Message first. Medium second.

Too many business owners and marketers get carried away concerning themselves with where to place their message, when they really should spend more time getting their message right in the first place.

I couldn’t count the amount of times I’ve heard over the years new Clients say to me “Tim, I’ve got to get a website…I should have a blog…I need an ad in such and such magazine…I should be on Twitter.”

“Should you?” is my usual response. “Why?” Or “Porquoi?” if I’m in a French kind of mood.

The reality is…all of the above-mentioned mediums are best viewed as simply channels…ways if you like…of getting your message to market. And some may be right for your business…others may not be. I know it’s the fun and ‘sexy’ side of marketing…getting the website or the ad…but ‘sexy’ doesn’t sell (sex does! But that’s another blog post in itself).

So…let’s play real life for a minute. A Client of mine asked me this week to set them up with a Twitter account.

“Porquoi?” I asked.

“Well, I’ve been reading about it everywhere,” came her reply.

“So?” I asked (I’m a fellow of few words).

Then there was silence…I’d got her! I’d asked the right question and she didn’t have an answer. (Not really…I’m not harsh!).

Then I chimed in and told her the facts…nothing negative…just the facts about needing to constantly update, the need to have a breif and stick to it…the need to respond in a timely manner … blah blah blah.

“Oh…That’s not my style…I need something less demanding”, she said. We then went on and identified five mediums that were much more suited to her, her business and most importantly her customers.

Now this post is not about or anti Twitter…anything but (I love Twitter as a marketing channel)…It’s a post about spending more time focusing on what to say, not where to say it. Message first. Medium second.

What do you think?

(Author’s note: If you’d like to learn about how this applies to Twitter then register for my upcoming Webinar).

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