At VLG we consistently have to guide our clients toward the “less is more” principle. Marketers want to make the most of their valuable advertising real estate, whether its on a billboard, in a print ad, in direct marketing collateral or even their corporate website, to name a few. Can you blame them? That white space is expensive! When you consider the massive number of messages your target audience is exposed to on a daily basis, how do you reach them, stand out and make them want what you”re offering?
Keep your message simple. You all know this, but the pull to tell your audience everything at once is so great, the reality is that few messages in advertising actually deliver a focused message. The result? The message gets lost, overlooked and reaches no one. Expand your reach and get the results you want from your message by following these five simple, and often overlooked, steps:
1. Do your research. What is your competition offering? What does your product or service offer that is different. Highlight that and explain it concisely without using industry jargon or buzzwords.
2. Get to the point. Keep your message focused on one product or service at at time. Don”t try to be everything to all people, but be everything to some people.
3. Change your perspective. Instead of screaming how great your company or your product is, change your perspective to that of your ideal customer. What message would they like to hear that will make them take action? Be respectful of their time while you speak to them.
4. Initiate a dialog. Your customers and potential customers want to have a say. Don”t do all of the talking. Encourage them to reach out to you to share their side. You”ll learn more by listening than by telling them everything you have to offer at one time. Joseph Jaffe, President of the marketing agency, Crayon, and author of “Join the Conversation”, proves this point by clarifying the distinction between talking “at” someone and talking “with” someone. Jaffe further discusses his five conversation don”ts in this video clip provided by Ad Age: http://adage.com/brightcove/single.php?bcpid=1370868150&bctid=1612710731
5. Test. You”re eager to see how successful your message will be. Improve that success by testing your message on members of your customer base or prospective customers - not your colleagues. Your audience will provide much better feedback about what resonates with them and how well it reaches them in the market.
Used together, these five steps will better position you as a problem solver, who respects their customer’’s time and cares about listening to what they have to say, their problems and challenges. It positions you to develop a relationship which builds trust and don”t people buy from people they trust? Take a look at your current marketing message. Could your message benefit from a stern application of the “less is more” principle?
http://adage.com/brightcove/single.php?bcpid=1370868150&bctid=1612710731
More links to Joseph Jaffe’’s marketing insight:
www.crayonville.com
www.jaffejuice.com
