What is effective marketing in the 21st century? Communication technology has gone through so many game-changing upgrades—radio! television! Watson the IBM supercomputer!—but the essence of human beings hasn’t really changed over the centuries. The basics of buying and selling resources that we value, whether they are integral to survival or ego-boosting bling, are still governed by a group of fairly standard actions that comprise what’s known as the buyer’s journey. Circumstances and other factors that spark buyer interest and may lead to a sale haven’t changed much in about 8,000 years of civilization as we know it. I think it’s safe to say that buying and selling, and the marketing strategies designed to influence the process, are at their core about the same today as marketing was in Shakespeare’s England (early 1600s) or during the reign of the pharaohs.

Successful marketing campaigns have as their foundation good storytelling and the story must be distributed to potential buyers of the product or service. Marketing stories must appeal to prospective buyers and be accessible on media outlets (channels) that target prospective buyers follow and trust. Beyond those qualifiers, it’s incumbent upon sellers to create and distribute marketing content with a message that persuades potential buyers to stop, look and engage. Sellers need a marketing message that tweaks curiosity or strikes a familiar chord with those who experience it. How can you ensure that your marketing messages will consistently deliver? Read on to learn a few actions that will optimize the power of your marketing messages.

How are prospects meeting their needs now?

As usual, it makes sense to begin at the beginning. Before you can create trust inspiring, right-on-time marketing messages, it’s necessary to know what your customers are doing now — who or what are you competing against? You cannot make a battle plan until you know your opponent and the strengths, weaknesses and perceived value that’s made customers buy (until you arrived to shake things up)?

BTW, more often than you’d guess, your competition is neither a rival Freelancer nor a traditional business entity; your competitor could be inertia, AKA doing nothing. The status quo could be your client’s hiding place and coaxing him/her into the fresh air and sunshine of problem-solving could be a difficult endeavor. “Kicking the can” may have powerful defenders on your sale’s decision-making committee and one or more of them could have budget influence that can be weaponized and used to shut down spending or any move toward progress.

So, if one or two of the prospect’s decision-making committee members are comfortable with what’s being done now, you must demonstrate why deflecting what could be considered a reasonable problem-solving action, or doing the same dance with the same partner, is less effective and in the end more costly than bringing in your solution. To do that, you’ll need a marketing message that is powerful and persuasive. To figure out how to shape the narrative you need, start by exploring these issues:

• Examine and analyze lost sales. When you lose a sale, diplomatically attempt to discover who your prospect decided to buy from, if possible. Perhaps even more important is to ask the prospect directly or ask someone who can speak for him/her, what shortcoming(s) motivated the decision to select another vendor. You must learn how you dropped the ball in order to fix the problem. Once you’ve identified lapses and/or weaknesses, you’ll decide on the most efficient corrective actions.
• Examine and analyze successful sales. When the prospect hires you and becomes your client, discreetly inquire about their decision process. It’s seldom easy to learn the identities of competitors on your now-client’s shortlist but is a definitive way to confirm your competition. Equally valuable intel is learning which factors or characteristics of yours motivated decision-makers to bring you on board. What is it about you and your organization or skill set that makes you stand out?
• Get input from your best customers. If your product or service didn’t exist, what would your customers do instead? Their answers will reveal the real-world alternative solutions you’re up against. To get started on building your case, consider these tactics:

Describe your value proposition, as your buyers define it

Once you have a good understanding of your typical competitors, identified weaknesses you must address and strengths that distinguish you and instill confidence in prospects, incorporate your findings in your marketing messages. Your story will be best served when you think beyond predictable product or service features; standing out in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace requires more than a recitation of product or service features and benefits. Put yourself in the prospect’s shoes and envision what s/he must achieve and what it takes to do so and use those insights to predict which of your product or service features and benefits to showcase. Develop a marketing message that will “paint a picture” that enables your prospect to “see” how your solution helps them to achieve their goals or please their customers. Adopt a “what’s in it for them” mindset as you customize your marketing message with a story that goes beyond generalities:

• Superior customer experience (e.g., fast and uncomplicated new customer onboarding or the availability of end-user training and/or other post-sale support.
• Expertise in a specific market or problem area.
• Flexibility or customization that others lack.
• A track record of success with companies similar to your target customers.

Edit marketing message talking points

Make it easy for prospects to remember (and also value) features and benefits by paring down your list and building your message on three or four powerful and persuasive talking points, so that you’ll avoid overwhelming prospects with too much information that is bound to get lost in the shuffle. A short list of strong value points makes a bigger impact than a long list of features. These 3-4 marketing message talking points become your core value proposition for you to use in all of your marketing materials. Choose your list of customized, high value talking points guided by these suggestions:

• Relevance: Which benefits speak most directly to your audience’s most urgent goal or problem?
• Uniqueness: Which of your strengths is most difficult for competitors to copy or claim?
• Defensibility: How does your marketing message communicate a story that demonstrates in a clear and persuasive narrative that your solution and company are the best option for the client?

Customize messages for market segments

Your carefully selected and vetted marketing message should quickly resonate with your customers and prospects, literally “speak” to your audience so that its members can recognize the information they care about most. Adjust your core message based on who you’re talking to and where they are in the buying journey. Be sensitive to the need of different information or incentives that are useful to prospect as they progress through the buyer’s journey. Prospects who are establishing a familiarity with your company and its solutions are not the same as prospects who are in the process of making a final determination between two or three potential vendors. Supporting information should align with the questions a typical prospect has when progressing through the buyer’s journey.

• Decision-makers: Emphasize high-level results, like return on investment for users of your product or service, or overall cost savings.
• End-users: Focus on ease of use and practical features.
• Awareness stage: Talk about common problems and introduce your solution.
• Decision stage: Show clear proof and highlight what makes you stand out.

Message at every touchpoint

A messaging hierarchy helps you stay consistent across all channels — from your website homepage to sales meetings. It starts with your core value points, then moves into supporting messages and ends with evidence. Structure it like this:

1. Value proposition talking points: The top 3-4 benefits you chose to highlight (above).
2. Supporting messages: Additional advantages or benefits that reinforce why you core value proposition makes a (positive) difference for the prospect.
3. Case studies: Real life experience helps a prospect understand how your service or product performs in the real world. Present performance metrics, share a case study or other stories that document and illustrate how you (and your team) provide solutions that solves problems, achieves goals and delivers on promises made.
4. Technology: Demonstrate to your prospect that you are a capable and prepared professional who is comfortable with commonly used tech solutions by using an online calendar platform (such as Calendly) to schedule and confirm your sales meetings, as you reduce the incidence of missed appointments or cancellations—frustrating time wasters. Doing so demonstrates not only your knowledge and proficiency of useful technology, but also signals to prospects your intention to deliver a seamless and pleasant end-to-end customer experience.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: ©National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 1972. Eugene Cernan, commander of the Apollo 17 mission and the last astronaut to walk on the moon, holds an American flag during his mission in December 1972.