Picture the scene. It’s the 89th minute in what’s been an epic cup final. The scores are even. You're waiting for the ball. As soon as you get it you’re going to do your devastating best to snatch a winner, and lift the cup for your team and their loyal supporters.
You’re ready, this is your moment. But you don’t just receive one ball, 15 of them are fired at you at the same time. You don’t know where to look and what to do next. It’s all gone to hell in a handbasket!
This is exactly how your audience feels. They’re poised ready to engage with you and you go and smash them in the face with multiple marketing messages. Bombarding people like this can have disastrous effects. It leads to confusion, dilutes your communication efforts, and hinders your ability to achieve whatever your desired goal is.
By focusing on one message at a time, you can tackle your marketing challenges strategically and increase your chances of success. So the main message here is; choose a ball your audience wants to receive and keep passing it to them, giving them every opportunity to convert.
Sounds simple but how do you choose the right ball? Hopefully by this point you'll have defined your audience and what drives them (if not take a look at this). It's also essential to have set out your own marketing goals (look here for guidance on that). A single compelling message should sit comfortably between these parameters. You'll need to identify and eliminate options, internally or with the help of your creative partner, to choose the right one for right now.
Here are a few examples of focused compelling campaign subjects that will help get you started:
While there may be a natural crossover, for example, a cause-related campaign boosting brand awareness, it's important to avoid single pieces of marketing that say, "Look at this brand – We've got this product – Take advantage of this offer – We support this charity – Come and see us at this event." You get the gist; it's too much and too confusing.
It is however, important to remember that it's not a problem to factor in various single compelling messages throughout a given time period. When devising your marketing plan, simply ensure that you allocate ample time, making space for each message to land. But remember, passing one 'ball' at a time will create better chances to convert. Back of the net!