Planning Marketing and Sales Messages

The essential panning steps include

• Assessing customer needs
• Analyzing the competition
• Determining key selling points and benefits
• Anticipating purchase objections

Writing Conventional Marketing and Sales Messages

Most marketing and sales messages are prepared according to the AIDA model or some variation of it. A typical AIDA-organized message:

• Begins with an attention-getting introduction
• Generates interest by describing some of the product’s or service’s unique features
• Increases desire by highlighting the benefits that are most appealing to the audience
• Closes by suggesting the action the sender would like the audience members to take

Writing Promotional Messages for Social Media

The AIDA model has long been successful with marketing and sales messages. However, communicating with customers in the social media landscape requires a different approach. Follow these guidelines:

• Facilitate community building.
• Listen at least as much as you talk.
• Initiate and respond to conversations within the community.
• Provide information that people want.
• Identify and support your champions.
• Be authentic; be transparent; be real.
• Integrate conventional marketing and sales strategies at the right time and in the right places.

Maintaining High Standards of Ethics, Legal Compliance, and Etiquette

The word persuasion has negative connotations for some people, especially in a marketing or sales context.

However, effective businesspeople view persuasion as a positive force, aligning their own interests with what is best for their audiences.

Marketing and sales messages are covered by a variety of laws and regulations. Keep the following legal considerations in mind:

• Marketing and sales messages must be truthful and nondeceptive.
• You must back up your claims with evidence.
• “Bait and switch” advertising is illegal.
• Marketing messages and websites aimed at children are subject to special rules.
• Marketing and sales messages are considered binding contracts in many states.
• In most cases, you can’t use a person’s name, photograph, or another identity without permission.

Meeting your ethical and legal obligations will go a long way toward maintaining good communication etiquette.

However, you may still face etiquette decisions within ethical and legal boundaries.

Taking an audience-centred approach, in which you show respect for your readers and their values, should help you avoid etiquette missteps.

Technologies such as opt-in email also give communicators new ways to demonstrate sensitivity to user needs.