The Truth About Your Marketing Message
Cohesion is the degree to which your company’s marketing messages accurately reflect the values that govern your day to day operations. It’s the difference between a marketing campaign that generates buzz and one that falls flat. It’s not just about authenticity; it’s about creating a culture where everyone is a part of the story.
Every communication between your brand and your customers is a marketing message—not just what you tweet, post on Facebook, print in magazine ads, or say on your web site. The look on a cashier’s face at the end of a 14-hour shift is a marketing message. The magazines you place on the table in your office lobby communicate a marketing message. What your employees mutter under their breath when they think no one is listening is a marketing message. What your customers say about you is also a marketing message. These messages tell a story about who you are and how you do business.
There is no set formula for creating a cohesive message. Cohesion results when you adhere to the values that you say you believe in. A cohesive message depends upon delivering a consistent experience every time your customers interact with you. Cohesion is hard work. There is no set formula for creating a cohesive message. Cohesion results when you adhere to the values that you say you believe in.The Hedgehog Concept
Readers of Good to Great by Jim Collins know that great companies adhere to a concept known as the “Hedgehog.” This is key when it comes to cohesion. For more information about developing a hedgehog, visit Olalah Njenga’s website for dates of her signature presentation, Hedgehogology 101™. A “hedgehog” is the intersection of your passion (what you love), your core strengths (what you can be best at doing or delivering), and your economic engine (what consistently generates a profit). Companies at the top of their game know the importance of sticking to their hedgehogs consistently. It’s tempting to pursue a lot of different opportunities, but too many opportunities can threaten cohesion. Creating a cohesive message starts with making the decision to focus only on the markets that allow you to give your greatest gift to the world and fulfill your highest potential as an organization.
How can YellowWood Group help?
Creating a cohesive message starts from the inside out. Rather than simply printing new brochures or designing a new logo, we work with our clients to develop consistent practices that create the experience of natural cohesion for both your employees and your customers. We perform a comprehensive audit of your current reality using a proprietary protocol tool.
How many different products do you sell? How many different pricing structures do you have? What strategies, tactics, and tools do you use to communicate your value to the marketplace? When we know the answers to these questions, we can help you gain insights into your Hedgehog and translate those insights into an unfair competitive advantage. From there, we can clear the slate and begin to develop a truly cohesive marketing message.
If it’s time for your company to step up its game, call 919.783.4101, or email us today and let’s discuss making cohesion matter to your company.
