Is your messaging immediately intuitive, relevant, and credible?
There is a systematic approach to developing great messaging. This same approach is practiced by leading companies across globe, including those which top our Fortune 100 list: Walmart, Apple, General Motors, Facebook, and others.

While it is not possible to reveal the processes and methodologies used by these leading companies in this single post, let me share with you a few proven practices.

2.  Messaging must be singular in focus.
​This is a challenge for many marketers as we’re tempted to tell everything we can about our company’s products or services. Unfortunately, we only have a fraction of a second to create a lasting impression. To break through the clutter, make sure your messaging is singular, relevant and credible. Remember, your audience is just a click away from moving on.

4.  Messaging must be benefit driven.     
The benefit statement is the promise which answers the question: “What’s in it for me?” The benefit should be competitively distinct and important to the consumer. It is about how you, better than anyone else, best fulfills what is described in the ACB.                  

Examples of Benefits:
  -  Crest™ makes dental checkups easier.
  -  No more embarrassing static clean with Bounce™.
​  -  Have it your way at Burger King™.

5.  Messaging must be believable.
We all have been disappointed by companies and products not delivering on their promise. Because of a hypersensitivity to “marketing puffery,” without giving your audience a reason-to-believe (RTB) your messaging is little more than an empty promise. Effective use of RTB statements helps you overcome those objections.
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 RTB Examples:     
  -  Recommended by the American Dental Association.  
  -  J.D. Power award winner for three consecutive years.    
  -  A New York Times Best Seller.​

7.  Offer incentives to increase conversions.
To overcome barriers to purchase offer an incentive. Naturally, the greater the value, the greater the conversion rate. A purchase incentive may be in the form of a traditional price discount, guarantee of satisfaction, or creating a sense of urgency. ​
Purchase Incentives Examples:
  -  $50.00 OFF on your next car tune up. 
  -  Pizza delivered in 30 minutes or its FREE.
  -  Hurry. Only 20 seats remaining!

Unfortunately, despite the importance of vision and mission statements, many organizations do not have them. In many cases, the two statements are lumped together as one or used interchangeably despite their distinctive differences. ​
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To learn more about the importance of vision and mission statements, read below.

​here are two (2) distinct, yet equally important, elements to internal marketing.
1.  The first is communicating the marketing strategy and plan at a top level. ​​

​2.  The second essential part is to have an internal marketing strategy that insures frequent and predictable communications. 

This could be in the form of a monthly newsletter (print and/or digital), poster campaign, or quarterly presentation   by senior executives. This will provide the platform for empowering and creating a positive internal culture. 

All employees should be included in your outreach, whether they are based at headquarters, working in a satellite office, or working on the plant floor in another state.

It is imperative that your team (all employees) is the first to know about any exciting company news. Imagine the embarrassment and how devalued they would feel if they heard about BIG company news from another, especially someone outside the company.

Do you need help conducting discovery to improve business performance?
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If you need help discovering those issues which may be marginalizing your organization's performance, and identifying those strategies to best leverage your strengths, drop me a note or call for your initial FREE consultation. ​

​The way that you use OGSM will depend on a range of factors, such as your business model, your organization's structure and culture, and the way you make decisions. ​
The development of an annual plan can be overwhelming. To simplify the process, let me redefine the process in familiar terms:
1.  What is it that you want to do?
2.  Why does it make sense?
3.  How are we going to do it?
​4.  How do we measure progress?

PLANNING STEPS EXAMPLES 
1.  What is it that you want to do?
​Here, you create a clear, concise statement of your aspiration. This needs to be more than a vague "I want to be the best." It should be a statement to focus your thinking and be aspirational. THINK BIG!

For example, imagine you're a manager in a large automotive manufacturer. Your statement might read, "To become the nation’s leader in electric van manufacture." You could expand on this by adding, "...through developing cutting-edge battery technology, high-performance motors, and an innovative workforce…"

You might then extend this further by saying, "...and enter new commercial markets that other manufacturers are not addressing."

2.  Why does it make sense?
Here, you set out to define success by quantifying your desired results.

To return to the automotive manufacturer example, your goals might be:
•  Within 6 months, develop a battery pack capable of giving a 10,000 lb. vehicle a range of 650 miles.
•  Within 8 months, develop a motor capable of delivering 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque.
•  Within 10 months, integrate these technologies into a standard van body and demonstrate a production-ready prototype.
•  Within 12 months, develop a fully costed proposal for manufacturing the vehicle at scale.

Here, it is a general practice to present financial measures, then captured in its entirety in a traditional P&L format.
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3.  How are we going to do it?
This is your road map. It defines those actions which need to be done to deliver against your promise. The more specific, the easier it is to explain and measure progress.

Sticking with our fictional automotive manufacturer, samples might be:
•  Set up a well-resourced, dynamic HR team that is capable of running an accelerated recruitment program for bringing expert engineers on board.
•  Recruit engineers with strong experience of developing and integrating specialist electric vehicle components.
•  Establish a development facility at existing research or manufacturing sites.

4.  How do we measure progress?
Here, you are trying to answer the questions, "Are we on track to deliver against our promise?”
Marketers will generally refer to two documents:

1. A calendar of events to monitor major activities against the original timeframe.  
2. P&L statements to monitor revenue, cost, spending, and profit performance.

With these two documents, the manager will broadly share with management and their cross functional team members how well 'everyone' is performing against plan.

When you consider the evolution of most businesses we shouldn’t be surprised that with many are focused internally, on the here and now. Consider the theoretical model below:

• The owner creates a product/service targeting a small geography. 
• Due to close relationships and increased demand, the business grows. 
• To increase capacity they focus on operations. 
• To serve a larger audience they create and/or expand their sales force.
• To manage a more complex business they improve their focus on accounting/finance.
• As the company geographically expands they face deep pocketed, well entrenched competitors defending and expanding market share. In response, the company staffs up marketing.
• As the business matures, to support fast paced innovation and margin improvement initiatives, consumer insights becomes essential.

For those who struggle to accept the benefits and value of consumer insights, let me suggest that you take the first step. Conduct three part focus groups or on-line survey with moderate-to-heavy category users:

​The result of your well managed research is that you will gain invaluable insights as to what customers/consumers think about your product/industry, your company/brand, and how well you perform against your major competition. With these learnings, you can more confidently leverage your strength and take action where you fall short.