Why you need a crystal-clear marketing message
What are the rules? 2020 has turned everything on its head. If you’re running a business, or trying to market one, you might be wondering where can you find a magic marketing wand.
I don’t believe in fairy dust, but I do believe heartily in the power of words. A clear, slap-you-in-the-face-sit-up-straight marketing message is as close to actual magic as you can get.
Here’s what the best shop front I have ever seen taught me. Why do I want to share this with you? Because if you’re not being this clear or this direct, you’re doing your business a disservice.
Fancy marketing campaigns, 0: 1, a crystal-clear message
I saw a brilliant tweet from a New York bookshop owner recently. The storytelling was masterful. But the thing we really need to talk about is the copy that adorns the shopfront.
Tell people what you can do for them
The signage tells you immediately what you'll find on the inside - books!
It identifies the bookshop's raison d'être upfront, their beliefs about how the world should be: bookshops should be stocked by humans. This gives the passer-by an opportunity to agree with that belief and explore inside. Or it gives them a chance to disagree, and walk away. As Seth Godin might say, it's marketing with people, not at them.
The signage identifies an enemy, someone or something the passer-by can help to defeat in choosing to buy from a bricks-and-mortar shop. In this case, the implied baddie is the likes of Amazon, who don't really care about books and your enjoyment of them, merely their own bottom line.
Your message: a shot of truth serum
D’you know why this really stands out?
It's a bit ballsy.
It's a have-a-go-hero; David vs. Goliath.
It's the bespectacled child who steps in front of the new kid when the playground bully has a go. He might get his glasses smashed, but he's standing up for how he thinks the world should be – oh and he might just win the crowd over too.
The copy is genius. I think it's probably the best shop front I have ever seen. It recognises that need we have for our shared humanity - the reason we turn to books in the first place. It touches our deep desire for art over tech, for tactility over digitisation, for people like us over a pale (and creepy) virtual imitation of our pals and peers. It's no coincidence, surely, that sales of vinyl have soared in the last decade, that programmes such as The Repair Shop and even Bake Off have proliferated. The shop front is genius in its own right, but the genius captured in this snapshot lies at the heart of a much bigger picture. People want what's real, what's within touching distance, something they can keep forever. Not something that they will lose at some point when they change laptops, update their phone or drudge their busted hard drive to the tech repair shop.
In a single phrase, and most satisfyingly, the shop front is a massive 'up yours' to Amazon et al. People love that. In a year when economic hardships have been forced upon millions of people, in a year when the big and powerful have ridden the wave unscathed while the little guy takes blow after blow, it feels deeply satisfying to hand the local shopkeeper up off the canvas and flip the creepy moon-colonisers the Vs.
All that from a simple shop front?
Yep. The message is so clear, so strong, so compelling, that it’s bang on the money.
And do you know what else?
YOUR message needs to be that clear!
Even if you don't have a literal shop front. Otherwise, how will people know what you offer? How will they understand why they should choose you? They won't 'get' what you're about and whether they can get on board with it too. And if they don't know any of that, they won't know whether they want to work with you.
One tweet = 30k eyeballs reached
The original tweet, which accompanied the photo, read:
"Dear New York, Please come back to our stores. Sales remain down over 50% and we need you to keep this bookselling gig going. We have so many wonderful books and booksellers, all we need is you. #BoxedOut #ShopIndie" @mcnallyjackson
It's to-the-point, sharp and direct.
The tweet has had 8k retweets, 30k likes, and hundreds of comments. Ok, it's not going to break the internet. And yet people have clearly responded to it.
That's the power of the right message, to the right audience, at the right time: 30, 000 eyeballs (not counting all of those who never gave a visible indication of having seen it), and offers of business from as far afield as Texas, California and Europe.
So.
What does your shop front say about you, right now?
Your potential customers need to be able to tell what you do at a glance.
