If you don’t have a clear, succinct message when you advertise, you’d be better off using your money to start a fire. How are you going to convince anyone to purchase your product or service, if you’re not even sure what you’re trying to communicate?

There is a proven way to make people pay attention and get your message across clearly. It’s the same formula best-selling novelist and blockbuster movie screenwriters have been using for decades.

Think about the last book you stayed up reading until the ungodly hours of the morning because you had to know what happened, or the last TV series you binge watched on Netflix. What was it about the plot that kept you turning pages or glued to the screen?

All movies and books start with a main character - someone you relate to (or you’ll stop watching or won’t keep reading). This character has a problem that needs solving – a murder case to solve, to find love, to save the world. In the case of branding the main character is your target customer who has a problem that needs a resolution.

In every book or a movie there is a guide, someone to help the main character solve their problem. In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker looks to Yoda to teach him how to use the force. In the hit TV show Prison Break, Michael Schofield looks to Dr. Sarah Tancredi to help him escape Fox Worth Prison. Applying this to branding, your company is the guide and will provide a solution to the customer’s problem. But will the solution be successful or fail? This is what keeps people page turning or watching the next episode of a show.

TV commercials use cliff hangers a lot. Take for instance Napisan. The main character is a busy mother with active children, who get messy, making getting rid of stains on clothing tough. Vanish stains is the guide, it provides Napisan as solution for getting rid of stains. Then there’s a cliff hanger as you wait to see whether the product really worked.

The message is clear and succinct – if you are a busy mum with kids who are rough on clothing, using Napisan will ease the frustration and save time doing laundry.

Customers are looking for two things – Firstly they want to know that you understand their dilemmas. Secondly, they are looking for authority, someone that can say ‘Hey, I have exactly what you’re looking for and this is how it will fix your problems’.

This type of marketing needs to culminate with urging the customer to take action. Many people are quite happy to be bystanders and even though they might think your products sounds good, they won’t do anything unless you include a specific call to action. Customers need to be motivated to pick up the phone or head to their local supermarket to seek out your product. Money-back guarantees or two for one offers for a strictly limited time are great ways to inspire motivation.

Why not change up your marketing strategy today? If you need help in finding your clear, succinct message, talk to the team at XDesigns Advertising. Our clients are located throughout Australia, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth.