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What Is Your Message? What Should It Be?
By Chuck Mancino, Marketing Consultant
It sounds pretty simple. What message are you delivering to your customers and prospects? From your website, direct-mail or print ads, what is your current message, and what should it be?
Why the Correct Message Is Vital
Studies say people only take eight seconds to grasp the "message" of a website, and if it isn't clear within eight seconds, the prospects will surf on by. With print ads, you have even less time. People are busier than ever. Most turn quickly through their publications, only stopping when something speaks to their needs. If your headline doesn't quickly tell them why they need to spend the time to learn more, chances are, they will flip right by.
The Selfish Factor
When forming your message, keep in mind your audience is most likely in one mindset when viewing your ad, website or literature: What's in it for me? If the headline of your ad includes your company name, you are making a mistake. Since your company name, in itself, does not convey a benefit to your prospect, it should not be in the headline; a BENEFIT should.
What Makes Your Prospects Tick?
You must be intimate with the answer to this question in order to create effective copy. For instance, if your target is a massage therapist, making maximum profit is not what typically drives that profession; an ad headline of "Make the most money ever" might be a turn-off, not a turn-on. On the other hand, Chiropractors are more – but not completely – influenced by profit-related factors (since they have an office, staff, more expenses, etc.). But even many of them are often turned off by "profit-only" messages. Consider the following when determining your message:
- What are the dreams of your target audience? When they set out in their profession, what drove them to become what they are?
- What are their frustrations? What does your product/service offer in reducing a prevalent and constant problem? According to a practice management group, many chiropractors stay in business and generate profit, but are doing so with high levels of stress. They would find their level of business acceptable IF they could manage to do so in a pleasant, enjoyable, stress-free manner.
- What do they fear? Does your product or service alleviate a common fear for your audience?
- What does your audience aspire to accomplish for their client base? How can your product assist them in ways they may not have considered? For instance, if your prospect's main objective is to alleviate pain, perhaps your company offers something that helps achieve the same objective, but not in context of their current offering.
Get Their Attention, or Nothing Else Matters
No matter how well-crafted your overall message is, if you don't get your prospects to "Stop and read," then all other factors are totally irrelevant. Too often, companies feel they must get their full story in their print ad or on the front page of their website. If the end result is a cluttered space, then the vast majority of your audience will never bother to even read your headline, let alone soak in your full message. And if they flip on by – and never bother to understand your value – nothing else matters.
Stressing Benefit With a Call to Action
- Include a strong call to action. Offering free information or samples is the best way to generate response. A free report, CD, DVD, etc., on something related to what your company does is the most effective technique. One response I get from clients regarding this technique is, "But these leads are not qualified. I generated a lot of leads, but all they wanted was the free gift and don't want to talk about buying our service." Which leads me to…
- Farming vs. hunting. If your ad or website makes people pick up the phone and become your customer, then super. Consider yourself fortunate. But if you limit your effort to nothing but that sort of response, you will be ripping yourself off. You should be building a "database of prospects," which will be a "farming" effort, as opposed to "hunting." Collecting e-mail and street addresses allows you to consistently "get in front of" a target group with a newsletter, etc. It isn't instant sales, but over time, it will prove to be a growing, collective effort that will harvest new business over time.
- Consistency. Some statistics say that your message must be heard or seen an average of 12 times before it generates action. You have to be in front of your audience consistently and constantly. Don't expect even the best messaging to bear fruit in a single impression. Stay with it.
Hint: Instead of sending "offers" only in your e-mails, etc., include content that provides value, which will cause more people to open and read it, as opposed to instant deletion. For instance, a lawn fertilizer company e-mails me consistently. I open their e-mail because it tells me what I need to use on my lawn for the specific upcoming season. It's not rocket science, but I do open their newsletter just to make sure I am on track. (In Florida, if you don't keep up on your lawn, you will soon not have a lawn; you will have a nice variety of weeds.)
So, what really matters? Write a clear message that expresses a benefit. Ensure your headline is read by including a lot of white space. Don't try to say too much in too little space.
And remember, if you don't get their attention, they'll just cruise on by your ad. The first goal is to get them to absorb your benefit, after which they will continue reading. And integrate: There is a reason that most successful companies use integrated marketing in their efforts. It works.
About the author
Chuck Mancino has been involved in business-to-business advertising, PR, publishing and marketing for 23 years, the past six-plus years specializing in the alternative health care market. You can reach him at 904-280-5433 or e-mail cmancino@gmail.com.
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