It’s getting harder and harder to have your voice heard in the marketplace. It seems as if every day, new businesses pop up that compete with yours and each of these new businesses seam to be yelling louder than you, which means your most ideal client prospects won’t hear you and therefore won’t be able to resonate with you.
So, you might be asking yourself, how can you compete?
After years of working with entrepreneurs and small business owners to help them craft compelling marketing messages, I understand the challenge any business owner will face to exist in the digital age. And my advice every time is to stop trying to compete and instead focus on getting clear.
Ok, ok, I get it. You’re trying to figure out why I just said ‘stop trying to compete,’ right?”
So, here’s the deal. When you shift your energy toward being clear and compelling, you won’t have to compete. Who you are and who you help will rise above the noise because your message is powerful, poignant, and precise.
In able to get your message to this point, you’re going to have to do a little pre-work before jumping out in the marketplace. Here’s what I recommend, if getting found by your most ideal client prospects is your goal:
Before, you share any marketing messaging; take the time to determine these five things. I like to call this creating your Brand Messaging Plan™.
- The reason for your message. Far too often, entrepreneurs just jump out with a message without truly confirming for themselves why that message is important now. If you don’t validate that the message you intend to share is needed, you limit the exposure others will have to your message. To shift here, I recommend that you are always conducting market research and checking the pulse of you ideal client audience. Ask yourself: what do they need now? Why do they need it from me? What will happen if they don’t get it? How can I share the message differently so that I get their attention?
- Your ideal audience for your message. While this may seem like a no brainer, trust me, it’s not. Every message you intend to share should be a strategic one, which means that you’ll have to take your time and identify who is the right fit for the message. The longer you’ve been in business, the more ideal clients you may serve so you’ll have to literally think about one type of client who has one type of problem for whom you’ll offer one complete solution. Doing this before you start writing marketing copy or developing a sales page or even just adding an update to social media will go a long way.
- The SPICE problem you intend to position with your messaging. I’ve conducted the research. And the most impactful messages are ones that focus on a problem or pain point. Now, there are difference schools of thought about marketing and how you can get more people excited when you lead with the solution. I disagree. In ten years in the market place, I can assure you that when you lead with the problem, you’ll get more response because, quite simply, people in pain are actively seeking a painkiller. And when the problem you solve has SPICE – it’s gets even easier to get and keep their attention long enough to share how you can help. A SPICE problem is Specific and Substantive, Pervasive and Persistent, Immediate and Insurmountable, Clear and Conscious and Expensive and Expansive. Think of the problem you solve and make sure you can dial into exactly how it hits everyone of the adjectives above. If you can, you’re golden and rising above the noise.
- The solution you’ll provide to their SPICE problem. This is important. Your message may nit speak to the solution, but you need to know what it is. If they take you up on your “offer” then you’ll need to know how to position your solution during the sales conversation or other sales tool.
- Your call to action to inspire decisive action. Knowing what you want them to do and thinking through your progression is essential to being able to leverage your message to connect with your most ideal clients. So, what do you want those who consume your message to do next? Have you already created a way to follow up? Do you have a touch point planned to increase the likelihood of a new sale?
Now, I want to hear from you. What’s your two cents? How do you prepare to share a message in the marketplace? What would you add to this list? I know that members of our community will be so glad that you shared your two cents.
Need help crafting a compelling marketing message? I recommend checking out my Virtual Business Intensive. It’s a 2 day small group virtual intensive where we not only craft your Must Have Marketing Messages TM, we also package and price your best offerings yet! Learn ore at http://www.VirtualBizIntensive.com
