planning essentials

Marketing Right: It’s the Message!

When you look at any advertising or marketing, what grabs you? Splashy graphics are great, but, ultimately, it’s the written message that sells your business.

“Getting the word out can be challenging, but the following simple rules can make your copy tell a story people want to read,” says Maureen O’Grady Condon, principal at Precision Marketing Group LLC.

1. What’s the goal of my ad or promotional piece? It may sound counter-intuitive, but you first want to clarify what you want prospects and customers to do after reading your piece. Do you want them to call you? Go to your website to learn more? Attend a seminar?
2. What is unique about my business? Answering this question will provide the basis for your ad’s message. How are people better off after doing business with you? “In our ads, we were among the first companies to highlight the fact that you can use the web to get all our listings and that you can have e-mails sent to you immediately when properties become available. And we recently added language about access via mobile phone,” says Shawn Hackett, CEO of the Shawn Hackett Team—Re/Max Elite real estate firm in Nashville, Tennessee. “We also send people a ‘relocation’ CD with information about the population, schools systems and other pertinent information about the Nashville market.”
3. What value do I bring? The body of your ad is not about your business, but about the benefits you offer. It’s where you tell your readers about the value they’ll receive from doing business with you—how they’ll be better off. The word “you” is one of the most powerful words in the English language, so speak directly to readers. Use emotional appeals wherever appropriate and facts and statistics wherever they work.
4. Why should they choose me? Now that you’ve convinced readers that they need your services, you must tell them why they should choose you to provide them. This is where you briefly mention your credibility—your experience, skills, convenient location and any other factors that distinguish you from the competition. For example, Matt Hausman, an attorney in Trumbull, Connecticut, prominently displays his high rating from Martindale-Hubbell, a legal peer review organization, in his collateral and at his website. It states that his rating, AV, “is a testament to the fact that a lawyer's peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.”
5. Is it easy to respond to this ad? “Each ad or promotional piece should include a specific, time-sensitive offer that prompts readers to take action,” counsels Condon. What is your offer? Make it as simple as possible to do business with you and give them a deadline to respond, as well as a variety of ways to get back to you (phone, e-mail, web response, etc.).

“Writing copy for ads and direct mail pieces can be tricky,” says Condon. “But by keeping yourself tuned into your audience’s needs throughout the process, you’ll be on your way to creating copy that really sells your business.”