Page 122 - Duct Tape Marketing

106 Part II: Sharpening Your Marketing Focus

Figure 8-1: 1. Who is the target prospect?
Guide to
writing a The target audience: Who are the people most apt to respond to this marketing effort?
creative Describe them in terms of geographic location, demographic facts, and tendency to
brief. purchase a product like yours.

2. What do they currently know or think about us and our product or service?

Current Perceptions: Are you trying to reinforce current thoughts about your product/
service, or are you trying to change minds? What wrong impressions, if any, do you want
to correct?

3. What do we want them to know or think — and do?

Desired Outcome: Write a one-sentence description of the major idea you want prospects
to receive from this marketing effort, and the action you want them to take. Remember: a
single marketing communication can only accomplish so much.

4. Why should they believe us?

Supporting Facts: Don’t create a laundry list of features you offer, but a statement of the
unique benefits customers can count on.

5. What information does this marketing effort need to convey?

Mandatory Instructions: What information must you include? If you know you need to
include legal or copyright lines, logo or tag line, Web address, contact information
specific photos, and so on, state your requirements here.

6. How will we evaluate this marketing effort?

Success Measurements: State what you expect this effort to accomplish so that it can be
designed to accomplish your objectives.

7. Project guidelines, Timeline, Budget.

Specifications: If you want it done right the first time, provide all the facts and figures
before the creative planning begins. Don’t withhold information, especially about your
budget. If you have limited funds, say so.

Targeting your market

Start with everything you know about your prospects (see Chapter 2 for
more information) and then boil your knowledge into a one-sentence defini-
tion that encapsulates the geographic location, the lifestyle facts, and the
purchasing motivators of your target prospects.

Here is the target market statement for a real estate developer:

The prospect is a resident of Montana, aged 40+, married with children
living at home, with a professional career, upper-level income, and an
affinity for travel, outdoor recreation, status brands, and high levels of
service.