Not long ago, I published a post about Minimalist Marketing, where I listed several ways to simplify your marketing. The post received some great feedback, so I thought I would explore some of these individual concepts more deeply and thoughtfully.
The first concept that I want to talk about is KEEPING YOUR MESSAGE SIMPLE.
What do I mean by this? Well, simply put, have you ever been asked this question –> “So tell me, I am not entirely sure I know what you do, so what exactly is your business?”
This probably means that the marketplace doesn’t quite know how to pin you down. They can’t say in one sentence what it is you are/should be known for.
You need to be able to tell your story in one sentence.
Examples? Abe Lincoln saved the union. FDR got us out of depression and won the war. Gary Vaynerchuk is the wine guy. Google does search. Todd helps entrepreneurs become intrepid marketers. You get the point.
It takes a lot of strength to choose a specific path, for there is a natural tendency to want to be known as a generalist in your field, capable of handling most any task or function. And it is usually born out of fear of losing out on business.
But these days, this can be a problem. With all the clutter in the marketplace, it is important to have one sentence that tells your story.
You have to make a conscious decision to simplify your message. Target towards a niche. Focus on one thing. AND, once you achieve this, you must do it well and be the best…
Here are three things to do to help you achieve this:
- Thoughtfully and carefully determine the ONE thing you want the market to know about you. What is your one sentence story?
- Keep that message consistent on ALL communications. [business cards, the social web, websites, face-to-face networking conversations, etc.] A consistent delivery of the message will help it become memorable. You simply cannot assume that hearing it one time means the message was received and cataloged.
- TEACH/GUIDE your community and your network to also be consistent when they talk about you. Discipline on #2 will go a long way towards achieving #3, but when you see people talking about you in ways that complicate that message delivery, you need to address it.
It goes against the grain to try to simplify your marketing. With all the communication tools that exist, all the competition, all the chatter, all the conferences and events, it is easy to throw a lot of noodles against the wall and hope a few stick.
But, it is important to be minimalist in your marketing, and be disciplined to keep your message simple.
[photo by _marmota]
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