Houdini can’t help you, but SCORE, a nonprofit association supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration and “scores” of volunteer professional experts can. To prove it, a case study from the SCORE archives demonstrates the success of effective messaging in small business marketing.
When ViArch Integrated Solutions, Inc., an Orange County, CA, business specializing in software applications for the aerospace industry, fine-tuned its marketing message, results happened. Sales grew: 100% in the first year, 60 percent in the second and 10 percent in the third, allowing the company to expand its services and increase its workforce.
Working with SCORE, the company developed a strong marketing message to attract more clients, recognizing that existing messages failed to focus on client benefits.
Before SCORE, we didn’t really have a marketing message. We had a very technical description of our company, explaining our technical capabilities, Angela [ViArch owner] says. John Pietro, who’s a marketing specialist, explained that it’s important to get across the emotional benefits you bring to your customer.
Read the entire case study at SCORE.org.
Here are a few tips to assist you in developing effective marketing messages and strategies.
- Know the difference between features and benefits. Features do not entice customers to buy or clients to use your service. Benefits answer the question “What ‘s in it for the customer/client.” An example:
This is a feature: XYZ Company offers website templates.
This is a benefit: XYZ Company’s website templates offer easy installation for those with no technical expertise.
- Know your customer. Talking to customers and creating buyer personas are great places to start. Inbound marketing agency, Hubspot, offers a free customizable buyer persona template.
- Shift your paradigm. Put yourself in the buyer’s seat and ask “What result will that feature bring me?”
- Think with the end in mind. Think of benefits as results.
- Lastly, Barry Callen, a highly regarded marketing consultant, speaker and author, offers a list of seven simple questions you should ask to focus your message.
- Whom are we talking to? (defined emotionally in terms of fear and desire)
- What is our point? (emotional conclusion we want target to draw)
- What is the key word in the point? (unusual, concrete, specific, powerful)
- Why should the target care about the point?
- Why should the target believe the point? (four lines maximum, in order of importance)
- How should the target feel about the message, brand, or product?
- What do we want the target to do?
Have you reviewed your marketing messages lately? Feel free to share your thoughts or advice in the comments section of this post.
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Photo credit: Thomas Hawk via Flickr under Creative Commons license