Differentiate or Die: How To Create Marketing Messages That Break Through

This excellent article by Laura Lowell discusses the importance of and challenges associated with developing a marketing message that sets you apart in an increasingly cluttered marketplace. Here are a few highlights from the article:

- According to some experts, the quantity of messages the average adult is exposed to daily has increased 100-fold over the past 20 years. The result is that most Americans are becoming numb to these messages and are “opting-out” at staggering rates.

- Now the question is: how do you break through in this type of environment?

The article outlines the following basic steps for developing messages that generate leads and drive revenue:

1. Know your audience.

2. Know the competition. As the article states, "Understanding how your company, product or service stacks up against the competition is the next step towards a message that really delivers. Marketing strategy guru Jack Trout said “differentiate or die”. That doesn’t mean bashing the competition. It means knowing your relative strengths and weaknesses and positioning the offering accordingly."

3. Test the message.

4. Carry it through.

This is a worthwhile read.