How do you get your message through to your audience? The simple answer is to be clear and consistent. Here is how:
What is your message?
Picture yourself in the middle of the desert. You have not had a drink of water in two days ... you are dying from thirst:
Scenario 1: A man approaches with a bucket of hot desert sand and wants to sell it to you. What is your reaction?
Scenario 2: Now picture a man who drives up in an RV with a cold shower, a refrigerator full of cold water and sodas, and air conditioning. The man offers to drive you to civilization. What is your reaction?
NEEDS - Identify your target audience and their situation ... what do they really need? What are they concerned about every day?
SOLUTION - Identify how your products and services address their needs and solve their problem.
MESSAGE - Create a precise message ... what words or phrase will make them jump to attention when you present your solution? In this case, "ICE Cold Water" would be a great message!
MEDIA - Identify the media channels you can use to broadcast your message. Use WebEx Event Center and Training Center as a messaging distribution outlet.
MARCOM ASSETS - Identify assets that will be used to present your message and solution - presentations, brochures, data sheets, articles, ads, emails, video clips ...
CONSISTENCY and Improvement - Create a system that reviews each asset to ensure that the SAME, CLEAR, and PRECISE message appears in each asset and delivery vehicle.
Targeting - Ensure that your "ICE Cold Water" message is being delivered to the audience in the desert and not the audience in the Olympic National Rain Forest!
ICE COLD WATER !
Thomas Sagmiller
Sr. Marketing Management Consultant, Cisco Systems