Client Magnets Official Blog

I am regularly asked to critique brochures, websites or other forms of marketing. In most cases by people who have invested a great deal of time and money, yet are disappointed with the results they are achieving. If I could sum up the number one mistake I see people making in their marketing materials, it is a failure to make distinctions between the market, the message, and the medium. The MARKET is WHO you are aiming to reach through your marketing materials. Remember, you aren’t trying to sell to everybody. It’s better that you speak to a few people directly about concerns that are most relevant and pressing for them, than to speak to a lot of people in a vague and unspecific manner.

The MESSAGE is WHAT you are saying to this specific group of people you have identified as your market. You need to be specific about what you can do for them. How can you help them? What specific problems can you solve? You also need to think about what action you want them to take having read your marketing materials. WHAT will the next step be? Do you want them to phone you, book an appointment, request further information, visit your website, or place an order straight away? The more specific you can be about the WHAT questions, the more successful your marketing materials will be.

The METHOD is HOW you will communicate your message to your market. Will you approach them directly, via email, letter or phone call? Will you reach them through advertising in a magazine, radio or television? Or will your website be your main channel of communication? Whether you plan to ‘speak’ to your audience via brochure or website, what words, images and colours support the message you want to get across and will motivate them to act?

So you need to ask

‘Who is this for?’ (this is a MARKET question)

‘What can I do for them?’ (this is a MESSAGE question)

‘What actions do I want them to take as a result of reading this?’ (this is another MESSAGE question)

‘What is the best means of reaching that audience?’ (METHOD)

‘What do I need to say to persuade them to take action? (MESSAGE/METHODS)

‘How will I motivate them to take action? (MESSAGE/METHODS)

First you need to clarify YOUR market, then think about the MESSAGE you want to get across to this market. Finally choose which METHODS are the most effective for getting the results that you want.