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Create Better Marketing Messages Than Your Competitors

To create better marketing messages in a world chock full of information, it’s important that your communication to the outside world is crystal clear.

By that, I don’t mean just the words that you use but the identity you choose as well.

And why is this important?

a globe with people's faces create better marketing messagesWell, because when people make snap judgments based on their first look, the “cover” they see can be interpreted positively or negatively.

Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Blink, calls this the adaptive unconscious, a kind of giant computer in our brains that quickly processes a lot of the data we need to function.

Stopping ourselves from getting run over by a truck is an example of this but it is also at play in other situations when we make first impressions of anyone and anything.

The particular design of a book cover, the cool packaging that was used to sell a bottle of wine or the bright colors that draw us to an advertisement are all part of the adaptive unconscious at work.

So, when thinking about putting ourselves out into the world, we should consider the first impressions that people will make of us.

Is your headshot professional? If it’s not, is it a decent representation of who you are?

Good Messaging Starts with a Good Name

While company names like Google, Ikea, Coca-Cola, Reebok and Lego have been wildly successful, their names don’t necessarily tell us what products they make.

For small businesses, choosing a catchy name can be risky. Selecting a name that people can tie to your product or service can be more meaningful.

Small business marketing guru John Jansch wasn’t always a household name in the marketing industry. His company name, “Duct Tape Marketing,” was a clever choice given that the low-cost, effective marketing he promotes goes well with the vision of a roll of duct tape, an item that can be bought in most dollar stores.

Whole Foods Marketa woman in a supermarket aisle create better marketing messages is another great example of how a good business name can dictate a company’s messaging. Anyone who has been to the store knows that good, wholesome food is what they’ll get at Whole Foods, so the name matches the concept. The same goes for the messaging that T-Mobile uses to advertise its position in the telecommunications industry.

Marketing Collateral Goes A Long Way

While some promotional materials, especially printed collateral, are not as popular as digital products, a nicely put-together brochure can still do the job. Choose the right words to describe your business and align it with your messaging.

Of course, marketing collateral doesn’t mean just brochures and business cards. It also refers to the kind of marketing your business does online, too. That includes blogs, case studies, White Papers, eBooks and downloadable guides, as well as your email signature.

There are a number of free tools you can use to generate a signature, complete with colorful social icons, depending on which social media sites you use.

They include Wisestamp, which has over 50 professional templates to choose from; Hubspot,  Mailsignatures, Newoldstamp, Email Signature Rescue, and GrowthMail, a U.K.-based company that allows you to turn your email signatures into advertisements for your business.

small TV in dirt create better marketing messagesExplainer videos are another neat way to get your message out there. There are a variety of tools to do this, including Biteable, a free tool that will walk you through the process.

Remember, if you are creating the video yourself, be sure to write the script first. No amount of flashy graphics or beautiful video will replace a solid script.

This explainer video from Pinterest includes all of the key elements you’ll want to address to get your own message across. In this case, Pinterest lays out the potential problems a user may have had before Pinterest came along, together with the solutions it provided to solve those problems.

Popular types of explainer videos include whiteboard animation, cartoon-style videos, motion graphics, 3D animation and more.

Finally, a landing page on your website is the place to perfect your marketing message. This page often contains the least distractions since it has been created for one purpose only and that is to drive potential customers to a free offer or some other type of content that will get them interested in your business.

If you don’t want to create a landing page yourself (you can do it right on WordPress or by using the website builder Elementor, which has cool landing page templates), you can use a tool like Leadpages. Once created, you can integrate your landing page with your email provider.

Spend some time thinking about the kind of message you’ll include on your landing page as this is where your inbound marketing efforts will be focused.

Educate Your Potential Customers

While most people hate to be sold to, they will buy if you educate them about a product or service they really need.

This is increasingly relevant in today’s marketplace where consumers are being bombarded by sales tactics at every turn.

Your message should reflect that.

Jantsch suggests that all businesses should create the “Ultimate New Customer Kit,” which could include an overview of best practices, a list of FAQs, along with some “how to” content. The kit, he says, should also include one’s mission or value statement and a free gift to bring potential buyers closer to purchasing from you.

A great example of this can be found at 4Over4, a printing company based in Manhattan that sends potential customers paper samples before they buy a single product. Now that’s what I call great customer service and a message that shouts, “We appreciate you.”

What kind of marketing messages have you created recently? Let me know in the comments below.

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