When it comes to communicating to potential customers you can’t expect them to remember much about you, so you need to be clear about what you want them to know. So, if they only remember one thing about you, what is it? This primary message is something many companies either don’t understand or don’t know. Instead, potential customers get a mixed bag of different messages and are left to decide which was important. Presented with a situation like this they are likely to not remember anything about your company at all. Having one clear, primary message will ensure everyone in the business repeats the same message, over and over, making it memorable and leading to commercial success. So, how do you come up with your primary message?

What does a primary message look like?

Well, the first thing is it needs to say something, it must grab a customer’s attention, so it’s not just about what you do. It must provide insight into why you do it and why they should care. This is what I call the “Why” of the business. What does the business stand for, what is its cause, its core belief and why does it exist in the first place? These are things that will always come from one of the founders. It was a passion they had that drove them to create the business in the first place, that’s what we want customers to see. Then of course we must explain how we’re going to change things in their business, what difference will we make? These then are the two core constituents of a good primary message. Why we do what we do and how it will benefit customers.

How do we create a primary message?

For the first part, the founder must dig deep into their own psyche. What is their passion, what is that drives them with this business, their motivation and seek to capture this in a few words. Then think about how your product or service will change things for them, a kind of before and after, because if it doesn’t make a difference, they’re not going to buy it. Why would you spend money on something that doesn’t? Again, capture this in a few words as possible because the more concise your primary message the more powerful and memorable it will be. Less is more. Remember other people must be able to explain it too, or it won’t work, so say what you mean. Don’t use fancy words that make it sound good but don’t say anything or don’t convey meaning. Finally, use words that show rather than tell, so don’t tell customers you’re passionate, show them you are. Condensing your message in this way will take some time, as you really need to think about it. It’s easier to write a whole page than one sentence. As Blaise Pascal once said – “If I had more time, I would have written you a shorter letter”. Condensing is difficult!

Creating a powerful primary message in this way will define what you want customers to know about you. It will become embedded in your business, but more importantly, it will ensure customers remember you!