In our previous blog we talked about building your perfect client profile which is the first step in understanding strategic marketing. The more you know about your target customer’s profile, the easier it will be to then craft the marketing message that will be engaging.
As brand communicators we want to be able to stop people in their tracks and take note of the communications we put out for our clients. We have learned tools, techniques and methods of doing this. We have a mix of designers, visual communicators and marketers with a wealth of experience. I’m going to try and distil some of the things we do to help craft a marketing message for our clients.
Here’s another big industry secret coming out… we craft a message, design it in an aesthetically appealing manner that is relevant to the target client and fits the purpose for the medium of communication, whether that’s a website, a Facebook advert, a video or other ambient marketing spaces.
More and more people are online and more than ever we are connected daily or even hourly through social media, websites and online entertainment. This makes it harder to cut through the noise and make sure people take note of your messages.
So how do you connect with peoples’ emotions? You need to know your target clients’ frustrations, challenges or issues and focus on those points. Once you’ve pin pointed this, you can then lead your target client to a solution for their frustration, issue or challenge.
Features are great but will they connect with your target audience and will they care? All too often I see ads, bill boards and messages that are full of features and I can’t help but think, “so what?” More often than not, they’re not relevant.
Car adverts really help to personify my point. It’s not often that you will watch a car advert or see something in print where they are talking about miles per gallon and how many doors the car has. The ads will be selling benefits such as safety, fun and experience of driving, creating an image of being different and having status etc. Volvo is great at appealing to our fears and showcasing a happy family and safety.
Can you make a list of the specific issues or challenges that your target clients are currently facing and what they want to move away from?
This needs to be followed up with their goals and how they want to move forward. What is the desired outcome, the problem they want to solve and how they want to feel about it afterwards? Subsequently, how do they want their target audience to feel about them?
Once you have these very clearly laid out for you to reference, you can then start to think of the benefits that you are going to be offering to your target clients. Now you can begin to craft your message so that it’s relevant and will really speak to your intended target client.