As a commercial copywriter my role is to write to persuade people to take action. In order to do that I need to have essential information to get the message on target so I ask questions. Over the years I’ve realised that certain questions make a BIG difference to the effectiveness of the creation of the right message and I thought I’d share these so you can write better marketing material too.
The reason that this blog is called ‘3 answers’ and not ‘3 questions’ is because it’s the answers that are important!
Question number 1: Can you deliver your core message in 12 words or less?
If you can’t then people probably find it hard to get their heads around what it is you do exactly. If you have to start explaining things in detail, some people will lose interest and you’ll lose potential customers. Spend some time working hard to clarify your message in words everyone can understand.
Question number 2: Do you have a clear idea of who your target audience are?
No matter what business you’re in the answer is not ‘Anyone’! In order to get your message right you must know what your target audience want, if you have only a very vague idea of who they are, you’ll never be able to target them effectively. This doesn’t mean you must only have one target audience – you could have several, but they all have different needs and the message for each audience will need to be focused on their specific set of needs. That might mean several different messages – different websites or pages, and different marketing campaigns.
Question number 3: Do you know what your target audience really wants?
Don’t guess, ask them – it’s an ideal opportunity to talk to your existing clients (and former clients) about what they like (liked) about your products or services. A good reminder for them of how good you are and a great source of information about what exactly people buy you for.
The answers to these three questions will ensure your marketing is bang on target.
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