Bollin on Business: Message in a bottle

Originally published July 11, 2008

There is a crisis upon us. It has been gnawing its way into our lives word-by-word, bit-by-bit, blog-by-blog, for years. It’s the information crisis. Not the lack of it, but simply too much of it.

Our brains are somewhat adept at sorting through the packets of information that wave before us like stalks of wheat on a Kansas farm. Still, our challenge in business is to become worthy of recognition and patronage. Kind of like being the tallest stalk of wheat in the field.

Most failed efforts at branding or lackluster advertising can be traced to a poor, weak, or a non-existent message. Whenever I hear that an advertisement “didn’t work,” “we didn’t get any response,” or “nobody understands my business.” I immediately look to see what the advertisement or brand was saying to the target audience. Each advertisement should carry the following:

Your Brand - Unique graphic or other elements that describe and fortify your business and deliver you special business personality to your target audience. This could be your logo, tagline, or unique graphic designs in print advertising, a jingle or special music or voice in radio advertising, or a combination of the two in Television/Web advertising.

Where to Go & How to Contact You - This seems so basic but is often overlooked. If you have a hard-to-find location, small maps or written directions help. Make sure your phone number and Web address are correct, visible, and informative, too.