Effective marketing communications is all about the audience.
Effective marketing communication is not just about getting your message across to your customers or prospective customers, it is about getting your message across with a purpose. In marketing, each word, each sentence, should be written with your audience in mind and with the idea of getting your audience to act. Whether you are selling a product, promoting a person or idea, or lobbying for an action, your marketing communication should be the vehicle to initiate the outcome you want.
Objectives
Before you put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, consider the reason for the marketing communications. Ask yourself what you want to achieve, what action you want to accomplish. Whether you want to spark interest in a new product, drive people to a store to buy something, or even push people to vote for a candidate or a cause, you'll want to clearly understand or objective and take steps to communicate with that objective in mind. Your writing or imagery should speak to that objective, and it is important to always think of the "call to action," the driver in your marketing communications to initiate contact, details such as a phone number, a deadline or a web address.
Audience
As vital as determining your objective is determining your audience. Your audience will determine the tone and type of content you will be delivering in your marketing communications. When creating your content, always consider the benefit to your customers and what is important to them, not you. Think of what is important to them, what drives them, what motivates them and use that intelligence to drive your writing or speaking efforts. Think visually as well and, if your campaign includes a graphics-heavy piece, try to incorporate photos or graphics of people similar to your customer, engaging them with familiar imagery that's important to them. By keeping your audience in mind, you'll not only ground your marketing communications effort to your customer's way of thinking, but you'll have a better chance of getting the results you desire.
Voice
Your company has a voice, a brand, an image. Be true to that brand in your marketing communications and be consistent with the image your company has tried hard to maintain. Think of the imagery and persona of companies you know best. The "golden arches" stand for quality and convenience. You would not see an image of filet mignon in one of McDonald's ads, and you should not deviate from what your company does best in your campaigns. Make sure to be consistent with branding and voice, and your marketing communications will effectively carry through the image wants to present.
Management
You have the identified the objective, the audience and the voice, but your marketing communications will not be as effective as they could be without the proper planning. When you deliver the message is often as important as what you put in the message. Strategically consider the planning of your marketing communications campaigns. If your business is seasonal, you'll start promoting just ahead of the season. Too soon, though, and you'll lose interest; too close to the event, and you'll not give your customers not enough time to act. You also don't want to inundate your customers with communications. Try to coordinate your efforts so as not to hit an in box or a mailbox at the same time. Too much information can sometimes tune out your customers, too.
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