Short but Sweet - Creating content for your Marketing Program

The topic of creating content for your New Media Marketing (NMM) program is one that we will continue to revisit as we take a closer look at each of the NMM vehicles (i.e. web, blog, e-zines, e-mail, podcasts, social media)

Write this down and memorize it:

Your message must be condensed, focused, relevant, and succinct for it to be effective. Your readers are time starved. They are much more savvy, less conservative and more edgy, and extremely impatient. You only have a small window of time to catch their attention and keep it. Add to that your communications content must connect with them emotionally - that is connecting with their needs and wants.

Second thing to write down and memorize is: Short, focused messages are one of the keys to successful marketing campaigns but the shorter the message, the more impactful but the more difficult to create. The Gettysburg Address is a classic example of a powerful message of great important and said in only a few statements.

The third tip to remember: Every marketing piece, every web page, every e-zine and article, every blog should have one key message. When asked to critique or edit media copy, the first question I ask, even before reading, is " What is the message? Once I hear more than one or two messages, I say "stop"!

Thus enters the "elevator" speech onto the stage. Everyone has heard of the concept of an elevator speech. I enter an elevator and my potential client is on the elevator. I have two minutes before the elevator reaches the top floor and that is the only time I have to convince my potential clients why they need my product/service and why I am the best choice among my competition. Do not confuse an elevator speech with your Mission/Vision Statements or your Branding North Star Statement.

For impact, the following formula is a simple place to start creating your Elevator Speech (the first step to creating content): what (verb), whom (ideal customer or client), and how (key benefits).

1. What do I do?
2. Whom do I serve?
3. How do I specifically benefit the customer?

The above three elements are also steps in developing targeted audiences (read yesterday's blog). A word on the third bullet. Do not confuse benefits with specifications. Owners, inventors, and entrepreneurs are so involved with the behind-the-scenes characteristics of their product that they never address benefits to the client. Like it or not, most of us do not care how it works just what does it do for me. Visit your existing marketing text (copy) and see how much is specifications and how much addresses benefits to the reader.

Once you have statements developed for the above three sentences, then combine them into a smooth reading statement.