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Developing Your Message
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Things To Consider When Developing Your MessageYour marketing message is more than the promotional material you are sending out to customers. It includes everything you do, from your office appearance and how the phone is answered, to how you deal with customer challenges. Here are some things to consider when developing your marketing message. 1) Make your clients and prospects feel important. Put them first. You need to make sure your writing satisfies the "What's in it for me?" question running through their mind. Emphasise the advantages you can offer them. 2) Draw a picture for them. Customers and prospects need a clear idea of the benefits involved. Use stories to create a vision of how they will succeed through use of the information, service, or product you have supplied. 3) Follow the golden rule: Go over your ad copy and then go over it again. Put yourself in the place of your customer/prospect. How would you feel if you were making the purchase? Is what you are offering worth more than what you are asking? Is it believable or does it sound hyped? Treat your customers the way you expect to be treated. An unhappy customer will not help your business grow. Turn every one of them into a “raving fan” of your business. 4) Share some of your flaws. If people suspect you are covering up mistakes you will lose credibility. Get real and share a little bit of yourself. Show them you respond to problems by developing a solution. Add a little humor to the mix. 5) Never criticise other businesses. Bashing others will only come back to haunt you. Public praise encourages others to excel but public criticism only embarrasses and alienates. If you bad-mouth a competitor your customer may fear that they are next. 6) Be open to feedback and in fact encourage it. Be available to your customers. Answer feedback promptly and to the greatest extent possible with a personal touch. Corporations pay for market research when much of it is available through systematic gathering of feedback with virtually no associated cost. 7) Deal with problems quickly and positively. Look at a problem customer as an opportunity to learn and grow rather than as a thorn in your side. Your business will benefit from the experience. Analyse how the problem can be avoided in the future. While these suggestions are not groundbreaking ideas it is amazing how many businesses cannot manage the basics. The entire organisation must truly believe in their power and that starts with management creating a culture of integrity and caring for all employees to follow. |
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