Now more than ever, our brains are overwhelmed with STUFF. Worries. Concerns. Confusion. Uncertainty. A clear message is key at any time. But now? When we're potentially on the brink of a second wave of Coronavirus, facing a recession and about to divorce our political spouse? It matters more than ever. Tensions are high, emotions too, and normality but a distant memory. Don't ask your clients and prospects to think hard about what you do and how you can help.
It ain't gonna happen.
Your shop front - whether that be a website, a flyer, an email, anything - needs to be set up to: connect, inform, and sell in the blink of an eye.
Connect – catch the eye and offer an opportunity to jump in or walk away
Inform – let them know what you're about
Sell – yes, that dirty, dirty ‘s’ word. Ultimately, if you’re in business that’s what you’re doing. Your message needs to be so 'your customer' that they can't possibly not want to do business with you – or at the very least, come in for a look around
The shop front copy is clever, without getting in its own way. It knows its audience, so it feels effortless. Book lovers speak the same language. The author doesn't need any fancy gimmicks, because the shared tongue speaks volumes.
If you want proof, go and read some of the comments. The irony of those who suggest the bookshop simply acts like Amazon is so overwhelming, I can practically taste the metallic tang of blood as I bite my tongue from laughing so hard.
Service businesses: look and learn from a brick-and-mortar shop
You have a brilliant purpose, a great service. I don't doubt that for a second.
Do your words feel that effortless? Do they speak to the people you can help, are they a foghorn for the passing ship carrying your lost crew in search of land?
If you care about helping your customers – and my guess, given that you're offering a service, proffering your skill for their benefit, is that you do – then please don't leave your message to last.
Messaging is not a magic wand; it is about as near as you're going to get, short of receiving your invite to Hogwarts.
Messaging isn’t a marketing problem, it’s a business problem
I'm not a magician. I am but a humble copywriter, and I’ve spent years crafting clear marketing messages which connect with people.
Talk to people like they’re people, bask in the glow of the warmth that comes back to your heart – and your coffers, as the owner of the bookshop put it. We're living in the midst of confusion. The last thing anyone needs is to work hard to understand the brilliant help you can offer them.
If you’d like to connect more effectively to the people you can make a difference to, hit reply. I'd love to hear what challenges you face with your messaging and copy. And maybe, just maybe, I can help.
Your words matter,
Laura
The Weekly Writing Reflection
Welcome!
Each week I share an inspirational quote and a writing prompt. The idea is for you to spend a moment doing some active reflection through writing.
Your quote today:
“Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them. Sometimes it’s an ad.”
– Howard Gossage
And your prompt, if you feel like using one:
My people are interested in…
What’s Caught My Eye This Week
Each and every week I’ll share a few snippets of inspiration, thought-provocation and jubilation. Hand-curated delights, selected by yours truly to stimulate your mind and soothe your soul.
Andrew Eberlin’s Monthly Jotter – packed full of inspiration and insight, Andrew’s monthly newsletter is a treasure trove of goodness. Check it out here.
If you are a human, read this – Julie’s blog gave me goosebumps. Especially pertinent to parents, it’s genuinely worth a look if you’re a human that’s ever had a moment of self-doubt. As someone who loves to try new things, Julie’s philosophy on taking a leap of faith really spoke to me.
The joy of creating – creativity isn’t something for the select few; we are all creative in our own right. Here’s how connecting to art for the sheer joy of it helped one freelancer recover a sense of levity in her work. What creativity can you bring to the day?
If you like books, you probably like records – slightly embarrassing to recommend my own work here, but I’m sure that if you like perusing a bookshop then you probably like doing the same in record stores too. Here’s a piece I wrote a few weeks back about the joys of disengaging with the ever-present algorithms which permeate our lives.
Are you smiling? Perhaps you could share that smile with a friend and forward them this email?
As always, thank you for reading. I’ll see you back here next week, come rain, shine, lockdown or anything else this year decides to throw at us.
Keep well.