How can a person ensure that their marketing message is both consistent and concise?

I truly believe that everyone, (self-employed or employed) should have a rehearsed answer to the “So, what do you do?” question… I’ll explain why later.

In this article, I’m going to explain the process of creating a four part marketing message, that you can deliver in under 30 seconds.

This week, I tried an experiment that I really enjoyed. When first connecting with someone, on social media, I sent them a message asking “Who is your ideal client?”

In this message, I included a template for them to use:

“I work with [ideal client],

who has difficulty with [problem].

I help them [solution]

so they can [valuable result].”

Quite a few people responded in this format, which gave me the opportunity to send them my version of their 30-second marketing pitch. Here are three examples. I invite you to consider why some are more engaging than others.

Example 1 – The original:

“I help small and medium businesses who have difficulty with reaching new clients to generate qualified leads to grow their business with digital marketing on social media platforms.”

Example 1 – My version:

“I work with businesses who are frustrated at the amount of time and money spent in getting just a few new clients. I guide them through a social media lead generation process that allows their business to flourish.”

Example 2 – The original:

“I work with seniors and caregivers who have difficulty with medications.

I help them prevent drug interactions and adverse effects so they can improve their quality of life.”

Example 2 – My version:

“I work with seniors and caregivers who wish to prevent the, sometimes, awful consequences that can be caused by the adverse effects of drug interactions.

I help them review their drug regime, and evaluate any new prescriptions, to remove the the stressful worry about possible side effects – so they can enjoy an improved quality of life.”

Example 3 – The original:

“I work with small to medium sized businesses, who have difficulty keeping their back office jobs up to date.

I help them with their office tasks which gives them time back so that they can focus more on building there business and carrying out the job they started their business for in the first place.”

Example 3 – My version:

“I work with businesses owners, who find their back office jobs are time-consuming, inefficiently costly, and stressfully distracting.

I perform the administrative processes needed to remove these complications – allowing the focus to be on the enjoyment of building a flourishing business.”

By providing my template and revisions, a copywriter friend of mine suggested that I was helping my new connections go from “bland, to engaging the emotions”.

The template that I use and have been providing to my new contacts is made up of four parts, which are designed to convey:

1. Relevance

2. Credibility

3. Product description

4. Transformational benefits.

Relevance:

It doesn’t matter if you’re delivering this message at a party, networking event, in a video or written on a website. If you want someone to continue to listen, or continue to read, it must be relevant to them.

My pitch usually starts with “I work with business owners and consultants…” that is because the networking events I attend, are filled with business owners and consultants.  If I were at a book fair I would say “I work with authors…”. The more you can be specific, about your ideal client, the more likelihood there is of gaining their attention.

The answer I got, when asking a graphic designer about her ideal client, was: “Anybody who wants graphic design.” This left me to make up my own mind as to what her service might be and she didn’t really capture my attention.

Credibility:

Understanding the difficulties, pains and complications in your ideal clients’ life (business or personal) gives you a considerable level of credibility. More than that, if you can highlight the implications of those problems, in the terms of time, money and emotional stress, you will really get their attention.

I refer to this as ‘entering the conversation that they are already having in their own mind’ and then moving that conversation into an area that they had not previously considered.  Proving that you know more about their problems than they do!

Product description:

In this section you briefly mention the process you’ll take them through, the product you sell or service you provide, so they know what to expect.

Transformational benefits:

In this last section you describe how their life will be transformed by the benefits of your product or service. Everyone likes to imagine a compelling future.  Paint a picture about how great their life will be after they have bought from you.

How should the graphic designer have answered my question?  Seeing my name badge, that gave my job description, she might have tried something like this:

“My ideal client is a consultant that gets frustrated, not to mention stressed, by the amount of time and money it takes them to standardise their website, social media platforms, business cards and stationery.

As a graphic designer, I provide a brand image that is customised for their website, all social media platforms and for their office stationery.  This gives them a professional image and allows them, without distraction, to enjoy the process of transforming people’s lives.”

I’m not suggesting that people recite these, verbatim, without interruption.  In a conversation that’s more than likely, not possible!  However, having rehearsed your ‘pitch’ as a presentation, it’s easy to go through all four sections, in the ebb and flow, of a casual conversation.

With this four part, 30-second pitch, fully rehearsed and understood, it is then possible to create a narrative for your business, based on the successes you have had with your previous customers.

In these ‘success stories’ use the same client/problem/process/results format.  Employ these stories, to educate your potential clients via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn articles, blogs or third-party publications.

In this way, you can be seen as the best professional to solve their problems.

In addition, an audio logo is essentially, a personal ‘mission statement’. As a leadership tool, it is extremely useful for every member of a team to know, and be able to describe, exactly how they contribute, and the value they provide to the company.

If you want to learn more about this or wish to discuss this further, please contact me and I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions.