Hi, I’m Sam Nelson, owner of Website Muscle.
Most people think we’re just a website design company, but we really don’t see it that way.
We’ve been doing this for about 10 years, and the biggest problem that we’ve seen in our industry is that most small- to medium-sized businesses don’t have a clear message for customers. A big part of our job has become helping businesses create their marketing message.
Our 7 Steps to Clarify Your Marketing Message:
1. Identify your customer.
When I ask small business owners what they do, of them start by talking about themselves. Their services, their company history, etc. — nothing about the customer. We need to know who your customer is, and what their business goals are, for your marketing message to succeed.
2. Address the Problem.
What problem does your business solve for the customer?
3. Introduce Yourself.
How does your company relate to your customers? What authority can you provide? How do customers know that they can trust you?
4. Share Your Process.
What is the process like when a customer works with you? How does the relationship between your company and your customer start? And what is life like for them after they’ve worked with you? These elements should be clear and simple.
5. Determine Your Calls to Action.
Start with your direct call to action — for a lot of B2B companies, that is “Schedule a Consultation.” But a lot of businesses are missing out on the opportunities that come from secondary calls to action, like downloading e-books, watching videos, and more.
6. Describe Failure through Inaction.
What is the end result if a customer does not work with you? Paint a picture for your audience. If someone doesn’t work with you, describe the negative outcomes they might run into.
7. Make Success Real.
Describe all of the great and tangible achievements your customer could reach, and how they will feel after that success.
When you put this marketing framework together, it’s incredibly powerful.
We want to build websites for businesses that say more than just “here’s what we do” — we want to help you engage customers with a marketing message focused on them, the problem you’ll solve for them, and what life will be like after that problem goes away. That’s what creates a compelling marketing message.
This is the first in a series of video blogs, and we’re looking forward to providing you with the rest of the framework and hearing your feedback.
If you’d like to go through the marketing message exercise with us one-on-one, please contact us and we’d be happy to set up a time to meet with you.
