Keep your messaging consistent in all forms of communicaton
Making your business communications stand out from the crowd and sending customers a message they’ll remember can be a real test.
There’s a tendency, particularly in tough economic times, to try to be all things to all people. However, you will actually stand a better chance of getting and keeping customers if you focus on what you do best and explain how it benefits them.
People are pickier than ever about whom they do business with, so you need to communicate your benefits if you want to stand out in the crowd.
The way to do that is through the three C’s of effective communication:
• Crisp and Clear
How do you describe who you are and what your business does for customers? Can you describe what you do to someone not in your industry in 30 seconds or less?
Being crisp is about telling people what you do in as few words as possible–and using that same crisp message in written marketing materials.
• Customer-centric
Tell customers not only what you do but why you do it. Promote your business in terms not just of your experience and expertise, but how what you do benefits them. For example:
People need convincing as to why they should spend their limited dollars with you. Your story should focus on how your products or services benefit customers–written from a “what’s in it for them?” perspective.
• Consistent
Once you’ve nailed down your crisp message, make sure you tell it consistently in all your communications. E-mails, on your website, in print materials, via the internet and in any other advertising and marketing media.
• The Grandmother Test
Find a friend or relative who is the least likely to understand your business, and test your “message crispness” on them.
Tell them what you do in two or three sentences. Avoid industry jargon and technical terms that only people in your field will understand. Then ask them to repeat what he thinks you do back to you. If he doesn’t come back with the right answer, the message isn’t crisp.
If your grandmother can understand your description of your business you can convey that same clear, crisp explanation to your customers via e-mail marketing and other communications.