(Published in the November 2023 issue of the Millwater Magazine and the Orewa Magazine)
If you’re going to invest money in designing a new brochure, advert or website you better ensure the message works so it will be worthwhile in the first place.
This is far more than telling people about your business, listing your services and placing your logo.
We have two ears and one mouth, so we could all take a lesson from our loyal friends in listening to what people want before we speak.
Stop thinking you need to tell people about you, this is ‘obvious selling’ and no one wants to think they are being sold to. Instead, change the way you think and start by putting yourself in the shoes of your customer. What do they want to know? This is called being customer centric. It’s important because people want to read less about you and are more interested in how you improve their day.
Think about this, if you offer legal services, don’t say ‘We provide a full range of legal services’ in your headline. Instead consider a range of specific scenarios where someone might need a lawyer such as buying and selling a house, trusts, elder care. Then consider running a series of different adverts, or for a brochure or website run headlines or ask questions that have a more customer centric and specific purpose.
Eg: ‘Looking at retirement homes and need to ensure you make the right investment? This will get attention. Then you will need design to help you look the part and you’ll want to mention the word ‘Lawyers’ somewhere noticeably too. This way you can swing your advert around to selling by also adding wording that says you offer a full range at the end of the body copy, just before your logo.
You have little more than 3 seconds to get someone’s attention. Make sure your headline gets attention and once you have this, keep it by offering solutions people want.
We are all bombarded with messages so don’t ‘sell’ as this is what every other small business is doing, instead, get noticed by offering solutions for improving people’s lives. Get attention by appealing to your customer’s needs, then sell if you need to. It’s a subtle, but very important change in mid-set.
Next issue we’ll explain each of the components you need to include in your advert to make it work, keep an eye out this time next month for Part 2.
Chris Norris – Truth Seeker Cert. MKTG | MCC | Cert. Typography
Former Chairman of Business Whangaparaoa and Board Member for Silverdale Business. He is also a mentor with the Business Mentors Programme at MBIE. Now running a locally focussed branding business. Allbrand.co.nz – Revealing the truth in businesses. If you are passionate about something you already have a true story. Get in touch to seek it: Chris@allbrand.co.nz
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