Thou Shalt Stay on Message
Thou Shalt Stay on Message
Posted on 04/21/2009, by
DMC
As part of an ongoing series, we thought we’d take a stab at the Ten Commandants of successful marketing. We’ll continue to tackle these one at a time, since they are all very important to ensure you are able to demonstrate measurable success from your marketing efforts. We’re not making recommendations on ranking commandments on priority – you’re unique situation will dictate relative importance. We’ll start the series with today’s commandment, “thou shalt stay on message.”
Theoretically, all marketers understand the need to stay on message. However, the physical application of focused messaging can get derailed all across the organization. And the primary enemy of staying on message is the common need to try and be all things to all people. Unfortunately, this is a lesson we should have learned in grade school – “you can’t please all people, all the time, so don’t try.”
A clearly articulated and consistent brand is vital to not only the success of your marketing programs but of your business overall. Inconsistency of message breeds confusion among your prospects and customers. In virtually every client engagement we find a delta between the perceived value the company thinks it provides and the real value that customers receive from purchasing products and services. And perceived value is the foundation of gross revenue, profitability and customer lifetime value. Greater perceived value = higher prices your prospects are willing to pay. Period.
But let’s think about non-revenue metrics. Can your customers accurately articulate your message (value) to other prospects? Can your employees accurately articulate your message? Remember that conversations about your company are going on in the marketplace – customer to customer, customer to prospect, employees amongst each other, their friends, the marketplace at large. Unfortunately, you are not a participant in the vast majority of these conversations. But they all have an impact on the perceived value of your brand and company.
Create a clear message to describe the value of your company. Then reinforce that focused message over and over and over again. Then reinforce it again.
