The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
-George Bernard Shaw
We are bombarded by messages all day long, every day. We hear and see them on TV, movies, YouTube, music streaming services, social media, magazines, and even old-fashioned radio. We are told to listen and pay attention to everything all the time. Frankly, it’s exhausting.
Yet, we also want to be a part of it. As business owners, it's imperative that we are a part of it— how else would anyone know we exist?
In a world overwhelmed by communication, how can you get your message to stand out?
How can you be seen in a crowd?
How can you be heard above the noise?
How can you make sure your message is understood?
How can you get your audience to respond?
The short answer is: You Can’t.
The long answer is: You Can- but it’s going to take a lot of research and planning to deliver your message, as well as tracking and adjusting it to achieve the results you want.
1- KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
So what do you do first? You might think your first step is to craft your message— because it’s the thing you want everyone to know— but it isn’t.
Your first step is to understand your target audience. How can you talk to them if you don’t know them? I addressed this important point in my blog post, “The 5 Best Copywriting Tips for Business Owners.”
To quickly review, let's think about two very different groups of people: teenagers & grandparents. These two disparate groups speak and behave very differently; so you wouldn’t want to talk to these two groups in the exact same way. They probably don’t even want the same products or services.
Except for maybe candy - everybody wants candy, right?
But the way you would market said candy to teens, would NOT be the same way you’d market it to grandparents. Each group of people would resonate with a different set of words, images, and media.
So, before you can begin crafting your message, you need to do your market research and understand your specific target audience(s). Dig deep here, don’t just skim the surface with basic demographics. The more data you have, the better you can understand WHO you are speaking to and HOW to talk to them.
Determine their behaviors at work, free time, and in social groups.
What are their desires and fears?
Likes & dislikes?
What types of media do they interact with?
Specific messages need to go to specific groups of people or they will be lost in the wind.
2- CLARIFY & CRAFT
Now that you know WHO you are talking to you can begin crafting your message especially for them. This is the time to think about your product or service. Think about its features and benefits to your potential customers. Remember, you are not really selling a product or service to a person, you are selling a better life for them with your product.
Here are a few questions you can start with:
What problem does it solve for them?
What makes it special?
What makes it valuable beyond the great price point?
Take all of that information, distill it down into your most important points, and begin writing to your targeted audience.
3- CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON
You have now just completed the first 2 steps to creating your message — you’ve defined your audience and clarified your message— what’s next? Step 3 is to determine HOW do you want to deliver it. To do so, you'll need to think about 3 Key Things:
Target Audience (including preferred media interactions)
Length of Message
Budget
There are a lot of advertising options available, including paid and unpaid methods. Although your budget will most certainly dictate which methods are available for you to look into, don’t waste your time and money by picking a platform that is a mismatch for your audience and message. If your audience isn’t on TikTok, then neither should your content.
DIGITAL: FaceBook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, email marketing, digital newsletters, blog, ebooks, webinars, podcasts
BROADCAST: TV, Movie, Radio
PRINT: Ads in magazines or newspapers, billboards, posters, flyers, direct mail, brochures, sales letters
Meet your audience where they’re at or they won’t see you at all.
4- TRACK IT
Any good marketer worth their salt knows that their job isn’t done once they’ve released the message out into the world. Remember that original question, “How can you know if you’ve been seen/heard/understood?” An important part of the long answer was, “You can know *IF* you are tracking it.”
How do you do that? Well, it depends on which type of marketing you choose for your message. Digital marketing leaves a footprint that can be tracked with specific software designed for that purpose. Print marketing & broadcast media rely on questionnaires, specialized coupons, or specific phone numbers only seen in those ads. It's not as easy or reliable as digital data, but it does give you some information.
Website Analytics
Conversion Tracking
Ad Networks
Phonecall Tracking using DNI
CRM tracking Customer Relationship Management platforms
KPI Tracking -Key Performance Indicators -
Looking at your data analytics will help you know if your message is being received and followed through to point of sale.
5- ADJUST COURSE
Once you have analyzed your data, you will be able to see if your marketing choices are delivering your message in the way in which you want it received. And if not, why not?
Different pieces of data will help you determine which link(s) in the chain needs fixing, and how it should be fixed. Here are some things to consider looking at:
Target Audience - language & tone matches group
Medium - correct choice for your audience and message
Message - conveys benefits and is exciting & interesting
Frequency - too often or not enough
If there is a mismatch between any of those items, your message is likely to be missed, ignored, or misunderstood.
COMMUNICATION IS... COMPLICATED
As you can see, communicating with your customers or clients is NOT as simple as speaking your message and waiting for results. It requires a lot of planning and continuous monitoring and involvement. It requires applying good copywriting and skillful marketing tactics.
Communicating with your customers is not a two-way street, it is a multi-level highway!
The good news is that you can learn how to do it, it just takes time and effort.
The bad news is that it takes time and effort.
This is why most businesses begin hiring or outsourcing their marketing after trying it on their own at first— it just takes up too much time and costs too much money.
Luckily for you, there are resources available if you want to learn more about it or if you want to hire someone to do it for you. As your friendly, neighborhood copywriter, I can help you with writing projects that help market your business.
I can also help put you in touch with people who handle other parts of marketing such as graphic design, website development, print media, PR campaigns, and more. You won't have to navigate this highway on your own.
Are you interested in knowing more about up-and-coming ways to communicate with your customers in 2022? Marketing trends are constantly changing and it's difficult to know which ones to pay attention to and which ones aren't worth your time. I look into 5 Digital Marketing Tools to help your business grow in my next blog post. Stay tuned!
Welcome to my blog. Here I share tips for small businesses, copywriting tips, thoughts on marketing strategies, and fun ideas for
growing your business.
I offer copywriting services for websites, digital marketing, print media, content marketing,
and editing.
I'd love to hear how I can help build your
business better with words!
Comments