Getting the Word Out

By Glen Gardner/marketing consultant

Back in the day there was limited choice when it came to putting your message in front of a potential consumer. In the days before Internet we had print, some broadcast, billboards, matchbook covers and word of mouth.

Now our potential vehicles for delivery are more numerous, but all that choice also gives us the ability to fail in many more venues and waste more money than ever before. We have Internet, social media, texting, YouTube and scores of mature media to deliver our messages.

There is one thing that hasn't changed since the days of the town crier standing in the town common ringing a bell and delivering a message. If what he said wasn't compelling in some way, people would vote with their feet and leave. A compelling offer has always been and probably always will be the key to successful communication and motivating response. Secondarily the media that carries the message must be viable.

Many clients put all their focus on the delivery vehicle and very little on the message. They tell me they "need" to be in social media, on-line and AdWords. When I ask what they plan on saying, many times the answer is, "just throw something together because I need to get the word out." What word?

A better way to approach the situation is to figure out exactly what you need to have happen, how you will craft an effective message to make it happen, and then figure out where that message will run depending on demographics, budget and geography.

If you are going to ring your bell in the town square, you need something compelling to say.