For most businesses, every dollar spent on marketing must get results. Yet thousands of dollars are wasted every year by not having a compelling message. Doing a letterbox drop of 50,000 flyers is a waste if it doesn'?t convince consumers to take action.
This takes place far too regularly and it is usually the advertising medium that is blamed. The genuine reason just isn't the medium but the content. The worst bit of all, the message could have been just tweaked to obtain a entirely distinct outcome.
The tools in this post won'?t let you know the precise message you ought to use for your enterprise. Only you may know that. What it is going to do is aid you write and communicate that message far better than ever.
Tip 1: Begin With The Outcome
What exactly is it you need the reader to do? What do you need them to take away from your advertising? What do want them to really feel, know or take into consideration?
When you have worked this out, you'll be able to start to write. This straightforward approach will make your writing sharp and your message clear.
When drafting your content you ought to start off by writing the objective in the start of the page. You'll be able to then create a framework with the important points you will need to say to have that objective take place. This can make certain you communicate the correct message as well as the proper advantages.
Using this framework you can then add content to validate, support and reinforce your key points.
Finally, you can wordsmith the message (using the tips in this article) to make it persuasive and compelling. This ensures you communicate the most important points and creates a clear flow for the reader.
Tip 2: Write In Spoken Word & Present Tense
Write as though they're the only one reading it and you?re talking directly to them. Try to talk about things in the present, as it's more in the here and now. This is more relevant for the reader.
Also try and talk as though they've already bought the product. ?The dustbuster 3000 let's you pick up bowling balls as though they are a feather?.
Tip 3: Write Like A Newspaper
This is so important with today's consumer. We don't have the time to read irrelevant information. If consumers don't get a compelling reason to keep reading in the first 2 sentences, they'?ll stop.
Newspapers are one of the most successful forms of writing. They regularly get readers to read their entire article. Even if they don't, the reader still knows the core concept.
How do they do it?
They suck you in with an intriguing headline
They give you the main points up front
They use short sentences (7 -10 words)
They use short paragraphs with 1-3 sentences
Tip 4: Talk About The Reader
This problem takes place time and time again. Most usually on websites. ?We're X company and we've been established for 15yrs. We do this, we do that, we're so great, we're the best, etc etc.?
As a consumer, we?re not interested in you. What we?re interested in is what you'll be able to do for us. How can you aid solve our problems.
Your message ought to focus on the reader and how your service helps them. A good rule of thumb is to have more 'You/Your' statements in your content than 'We/Us'. That way you know your message is speaking to them.
Tip 5: Keep The Content Easy
Use easy language wherever you are able to in your messages. This makes it easier to digest and more likely that the reader will 'get it'.
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are two of the most successful people of our time. They are both considered very smart people and yet Jobs is also regarded as one of the best presenters in the world.
One of his many secrets, Jobs presents at a 5th grade level while Gates presents at a l0th grade level (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). Jobs is easier to understand and easier to follow. Do the same for your message.
Tip 6: Have Bullet Points & No Full Stops
With limited time, we want information and we want it now. If we see a big block of text, we immediately know its hard work. Use bullet points to quickly and succinctly get your ideas across.
Try to use an odd number of bullets where possible (the brain prefers odd numbers) and don't use full stops in the end of each bullet so that people keep reading.
Tip 7: So What, About Features
Don't take into consideration what your enterprise does or what services you provide. Take into consideration the solutions that you provide a customer as well as the problems you solve. This is called the 'so what' factor.
So you clean carpets, so what? What about, we free your house of nasty dust allergens and make your carpets look like new.
This so what factor is the actual reason why buyers are buying your service. They're not buying it because of the features, they are buying it for the problem in their life it solves.
Tip 8: Avoid Clichés & Platitudes
Platitudes are empty words that are ignored by the reader. Efficient and effective tells a reader absolutely nothing. Neither does, 'superior service' or 'we're the best...'. Focus on what your service specifically does. ?Our advanced system allows us to clean your carpets in half the time it takes traditional carpet cleaners and it?s left dry so you can walk on it straight away.?
Cliches are advertising messages that have already been so overused that they no longer have any meaning: 'Buy now and save'. 'but wait there's more'. People have heard it so frequently that they essentially ignore it.
Tip 9: Call To Action & Low Risk Offer
Always give consumers a reason to act now. This could be with a limited offer that's only available for this week. It could also be by stressing the pain/issues they might have by waiting.
Identify what barriers exist between your potential customer and their purchase decision. If they're worried about changing their mind, include a 30 day guarantee. If they aren't sure that you?re far better than the competition, include a product comparison table.
The crucial element is to breakdown any barriers to the purchase decision.
Tip 10: Use Social Proof
This is the use of information that endorses the requirement for your service. It includes testimonials and data that validate the advantages of your product.
A vacuum cleaner manufacturer might state that 60% (not an actual figure) of customers hate their vacuum losing suction when the bag is full, so they've developed a bag-less vacuum cleaner that never loses suction.
Bonus Suggestions
As a final tip, here are a number of other points to keep in mind when you create your message:
Remove disruptive "that's", they don't add value to your message
Make sure there are no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors
Don't over sell your product or service (you lose credibility)
Include a consistent message across all your advertising
This takes place far too regularly and it is usually the advertising medium that is blamed. The genuine reason just isn't the medium but the content. The worst bit of all, the message could have been just tweaked to obtain a entirely distinct outcome.
