It Starts with a Clear Message

Does your company have a clear message? Is it easy to understand?

Does it draw customers in?

Many clients come to us because their marketing isn’t working as well as it should. Their websites aren’t turning visitors into customers, and their emails are going unread.

They’ve seen how effective marketing can be, and they wonder why they’re left behind.

If you find yourself in that situation, if your marketing efforts aren’t getting results, the first place to start looking is your message.

It’s time to get fundamental.

What Is Your Message?

Look at your messaging. What are you saying?

Is most (or all) of your message about yourself, about your company?

Do you spend most of your time telling customers how great your company is?

Are you so focused on the services you offer that you’ve forgotten to tell customers what’s in it for them?

In the language of StoryBrand Guides, we call that kind of company-centric message “hero language”.

You’ve positioned your company as a hero who’s here to save the day for customers.

Here’s a secret: customers aren’t interested in a hero.

What really speaks to customers, what makes your company sound appealing, is when you place yourself as a guide who’s here to help them win the day.

The first step in positioning your company as the guide is to realize the story – your message – isn’t about you. It’s about your customers. Take a look at these paragraphs:

“Forty-five years ago, our founder set out to build an investment firm that would make a difference. We offer unmatched advising services that will grow your portfolio like never before.”

Vs.

“You’ve worked hard for your wealth, but you still worry about the future. With advising from ABC Partners, Ltd, you will grow your portfolio so you can stop worrying and enjoy your golden years.”

Do you see the change from the first paragraph to the second? It’s all about addressing your customer as the hero and offering yourself as a guide who can help them achieve a successful future.

Say It Clearly

The mantra of StoryBrand Guides is “clarity, clarity, clarity”.

Even when you think you’ve made it as clear as possible, go back and make it even more clear.

In fact, the first commandment in a StoryBrand holy text would be: “If you confuse, you’ll lose.”

Customers are people, and the one thing all people genuinely hate is feeling confused.

If it takes too much time or effort to understand something that should be simple – like a headline on a company’s website – we immediately lose interest and tune out.

It’s not that we’re all slow or lazy. It’s actually a survival mechanism built deep within us that seeks to preserve energy whenever possible. Since reading a website (probably) isn’t a matter of life and death, we will automatically stop wasting energy on understanding confusing copy, especially if there’s another website that’s much more clear.

So, address your customer as the hero, and do it with absolute clarity.

Once you’ve filtered your message through those lenses, you’re going to find that people react much more strongly to what you’re trying to say.