Core message development is the most important aspect of building a brand. It’s what makes a lasting impact on your target market. It’s what persuades people to move from being prospects to clients. 
If your current marketing messages are not motivating your prospects into action, the problem may not be your product or service. The problem could be your message development. Unfortunately, if you don’t know where you’re going wrong, you probably don’t know how to fix things.
Your solution is a Core Message Audit™
My signature copywriting service is my Core Message Platform™ program. However, I also receive requests from do-it-yourself clients to audit or evaluate their current marketing messages, so they can make the fixes themselves.
Due to the growing number of these requests, I will soon introduce a comprehensive Core Message Audit™ service.
Before I do, I thought I’d give you a glimpse into the process I use to evaluate marketing materials. If you’re the do-it-yourself type, the following insights will help you perform your own core message makeover.
Where to start
Collect and assemble your current marketing content. Materials such as …
- Website copy
- Brochures
- Sales letters
- Videos and video scripts
- E-blasts and landing pages
- And everything else you have
Give your materials an honest, fresh look and compile a list of observations (the good, the bad, and the ugly). Next, focus on what is bad and ugly and develop an in-depth set of ideas that detail how you can make your copy more compelling and persuasive.
How to evaluate your marketing content
It’s hard to come up with ideas to make your copy more dynamic if you’re not sure how to evaluate it. So, here are some insights that will get you going in the right direction. When I perform a Core Message Audit™, these are the primary areas on which I focus:
Improve your headlines – Headlines are by far the most valuable real estate in sales writing. Be sure they grab and engage your prospects, so they’ll be motivated to read your body copy.
Make your copy more concise and customer-focused – To gain the respect of your prospects, your copy has to focus more on their needs, and less on your company.
Craft compelling copy that is inviting to the eye – If your copy doesn’t LOOK simple and easy to read, no one will read it. So the way you organize and “present” your sales content means everything.
Tell stories that capture and hold your prospects’ interest – Nothing grabs readers like good storytelling. Use this powerful tool as much as possible to energize your product messaging.
Develop sharp, attention-getting bullet points – Bulleted benefit and value statements that read like a short series of punches pack a lot of heat. Learn to master the art of writing better bullet points!
Compel prospects to move through a buying process – Study and learn proven writing formulas that are designed to guide prospects step-by-step through a motivating selling sequence.
Create call-to-action lines that are confident and commanding – Prospects are waiting for you to tell them what to do next. Never assume they know. Tell them!
Build persuasive value demonstrations – Detail your marketing copy so its central focus is on the VALUE and QUALITY you provide. This makes it much easier to reveal and charge a premium price.
In the coming weeks, I intend to write additional posts that expand on each of these key points. So stay tuned!
For now, focus your attention on these primary areas when you perform your own Core Message Audit™, and you’ll be well on your way to creating marketing messages that have a sharper professional edge to them.
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