Know Thy Message

Last night I attended a networking function for entrepreneurs in NYC and had the pleasure of meeting a number of professionals who were selling a variety of interesting products or services. These people ranged from a gentleman who was using online video in what I thought was a novel way to a “relationship manager” who served women who were having difficulty staying in romantic relationships. And while all the people I met were clearly very passionate about what they do, a number of them suffered from the same problem: they didn’t have a clear message.

Though “messaging” is an often overused term in our industry, the value of doing it well can not be overstated. So, what exactly do I mean by “messaging?” In this context, messaging is the core language that we use to describe either what our company does or its primary value to the customer. Larger companies usually have their messaging nailed down but entrepreneurs will often begin selling their products or services before they do so.

One example of the latter was a woman who is selling what she told me was healthy coffee. (I gather it is infused with nutrients that traditional coffee doesn’t have while also containing significantly less caffeine.) However, she then handed me two business cards for her company, each one sporting a completely different message! The first one had a tagline that read “It’s Easy. It’s Simple. It’s Coffee” while the second read “Change Your Coffee, Change Your Life.” Needless to say, I thought the second message was far more powerful than the first. However, that’s a matter of opinion. What can not be debated, however, is that she needs to spend more time thinking about who her customer is, what message would resonate most strongly with this group, and then stick to that message. Once she does, then in my estimation, she will be ready to aggressively promote her business. As things stand now, she risks confusing everyone. Which is why, before beginning any marketing campaign, it’s critical to, as we like to say in the PR world, “know thy message!”