Successful communication happens when your message is transmitted to a listener, reader and viewer with the meaning you intended. When a listener “gets” your message, you earn the opportunity to say more about yourself, your product or your organization.
A successful message depends on:
- The Right MESSAGE
- The Right CHANNEL
- The Right AUDIENCE
Evaluate your public, professional and private communication. How do you stack up in those three areas?
To go deeper about message, channel and audience, read on:
1. Send the Right MESSAGE.
- Is your message clear, concise and creative?
- Clear – Cover the basics (typically the who, what, when and where details) and don’t leave out important details.
- Concise – Say it as simply and with as few words as possible.
- Creative – Make it memorable and out of the ordinary.
- Is your message purposeful and persuasive?
- Purposeful – Know why the message matters.
- Persuasive – Motivate, inspire and emote with your message.
2. Use the Right CHANNEL.
- What channel is best suited for your message and audience?
- Should your message be sent over multiple channels?
- Digital – Website, blog, podcast, e-mail, text, digital ad placement, SEO and more
- Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat and more
- Print – Direct mail, brochure, card, letter, print display ad, etc.
- Broadcast – Radio and TV
- Personal – Anything that can be used to share the message from one person to another.
- Will you use free or paid channels, or a combination of both?
- Free – No-cost social media, web or print channels
- Paid – Google, Bing, Yahoo, Facebook ads, sponsored Twitter and social media ads, display ads, banner ads, text ads and more
3. Choose the Right AUDIENCE.
- Who are you trying to reach with your message? What’s your target?
Is your audience an internal or external core constituency?- Internal Core Constituencies – Employees, leaders, volunteers, contributors and more
- External Core Constituencies – Current customers, potential customers, consumers, prospects and more
- What demographic and psychographic characteristics describe your audience?
- Demographics – Who your audience is and what they do
- Psychographics – What your audience thinks and how they act
So what’s the Big Idea?
Send the right message over the right channel to the right audience.
Resources
- “From SEO to Social Media: What Are the 8 Types of Digital Marketing?” by Alexa Gustavsen