This post comes from Charlie Antoine, an author in our series of guest bloggers. Learn more about him here.

Ready to launch your next big marketing campaign? You must ask yourself three very important questions that define your objectives and message. The message is the driving force to achieve your marketing goals, so don’t make the mistake of simply adapting it to a pre-selected medium.

1. What?

What is it that you are trying to convey? This is the first question to answer in developing your campaign’s message and purpose. Some common examples include:

• Drive awareness
• Be informative/educational
• Be funny
• Inspire readers/viewers
• Tell a story

Whichever the case may be, you must blend the message with the objective. A marketing campaign will be absolutely pointless if the consumer doesn’t know what you are trying to convey. A former professor gave me the most important takeaway in my marketing education: “Marketing communication is pointless if you can’t tell what the message is.” Make it clear and concise, yet memorable. Simply put, keep it simple!

2. So what?

Now that you know what message you’re delivering, the second question is “What’s in it for the customer?” This is the most important question to answer when promoting a product, posting content on social media, or branding your company through native advertising. Give your consumers a reason to digest the information you are divulging.

For example, let’s say you are launching a new product, but adapted your model based on your competitor. Consumers benefit from competition but have to know which product is better suited to their needs. In today’s “me too” market, delivering product benefits is of utmost importance. People have been wearing watches for centuries and even smart watches have existed for several years, but Apple added the “cool” factor and all of a sudden the Apple Watch is in high demand.

Think about the famous scene from ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ when Leonardo DiCaprio is recruiting his friends to be brokers and says to each one, “Sell me this pen.” He’s not satisfied when they talk about the actual features of the pen until demand is created. His friend addresses Jordan Belfort’s specific, individual needs, which is the approach marketers need to take when crafting their message.

Here are just a few ways to address the “so what”:

• Make your customer feel important
• Drive demand
• Tap into nostalgia/emotion (Appeal to a desirable state of mind)

3. Now what?

Now it’s time to call your audience to action. This can range from convincing them to buy a product, encouraging them to engage on social media, directing them to your website, watching a video, spreading additional awareness by word of mouth, practicing something they learned from your marketing message, etc.

Answering these three questions will help put you in the consumer's shoes and think how they do. Determine the message/objective, show the value of what you are offering, and tell them to take action. Before long you will have taken them through the customer experience funnel from awareness to action, and eventually brand loyalty!

Are there any other steps in the process you like to include? Let us know in the comments below!

Looking to boost your marketing efforts with better campaigns? Contact Milwaukee marketing agency, Accelity Marketing.