Your prospects and customers have a lot of information to deal with these days. The TV and radio blast out advertising every ten minutes. The web is awash with offers, new products, and banner ads. And even the news media is overrun with marketing messages and clutter that are hard to take in. In short, it has never been harder for marketers to cut through that clutter and get their products or services noticed. It’s particularly the case for smaller companies – they just don’t have the budgets to compete.
However, there are a few things you can do as a small business owner to get more eyes on your product or service. It’s all about defining – and then refining – the core message you are trying to give to your audience. In today’s guide, we’re going to take a look at some of the tactics you should be using to cut through the clutter and noise and stand out from the crowd. Let’s get started.
Work out your difference
What makes you different from your competitors? Is your product better than the rest, or cheaper? Do you use locally sourced materials, or is your customer service second to none? Working out what makes you different to everyone else is the critical first step you must take. If you don’t know what distinguishes you from the competition, how can your customers?
Focus on solutions
Always address the biggest concerns of your customer in your message. Your business should be solving a problem for your clients, and it’s vital that the solution forms the centerpiece of your messaging. Products that solve a problem get noticed and can drum up interest at an astonishing rate. Shouting about the problem you solve is a great way to get your message seen early and often.
Learn the ropes
While shouting from the rooftops is vital in getting heard these days, there are right and wrong ways of doing it. It’s important to know what you are doing. Training Connections business communication training can help. You will begin to refine that message and start building more positive relationships with clients and prospects. You will also learn how to influence, create a great first impression, and listen to your customers better. Not everyone is a born communicator – but with the right training, anyone can improve.
Aim at a target
It’s always a good idea to focus your message on one particular person. It helps you create a more focused, coherent message when you aim for a target. Look at your demographics and find out what your audience is all about. How old are they? Here do they work? What do they do in their spare time? The more you know about them, the more you can stimulate their interests. And, the more targets you will hit, whether it’s through direct mail or online ad targeting.
Be crystal clear
Your main message should be short snappy, and memorable. Using images and pictures can help your marketing materials stand out, but it’s the words you use that are critical. It’s vital that you can relay your message in the most focused way possible. Don’t be too smart, either. Your message needs to stimulate interest, so your audience takes action. There is no way you will achieve that when your message is dull or unclear.
Break up text
No matter how beautifully you write, a large percentage of your audience will never read every last word. Many people are skim readers, and you have to allow for them just as much as those that read every detail. The solution? Start breaking up your copy and using headlines and subheaders in your text. Use your headlines to underline the key concepts behind your product or services. Don’t forget to use benefits as the main thrust – no one wants to read page after page of dull product descriptions or company histories.
Be bold
If your business type is suitable, don’t be afraid to upset the applecart every now and again. People will remember ideas that challenge the norm or are extreme in their approach. Think about the successful marketing campaigns of companies like Brewdog. They managed to develop a huge market share by creating a rebellious image and challenging people to make a choice. Sure, they lost a lot of potential customers. But the audience they brought with them turned out to be fiercely loyal.
Be different
A lot of marketing and advertising is the same as all the rest. Everything blends into the same, bland background, whether it’s TV ads or posters on a billboard. If you want your message to stand out, try and be different. It could be creating an unusually shaped brochure. It might be sending out your message at a different time of year than the norm. Unexpected surprises will have far more impact on people’s memories than standard, by-the-numbers marketing.
Include an irresistible hook
Can you think of a hook that might attract more customers and encourage them to take action? It could be offering a free ebook on your website or a free phone line to find out more information. As long as you are providing something of value to your prospects, you will have more chance of turning them into customers. How? Well, by giving you their contact details, they are giving you permission to stay in touch with them. It could be by email, letter, or phone call – whichever you choose, you will have the chance to turn cold prospects into smoking hot customers.
Guarantee your work
Guarantees can have an enormous impact on your sales. The trick is to always back it up with results. The good, old-fashioned ‘money back if you aren’t satisfied’ is a classic example. And it works. People tend to be risk-averse when trying new products or services. But if you guarantee your work or product, the vast majority will be more tempted to take the risk. As long as you follow up on your promises, you will find your message goes down a storm.
We hope this guide to developing your marketing message has helped. It’s vital to stand out from the crowd, and these tips should help you find your difference.
Admin
Beatrice McGraw
Aarif Habeeb
Regina Deemer
Kristel Kinne