According to a presentation I heard last week from a fellow Marketing Consultant, back in the 1970s we were typically exposed to up to 500 marketing messages every day. Now that number is closer to 5000 messages each day. So it’s hardly surprising that, with that number of messages filling up our days, we become oblivious to so many of them. We make a cup of coffee during the TV advert breaks – or fast-forward the on-demand programme we’re watching. We tune out the ads that pop up in between listening to music on YouTube. We chuck the junk mail in the bin without even opening it (because we can all spot junk mail, can’t we?!) We delete the spam emails – if they make it into our inboxes – without reading them. We walk past the posters and the flashing neon ‘closing down sale’ signs that have been there for months.

But while we’re getting really good at ignoring or filtering out many of the 5000 daily marketing messages, what does this mean for the messages that we want to send out about our businesses? How can you cut through the noise and still have your message heard/read/seen by the potential clients who you want to reach?

Here are some more tips from Ralph Lightman’s talk:

Research – find out exactly who your ideal clients are and get to know your service extremely well. Also find out which channels will get your marketing messages in front of your ideal clients. Men don’t buy a particular shampoo because it promises them sleek, glossy hair. They buy shampoo because the bottle says ‘Shampoo’ on it. The other messages are aimed at the women who buy shampoo for the men in their lives.

Focus – your marketing message needs to really stand out from the other 4999 daily messages that your prospects will see. Make them memorable, or funny, or controversial – anything to make them more attention grabbing than the rest.

Magic Content – you have less than 2 seconds to capture someone’s attention when they see your website on their mobile phone or tablet. Does your site quickly explain how you can help your ideal clients? Your site also needs to pass the blink test – is there a clear call to action that can be seen straight away?

Consistency – look at the way in which the Pepsi logo has changed over the years. Massive changes. Compare this to how the Coca Cola logo has changed and you’ll notice that while there have been changes, you might not have noticed them as most of them have been quite subtle. Is your marketing message consistent or do you keep jumping around to different logos, fonts, colours and messages?

To add some zest to your marketing and to help your messages get through to your prospects, do some research into who your prospects are and what they need from you. Focus your message on getting their attention quickly. Create magic content on your website and in other marketing tools and finally, be consistent. Follow these four steps and you will be able to put more zest into your marketing and make it work harder for you.

If you need help with any of these four steps, or some advice in how to pull them all together, just get in touch. Call me on 01635 578500 or click here to email me.