Are your making meaningful connections or just “spraying and praying”?
Although it is widely stated that 93% of communication is non-verbal, getting the remaining 7% that is verbal right is essential in building credibility and trust with your intended audience. In the social world, it’s all about the 4C’s – Connections, Conversations, Conversions and Cash, and it starts with “connections”.
Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to speak to groups on several occasions about “How to Improve Your 30-Second Elevator Pitch” and “Are You Speaking to Me?” These presentations stress the importance of tailoring your message in order to powerfully position your business and value proposition with a diverse audience.
Whether it’s your 30-second elevator pitch, headline for a sales letter, blog article, YouTube video or another form of communication, there are some important things for you to consider when developing your message with a specific audience in mind.
Success Tips for Creating Meaningful Connections
1. Have something important to say – important to them!
The message should be clear, concise, on-topic, and packed with rich content that motivates them to keep reading or listening.
2. Choose your words carefully.
Make sure your vocabulary fits the intended audience. Use powerful words and phrases they fully understand to help engage them in a conversation.
3. Create a visual image to strengthen the connection with them.
If appropriate, tell a brief story relevant to the topic to peak their interest and help get your point across.
4. Be sure your message is goal-oriented.
Design your message with a specific outcome in mind. Include a ‘call to action’ so they know what you want and most importantly, what’s in it for them.
5. Adjust the message content to ensure it elicits a strong response.
If you are developing new flyer for example, create 3-5 different messages and then test them out to determine which one yields the highest response rates.
Are you speaking to me?
One of the hurdles we all encounter is how to craft the appropriate message when multiple target audiences are represented. Avoid the temptation to “spray and pray”, and instead develop a more focused message aimed at a selected segment of the audience. The latter requires more effort and forethought to construct, but ultimately should result in much higher response rates.
While there is no one specific right answer when it comes to connecting your message with the audience, the more you know about your ideal client and target market(s), the easier it will be to deliver an impactful message that produces the desired result.
Is there anything you are going to do differently to create meaningful connections where you will be remembered? What has worked for you in the past and what hasn’t? Let’s discuss.
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