If there’s anything that’s present in abundance in this world, it’s advice on how to make a message effective. Google it, and you’ll find a million books, blog posts, tweets, videos, listicles, and alliterative litanies.
On the one hand, this is a wonderful thing. There are so many experienced and accomplished people out there who genuinely want to help you!
On the other hand, it’s Just. Too. Much. You can’t possibly read all that stuff, much less remember it. Worse, you’ll find conflicting ideas, which makes things all the more confusing.
So here I come to the rescue! With — wait for it — yet another list. Haha.
Perhaps I’m just contributing to the noise. But I don’t think so. What I want to do is take all the stuff that’s out there and simplify it for you. To something you can actually work with.
To make your message work, you need four things. And I know you can remember four things. If you’re able to execute on these, you’ll join the 1 in 3 marketers who call themselves confident and effective. That’s what the research tells us.
Let’s start with the concept of message strategy. Message Strategy is a principled approach to what you say and how you say it — in order to achieve a goal. There are 4 principles: Customer-centric, clear, compelling, and controlled.
These are The 4 things that make a message work.
Briefly defined:
Now let’s break ‘em down.
Customer-centric means your message is about the audience. And the word “about” is key there. Not a message to the audience. Not for the audience. But about the audience. Literally.
This means the customer is the subject of your message. Which means they are the subject of your sentences.
How do you make your customer the subject? By referring to them in second person: “you.” So the word “you” (or understood you) becomes the subject of your sentences. Not all of them, of course, but most of them.
To do this, you have to work against your tendencies. When your job is to promote a particular product, service, or idea, your natural inclination is to promote that product, service, or idea. Instead, as I like to say, you should “promote the customer, not the product.”
Promote the customer, not the product.
It might seem odd at first. And I’m not sure it ever becomes second nature. But you’ll get good at it with practice. A lot of times, it’s simply a flip.
Here’s a simple example:
| Product-centric | Customer-centric |
|---|---|
| Our diet shake will help you lose weight. | You’ll lose weight with our diet shake. |
See how the subject of the sentence flipped? Same content — it’s just the difference in who (not what) the sentence is about.
Notice the word “you” appears in both. But in the first sentence, the customer is merely referred to. He or she is the indirect object, not the subject. This makes the sentence customer-oriented, but not customer-centric. The customer is only central to your communication when they are the subject of it. In the case of the sentence of the left, the product is the subject of the sentence, so that’s what the message is about. On the right, the customer is the subject.
The customer is only central to your communication when they are the subject of it.
There’s more to it. Make sure you know how to make your message customer centric.
What’s the opposite of customer-centric? Vain. Is your message vain? Let’s hope not. That’s one of the 4 ways your message works against you.
What makes a message clear? Mainly it’s two things. When it’s simple. And when it’s specific. Let’s take those one at a time.
Simple, in part, means short. Short words and short sentences.
First, short words. How short? Measure by syllables. The fewer syllables, the better.
The gold standard, of course, is one syllable. So strive for that. I’m serious. The highest concentration of communication power is a single-syllable word.
The highest concentration of communication power is a single-syllable word.
What’s the standard for short sentences? 14 words or fewer. On average.
Now about specifics. Quantify when you can, and don’t be afraid of odd numbers. Don’t say “more than 50 years” when you can say “57 years.” Because in a world of generalities, specifics stand out. How many flavors does Baskin-Robbins have? Right, 31. Not “more than 30.” You remember the number, because it’s specific.
Specifics are more credible, too. They don’t feel like an exaggeration, because they’re exact. Plus, you give your audience the opportunity to draw their own conclusions. Remember, people are more persuaded when they persuade themselves. So don’t tell me “Fastest oil change on the planet.” Tell me “10-minute oil change” and let me conclude: “Dang, that’s fast.”
Again, there’s more to it. Make sure you know how to make your message clear.
What’s the opposite of clear? Vague. Is your message vague?
If you want people to take action, then your message has to move them. Emotionally… then mentally… then physically. Move their feet to your location. Move their hand to their wallet. Move their thumb to “buy it now.”
But that’s only the second job of your communication. First, you have to get their attention. If they never see your message, nothing else matters.
Media placement has a lot to do with this, of course. But the rest of the responsibility is on the message itself. There are countless competing messages. People are actively trying to ignore it all — to preserve their mental energy, not to mention their sanity. You have to stop the scrolling. Stop the fast-forwarding. Stop the page turning. That’s job one.
How do you stop people? Be different and bold. Visually and verbally. Separate yourself from the environment. Show something or say something that’s intriguing and irresistible.
Then you have to keep them going. Which means keeping it customer-centric. Appeal to emotions. Tell stories. And where appropriate, use Robert Cialdini’s techniques from Influence: The Psychology Of Persuasion.
Of course, there’s more to it. Make sure you know how to make your message compelling.
What’s the opposite of compelling? Dull. Is your message dull?
A controlled message is one that’s consistent and compliant. And those two go hand in hand.
Let’s start with consistent. Think of it in two ways: consistent in and consistent with.
Consistent in:
Voice, color palette, image treatment, etc. This is the good kind of predictable. It makes your message recognizable. Remember the Absolut vodka campaign? You could spot those ads a mile away. On the other hand, there’s GEICO. Their commercials have lots of different themes, but what do they always promise at the end? I don’t even have to say it, because you know what it is. Repetition aids memorization.
A consistent message is a reliable message, and a reliable message is a message you can trust. Even if it’s reliably bad. You can certainly trust that local car dealership or discount furniture store to have some awful-ass ads, can’t you?
A message that’s consistent is a message you can trust.
Consistent with:
The truth, best practices, core values, etc. To ensure consistency, you need principles, and you need rules. Like brand guidelines. Grammar. Ethics. Legal regs. Media conventions. And company culture. If your message adheres to all this, it’s compliant. Which doesn’t sound like fun, but that’s how we make consistency happen. Compliance is not compromise. It’s discipline.
Compliance is not compromise. It’s discipline.
So, a message that’s consistent and compliant is accurate, truthful, branded, protected, sensitive, and strategic. All good and important things.
You guessed it, there’s more to it. Make sure you know how to keep your message controlled.
What’s the opposite of controlled? Undisciplined. Is your message undisciplined?
This post is an overview, but the links above and below will give you the fuller picture. For each principle, you learn:
Like the research says, these are the things that confident and effective marketers know. Join the club!
