Many of the CBI clients ask for help with their marketing message. Some of the things we cover during business coaching sessions are summarized below:

A successful marketing plan is built on consistent messages. When you’re building your business it’s tempting to want to try to be all things to all people. Your marketing messages can end up being all over the map. The result: It confuses your customers, and can get confusing for you as well.

Before you start to market your business, you need to know what it is you want to say. You may find the need to adjust your marketing messages periodically, or you may have different messages for different audiences, but it’s important to start with something and remain consistent in the overall message.

It’s impossible to be all things to all people so ask yourself: “What makes me different from everyone else in the market?” Your answer should be an integral part of your marketing message. Give people a reason to change their buying habits. Why should they do business with you? You need to stand out from the crowd of competitors. Make that jump out from the crowd in your marketing message.

When you craft your marketing message, don’t confuse people with too many things. Don’t hit them with a fire hose and try to tell them everything there is to know about your business. That will overwhelm them and they won’t key in on what makes your business unique.

Once you have your message, stick with it. Be patient. Give it a chance to work. Don’t change it daily or weekly. Repetition enhances memory, and it takes a while for your message to cut through the clutter and be heard. If you want your message to resonate, you must repeat it time and time again.

Never guarantee something in your marketing materials unless you’re absolutely positive you can deliver on that promise every single time. Establishing expectations with your customers and not being able to live up to those expectations can tarnish your reputation quickly. News of bad service travels much faster than news of good service.

Make sure your marketing messages match your actions. This is known as brand integrity. Lots of business brands make the mistake of saying one thing in their marketing and doing something else when it comes to delivering the product or service. If you tell people in your marketing campaigns that customer service is paramount, but people in your organization don’t deliver on that promise, you have minimized the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Make sure everyone in your organization is on the same page.

I hope this helps get you thinking about your marketing message and how you stand out from others in your sphere. If you’d like to meet to discuss, call for an appointment and we’ll sit down together and brainstorm. Let’s make your marketing message a successful one.