Advertising, It’s All About the Message

I’m Barbara Daniel. I’m the publisher and editor of the Cleveland Women’s Journal Magazine and I’m going to tell you why in advertising that’s all about the message. I have found through advertising experience that what our readers really want is content. Whether you’re advertising in print, on TV, or on radio, it is about the message.

First, identify your customer. Don’t say it’s everybody because it isn’t. You have a specific target market. Identify it and then know and understand the demographics of your best customer. Craft your message based on that demographic. Next, we use the 80/20 rule when we talk about content. We want 80% information, 20% about you. You want to turn the consumer into an educated customer. Customers do want to be educated before they make a purchase, and it’s your information that can help them.

Now, you want to develop a headline that grabs their attention such as, “Eat your way to wellness.”, “Never diet again.”, or something eye opening like, “Success, redefined.” Now as part of your message, be clear and concise in order to create trust with the reader. Do not use industry jargon because they won’t really understand what you’re talking about. Use language that all of us can understand. You don’t need to use big words to show how smart you are. You want to get the message that everyone can read and understand what you’re saying.

Finally, diversify your advertising. Try print, try television, try radio. By all means, use social media, Facebook, Twitter, write a blog, find out what works best for your market. Explore them and then keep track of the possibilities and what is working for you and your message. Whether you’re advertising on television or radio or in print, for content it’s all about the message.