Bottle the Message

I have been neglecting my blog of late partly other work and clients. I am writing after reading a regional newspaper and seeing the same kind of ads everywhere.  It saddens me when I see a paper, events flyer or product brochure with a message that is so broad and uninspiring that it just misses the point.

Every business course book or presentation talks about getting a unique selling point and targeting the message.

Are you using a key message a unique selling point or sales proposition?

I have though a lot about this and have concluded that is to do with the fear of missing some thing a not having confidence in the process.

We want to spread the messages about our products and service but fear we will miss something. The reality is when we do not take the time to focus the offer on a tight target group, and then we are just throwing mud at the wall and hoping it will stick, in a sense missing everything.

Living in a rural area as I do, local business face a difficult challenge, with a low populace, it can be hard to find a target big enough to make a response cover the cost of the promotion.

Having said this targeting will produce a better response than a broad advert, this is because the message is relevant to the reader.

There is a bonus to targeted advertising, once the market becomes aware of your tight selling position you become the authority in that segment and the business builds. The response to the advertisement goes up and the cost of customer acquisition will fall. Therefore, in real terms the cost of targeted advertising is less that the cost of broad advertising.

That is the key find a tight message that is relevant to a small group and build from there. Easy you can have this done by lunchtime, give it a test bottle it.

If you think this might be a bit harder that that then let’s talk

All the best in you business

Paul  Harvey