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Marketing Messages with Add Zest & Appeal
By Alicia Smith
Boring is one thing you can’t
afford to be when it comes to marketing your business. With
more than 3000+ marketing messages pummeling consumers on
a daily basis, you need to be more, and do more, if you
want to be heard above the racket.
Your marketing message is how you
communicate with the public; it needs to be appealing and
memorable. In order to do that, consider the concept of
the meme. A meme is a thought, idea or belief that replicates
over time. What that means in terms of your marketing is
creating a marketing message that is strong, bold, and exciting
so that it stays with the customer and becomes a part of
their thinking.
A good example of this is Nike’s
“Just Do It”. This phrase is used in a lot of
different contexts outside of talking about Nike’s
products. People get what it means because it has permeated
our culture. Below are some ways that you can avoid being
boring by adding extra marketing appeal to your message.
1. Add visuals. There are so many
ways to bring attention to your marketing message. One of
the best ways is to add something visual. As a picture speaks
a thousand words, so too can it communicate all sorts of
things about you and your business. What types of pictures
or graphics would you use to convey who you are? Adding
a picture of yourself on your website or in other marketing
materials will help form a stronger connection between you
and potential clients.
2. The meaning of colors. Colors
hold great meaning when it comes to your marketing message.
Yellow elicits high levels of attention. Orange and red
indicate quickness. The concepts of money, health, and nurturing
are symbolized by green. Black can mean power and strength,
but it can also indicate hiding or blending into the background.
Purple is the color of royalty and wealth. What types of
colors are you drawn to? What meaning do you want to convey
to people by the colors you use on your business cards,
brochures and even on your website. Too many colors are
distracting and look chaotic. Certain colors on colored
backgrounds can cause the same reaction. Make sure to work
with a professional when selecting colors so you can communicate
your business in the best light.
3. Try technology. Adding audio or
video to your web site is a great way to allow someone to
get to know you better. Adding real audio recordings of
your classes, an interview, or even a welcome message gives
someone an opportunity to hear your voice. Because technology
is so low priced and easy to use nowadays, you might even
consider adding a short video as well. Again, it will help
to develop a rapport with your audience. One thing to keep
in mind is that while technology is great and exciting and
can do wonderful things for us, not everyone has the bandwidth
to enjoy it fully. Over 50% of consumers are still using
dial-up computer access which limits their ability to enjoy
both real audio and video to its fullest.
4. Creative business cards. One great
way to stand out from the crowd is to develop a creative
business card. Add your picture to it or a professionally
designed graphic. Use a brochure type card, which allows
you 4 different surfaces to print contact information as
well as information about what you do. You can include quotations,
a mini-brochure about your company, or even some helpful
tips or a short quiz. Think about the use of colors and
type of fonts, which also can add excitement and pizzazz.
5. Action. When people see or read
about action, they often feel empowered to take action themselves.
Employing motion on your website is another way to add appeal
to your marketing message. You can have text that changes
colors on its own, or graphics that move. You might even
have a marquee. One thing to keep in mind is that motion
can also quickly drive people away from your site as it
can be considered obnoxious and childish. Talk to a web
professional before using these techniques. You can also
imply action by the types of words you use in your web copy.
6. Target your audience. A quality-marketing
message speaks directly to its target audience. Who is your
target audience? Is it moms, singles, seniors, solo-professionals?
The words you use to communicate with a mom are quite different
from the words you would use to communicate to a corporate
human resources manager or to a medical doctor. The words
you use must fit your audience. If they don’t, you’ll
have an immediate disconnect with people who read your message.
7. What’s in it for me? Fundamental
to all marketing messages must be the mantra…”What’s
in it for me”? The only reason anyone is even looking
at your brochure, viewing your website or reading your business
card is to see what they can possibly gain for themselves.
People are busy and are inundated with thousands of marketing
messages each day. The only ones they will pay attention
to are the ones that really speak to their needs. They have
problems or issues they want solved and they are looking
for solutions. An appealing marketing message is one that
speaks to the typical problems faced by your target audience.
Communicating how you can solve those problems quickly and
cost effectively is critical to attracting new clients.
8. Ask “yes” questions.
If you want to capture someone’s attention, ask them
questions that they can answer “yes” to. Whether
you are asking questions on a website, in a brochure, or
during a sales presentation, make sure they are worded in
such a way that the respondent will answer “yes”
consistently. The word “yes” opens people up to
accept more feedback, whereas the word “no” will
quickly close them down. Also, create questions that can
help the reader or viewer identify with what you’re
saying, giving them the sense that you truly do understand
their problems or issues.
9. Features and benefits. Don’t
just tell people what you do. Instead, relate the features
and benefits of what they can experience as a result of
doing business with you. A feature is some aspect of the
product whereas a benefit is the feeling or result that
someone will experience as a result of that feature. For
example, a hospital unit might feature some of the latest
innovations in new baby care and services. The benefit to
the new mother will be the confidence, security, and peace
of mind that she and her baby will be cared for in the best
ways possible.
10. Be unique. Show how you, your
product, or services are unique. Not only will that help
people to remember you, it will make you remarkable. The
sense of being remarkable is that people will comment about
you to others. Word of mouth advertising is some of the
best advertising because it costs you nothing and it comes
with a testimonial from the person who is telling others
about you. Can you relate what you do to someone in history?
Or are you the first at doing something or introducing something?
Do you use unique ingredients in your products or employ
specialized knowledge in the work you do? This type of information
will make your marketing message not only interesting and
memorable, but remarkable.
© Copyright 2004 by Alicia
Smith
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