Marketing communications are windows that let your potential clients “see” into your business. Build lots of windows. Because success depends not on how good you are but on who sees and knows how good you are.
Your business can’t stand for anything if you chase after everything.
Earn people’s belief and trust. State facts. Be specific. Talk results.
You wouldn’t leave home without checking the mirror to make sure you look your best. So don’t let communications leave your business until they look their best.
When communicating about your business, don’t be a victim of premature keystroking or graphic design infatuation. Great writing and superb design are less important than pinpoint marketing strategy.
Shakespeare stinks at marketing. His plays had their climax in Act Four. To market well, put your climax (main point) up front. Lead with your best. Or there might not be a second act to your business play.
You don’t build business by building a lot of contacts. You build business by making solid relationships. Business friendships and relationships heighten your business’s altitude.
The best business messages combine dictionary qualities with diary qualities. Pack your marketing with factual, essential information (the dictionary) and compelling human emotion (the diary).
Could your ad headline work equally well for a competitor? Then it’s a lousy headline. Broadcast what distinguishes you and puts you above the competition.
Verbs are the engines of your marketing message. Everything else is cargo. Install powerful engines in your business writing. Pile on the horsepower with hefty verbs like “grab,” “nourish,” “rocket,” and “squash.”
People don’t read unless you seduce them. You must entice. Tease. Crown your website with “come hither” copy. Examples: “5 Ways To Find More Budget”; “How To Lose A Facebook Pest”; and “The TV Spot That Assumes You’re A Racist.”
No child ever said, “Mommy, read me a bedtime brochure.” No child or adult wants a brochure. We want stories. Tell a good story and people will read your business message.
Repeat after me: Don’t ever write to your target market. Write to a single typical person within that market. Make your business message personal and individual. Talk to your potential customers as if over the backyard fence, not as if over a factory floor intercom.
