A super simple formula to creating a clear marketing message and make your small business stand out
Creating a clear marketing message is the thing all small businesses strive for - to have a simple pitch which is meaningfully different, and draws attention effortlessly.
It’s easier than you think… but I bet you’re making some crucial errors in your messaging which is muddying the water…
There’s a super simple formula to creating a clear competitive edge and make your small business stand out:
What you do + who it’s for + the outcome for your clients
What you do
When I work with the owner of any small business, we start super simple. What do you do? How can you best define your work so that someone who has never heard of your industry could understand it? Simplify, simplify, simplify.
2. Who it’s for
Be as specific as you can. Is there a particular client group that you bring real value to - a group you’ve heaps of experience in, or a unique perspective that makes you especially well suited to serve?
3. The outcome for your clients
What can your clients do as a result of working with you that they couldn’t do before? A message which contains a clear result helps your clients to really quickly see your value and understand how you can help them.
In practice:
‘We develop high-impact visual brand identities for small businesses, helping them to create a phenomenal first impression and communicate powerfully, resulting in more clients, higher value work and greater revenue.’
There you go. One simple sentence which instantly tells the world what our branding agency does, who our clients are, and why they should work with us.
Once you’ve set these clear foundations, you can add colour to the picture. Enrich the story by sharing your perspective, experience and philosophy, focusing always on what this means for your client… but do this later. Your opening gambit must be clear, succinct and say everything that it needs to.
Avoid these mistakes…
Don’t get bogged down in telling your clients all about your experience, qualifications or the awards you’ve won. It might be heartbreaking to hear, but they simply don’t care. What matters to your clients is what you can do for them, and how you can help them to achieve their goal of greater profit/ greater ease/ greater commercial security. By all means, bring these details to your bio, but please don’t waste precious seconds of your clients’ attention by reeling off your CV.
An extra bonus
This kind of short, sharp messaging is dynamite for SEO! Packed with key words, your power sentence is ideal for website descriptions, the first piece of copy on your website, your LinkedIn bio… it can go anywhere and everywhere.
One simple sentence, so much impact. Give it a go and report back.
