Five tips you can use to improve your marketing message

I am often asked how to structure and position marketing material to get people to buy. One way: People need to see what’s in the deal for them.
Nobody is going to buy because:
YOU have been in business for 30 years.
YOU have won, Best Dealer of the Year five years in a row.
YOU have more satisfied customers than anyone (so says YOU).

Nobody cares how what you did for somebody else helped you. People want to know how what you offer is going to help them get what they want. Period.

Your prospects need to know you understand them. That you understand their needs and wants well enough that you don’t even have to talk about the features of your product or service. But rather, what that product or service will do for them.

It all starts with a conversation or a marketing message. Here five tips you can use to help turn a prospect into a customer. They work because you speak their internal language and talk to them on an individual level.

Benefits not Features – People don’t want to hear you have a new, innovative tire with inner protection. They want to hear that your new tires have an inner ring of protection that if it get a flat, keeps the car (and the kids in car) moving straight on the street, rather than flying into a ditch or head on into another car.

Talk personally – If possible try to use the person’s first name in your message. People love the sound of their name and will pay more attention to your message if you “talk” to them using their name. And make the tone of your message conversational; like you were talking to a friend of 20 years.

Focus on one thing – You probably have more than one thing to sell. But don’t try to sell everything in one letter just to save money. You may miss some sales because what you are selling in that message doesn’t apply to that person at that particular time. However, your message is targeted and if you get the prospect’s interest, they will think you are talking directly to them. It allows them to focus.

Testimonials – Self praise is not recommendation. While people do care about what’s in it for them, most also do not want to be pioneers. Try to get a satisfied customer (or more) to give you a written testimonial. They are worth their weight in gold – to you.

Be a problem solver – Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and think about how much better you would feel after using your product. They bought it because it solved a need or a want for them. Think about the end result your product or service will achieve for your customer.

These tips are small but powerful. I hope by implementing them in your message, they bring you much success.

All the best,


Louie Bernstein