimonials are gold here. 4. Kill the Jargon (The Pub Test): If a 10-year-old at the Ekka wouldn't understand what you do, or if your mate over a schooner at the RE would glaze over, your messaging is too complex. Strip out words like 'synergy,' 'bespoke,' 'holistic,' 'leveraging,' and 'optimising solutions' unless you are literally a holistic healer or an SEO specialist. Use plain English, Australian slang if appropriate, and speak like a human being.
The 'Vibe Check' Test (Still Essential, Now More Than Ever)
Here’s a little trick we still use, and its importance has only grown. Read your current website copy, your social media posts, your service descriptions out loud. Now, imagine saying those exact words to a mate over a schooner at the RE, or a coffee at your local. Does it sound natural? Does it sound like you? Or do you sound like a LinkedIn bot that’s had too much caffeine and read too many marketing textbooks?
If it’s the latter, your framework is broken. Period.
Messaging in 2026 is about radical clarity, genuine connection, and a bit of 'punch.' People are tired of being 'marketed' to. They want to be spoken to, understood, and respected. Whether you use StoryBrand (with a twist), JTBD, or a contrarian approach, the goal is the same: make them feel like you get their problem in a way no one else does, and that you're the most logical, trustworthy, and even exciting solution.
Stop Playing it Safe (Your Growth Depends On It)
I get it – taking a bold stance feels risky. You worry about the Google Reviews or the 'Five-Star' reputation you've worked so hard for. But as we've discussed before, sometimes a perfect reputation is actually killing your growth because it means you're playing it too safe to be remarkable. The biggest frustration I hear from clients is 'we're good at what we do, but no one knows it.' That's a messaging problem.
Your messaging framework should be the backbone of your entire business, not just a marketing afterthought. It should dictate how you answer the phone, how you write your emails, how you handle complaints, and even how you hire. It’s not just a marketing document; it’s a manifesto for your business and a filter for your ideal clients.
If you're tired of your brand blending into the background of the Brisbane suburbs, indistinguishable from the next, it's time to stop 'refining' your message and start rebuilding it with purpose and personality. The market won't wait for you to find your voice.
Ready to stop being invisible and actually stand out in 2026? At Local Marketing Group, we don't do 'safe.' We build brand strategies and messaging frameworks that actually move the needle for Australian businesses, helping them articulate their unique value with conviction. If you want a messaging framework that works as hard as you do, let’s chat. Contact us today and let’s get to work.