Create a Relevant Message Answering These 3 Questions

I often heard this from the marketing speakers at  different conferences:

“You need to deliver relevant message to your audience”

Let me stop a little bit at the “relevant message” topic and talk about it. This overpraised and idolized term that “marketing specialists” use so often in their conversations and presentation.

What is relevant? When is a relevant message? When is the relevant time for a relevant message? When is the relevant time for a relevant message for a relevant audience? What product is relevant in a relevant time communicated by a relevant message for a relevant audience?

Ha ha ha…how relevant is relevant?

What does a relevant message mean? A message that reveals? A message that emphasizes?

Lots of questions, right?

For this I want to go with you through 3 simple questions that will help you understand what is a relevant message.

1. Do you know what a relevant message is?

A relevant message is when you communicate simple and clear for the right audience.

That means that you need to know who your target is, what are their needs and how they communicate with each other.

Let me show you a simple example: when you place an ad in a village or countryside with the relevant message “Free eye consults” instead of “Free ophthalmological consults“.

Communicate clear and use the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle.

2. What the is most relevant message that a brand can communicate?

The one that solves a problem, satisfies a need or fulfils a desire.

Just look at how Apple communicates with the consumer. Their product solves a problem, satisfies a need and most of it, fulfils a desire. I know that I repeat myself, but if we go deeper and deeper in their campaign, we definitely see these 3 points on their relevant message.

Let’s look at their landing page  and see how they check all these 3 points:

1. Solve a problem – security, malware, Apple Support
2. Satisfiy a need – App Store, Camera
3. Fulfil a desire – Apple Pay, Messaging Option

What is the problem you solve? What needs do you satisfy? What desire you fulfil?

3. What is the purpose of a relevant message from a brand?

To sell.

Even if we talk about content marketing, social media, banner ads, SEO and SEM and other form of marketing, this is the main purpose of a relevant message – to sell.

More of it, everything a brand is doing, is to sell. Let’s be honest and move along from this theory that a brand should do other stuff.

When we talk about brands, we talk about business and money. Because brands are in the money industry and to survive they need to sell their product/services.

Let me rephrase David Ogilvy’s quote: from “if it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative” to

“if it doesn’t sell, it isn’t relevant”

Conclusion:

• communicate simple and clear for the right audience
• solves a problem, satisfies a need or fulfils a desire
• sell