Often times, people tell me that when they need to develop copy for a new email campaign or are working on new collateral, they suddenly get writers block. In an effort to make this process easier, I have put together the six essential components you should include when communicating your business message to your targeted audience.
The 6 essential components of a well structured business message:
1) Compelling Message & Title: Should include a title that immediate catches the attention of your intended reader and contain strong message of what the target prospect has to loose and /or gain.
2) Value Proposition: why my solution is uniquely the best solution
3) Call to Action: Ask for the business
4) Incentive: Offer an incentive to lower the barrier to entry
5) Time Limit: place a time limit on the offer
6) Re-state the issue: re-state the issue and why your targeted audience needs to take action now.
Compelling Message
Start with a Message Title that immediately attracts the attention of your intended reader.
Your compelling message answers the question: why your audience should listen to what you have to say. The message needs to include those issues that are of top priority to your targeted audience. Too often, businesses are so focused on their own deliverable that they focus on the “Me” rather than “You”.
Brevity and concise messaging is important. Select one but no more than two top priority concerns that directly affect your targeted audience. Include facts supporting the importance of these concerns and clearly indicate what they or their business has to gain or lose.
Value Proposition
Your value proposition should contain elements of the following items:
1. What problem you solution are trying to solve
2. Brief explanation of how your solution solves the problem
3. Why you offer the most unique and viable solution
4. Time frame to action
Call to Action
Surprisingly this is one of the most overlooked areas of sales. Basically, you’re asking for the opportunity to do business. To be effective consider the most likely potential barriers or objections that your targeted audience might use. These typically include the following excuses, budget, time, resources, ability, etc. Make the ability to do business with you as easy as possible.
Incentive
In your mind, your solution is a no-brainer, your price is more than fair, yet your audience may still need an added incentive to take action. When offering an incentive which has become so common-place in many businesses, try to offering something that is relevant to the subject you’re dealing with and most importantly has definite and immediate value to your prospect.
Time Limit
The main purpose of setting a time limit is to create a sense of urgency. There are two ways you can achieve this. The most compelling way is by suggesting a deadline based upon a real issue. An example could be some type of filling deadline, or other client focused identifiable deadline. The other method is by limiting the time of your “special” offer. The first is much more compelling and effective.
Restate the issue and value of what you’re offering
Close your message by re-stating and re-emphasizing the importance of the “issue” in relation to your target audience. Likewise, you should restate uniqueness of your solution and again suggest a call to action.
Additional point not to forget
Before any of these steps can be undertaken with success, it is crucial that you know and understand the business issues facing your targeted market.
New Business Resources – Value Proposition
With increasing competitive pressures and a challenging economy, professional service firms are faced with a growing the need to develop new business opportunities and improve client retention. By providing hands-on practical guidance and new social media solutions, I empower my clients with cost efficient tools to improve client retention while developing new and referral opportunities. With over twenty years of business development experience, New Business Resources is uniquely positioned to provide professional services organizations with best practice solutions to enable more opportunities to meet with qualified prospective clients.