The tools in this post won'?t let you know the precise message you ought to use for your enterprise. Only you may know that. What it is going to do is aid you write and communicate that message far better than ever.
Tip 1: Begin With The Outcome
What exactly is it you need the reader to do? What do you need them to take away from your advertising? What do want them to really feel, know or take into consideration?
When you have worked this out, you'll be able to start to write. This straightforward approach will make your writing sharp and your message clear.
When drafting your content you ought to start off by writing the objective in the start of the page. You'll be able to then create a framework with the important points you will need to say to have that objective take place. This can make certain you communicate the correct message as well as the proper advantages.
Using this framework you can then add content to validate, support and reinforce your key points.
Finally, you can wordsmith the message (using the tips in this article) to make it persuasive and compelling. This ensures you communicate the most important points and creates a clear flow for the reader.
Tip 2: Write In Spoken Word & Present Tense
Write as though they're the only one reading it and you?re talking directly to them. Try to talk about things in the present, as it's more in the here and now. This is more relevant for the reader.
Also try and talk as though they've already bought the product. ?The dustbuster 3000 let's you pick up bowling balls as though they are a feather?.
Tip 3: Write Like A Newspaper
This is so important with today's consumer. We don't have the time to read irrelevant information. If consumers don't get a compelling reason to keep reading in the first 2 sentences, they'?ll stop.
Newspapers are one of the most successful forms of writing. They regularly get readers to read their entire article. Even if they don't, the reader still knows the core concept.
How do they do it?
They suck you in with an intriguing headline
They give you the main points up front
They use short sentences (7 -10 words)
They use short paragraphs with 1-3 sentences
Tip 4: Talk About The Reader
This problem takes place time and time again. Most usually on websites. ?We're X company and we've been established for 15yrs. We do this, we do that, we're so great, we're the best, etc etc.?
As a consumer, we?re not interested in you. What we?re interested in is what you'll be able to do for us. How can you aid solve our problems.
Your message ought to focus on the reader and how your service helps them. A good rule of thumb is to have more 'You/Your' statements in your content than 'We/Us'. That way you know your message is speaking to them.
Tip 5: Keep The Content Easy
Use easy language wherever you are able to in your messages. This makes it easier to digest and more likely that the reader will 'get it'.
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are two of the most successful people of our time. They are both considered very smart people and yet Jobs is also regarded as one of the best presenters in the world.
One of his many secrets, Jobs presents at a 5th grade level while Gates presents at a l0th grade level (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). Jobs is easier to understand and easier to follow. Do the same for your message.
Tip 6: Have Bullet Points & No Full Stops
With limited time, we want information and we want it now. If we see a big block of text, we immediately know its hard work. Use bullet points to quickly and succinctly get your ideas across.
Try to use an odd number of bullets where possible (the brain prefers odd numbers) and don't use full stops in the end of each bullet so that people keep reading.
Tip 7: So What, About Features
Don't take into consideration what your enterprise does or what services you provide. Take into consideration the solutions that you provide a customer as well as the problems you solve. This is called the 'so what' factor.
So you clean carpets, so what? What about, we free your house of nasty dust allergens and make your carpets look like new.
This so what factor is the actual reason why buyers are buying your service. They're not buying it because of the features, they are buying it for the problem in their life it solves.
Tip 8: Avoid Clichés & Platitudes
Platitudes are empty words that are ignored by the reader. Efficient and effective tells a reader absolutely nothing. Neither does, 'superior service' or 'we're the best...'. Focus on what your service specifically does. ?Our advanced system allows us to clean your carpets in half the time it takes traditional carpet cleaners and it?s left dry so you can walk on it straight away.?
Cliches are advertising messages that have already been so overused that they no longer have any meaning: 'Buy now and save'. 'but wait there's more'. People have heard it so frequently that they essentially ignore it.
Tip 9: Call To Action & Low Risk Offer
Always give consumers a reason to act now. This could be with a limited offer that's only available for this week. It could also be by stressing the pain/issues they might have by waiting.
Identify what barriers exist between your potential customer and their purchase decision. If they're worried about changing their mind, include a 30 day guarantee. If they aren't sure that you?re far better than the competition, include a product comparison table.
The crucial element is to breakdown any barriers to the purchase decision.
Tip 10: Use Social Proof
This is the use of information that endorses the requirement for your service. It includes testimonials and data that validate the advantages of your product.
A vacuum cleaner manufacturer might state that 60% (not an actual figure) of customers hate their vacuum losing suction when the bag is full, so they've developed a bag-less vacuum cleaner that never loses suction.
Bonus Suggestions
As a final tip, here are a number of other points to keep in mind when you create your message:
Remove disruptive "that's", they don't add value to your message
Make sure there are no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors
Don't over sell your product or service (you lose credibility)
Include a consistent message across all your advertising
About the Author:
Mike Sandys is the founder of FindMyLocal.com.au. An online service making it easy for shoppers to find local businesses when they?re ready to buy. Located in Australia, it is one of the few Advertising and marketing options that guarantees outcomes.
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