“Great communication begins with connection.” -Oprah Winfrey

This timeless quote by Oprah Winfrey sheds light on the most crucial element of any form of communication – connection. Think of this connection like a spark between two soulmates; if it isn’t there, things just won’t work out. The same thing can be applied to businesses and their target audiences. If you and your customers lack this spark, you can’t expect to communicate your unique message effectively!

What Makes a Message “Unique?”

Your unique message is anything that is genuinely new, yet something that your target audience can relate to instantly. It’s something that makes people think and go, “Hey, you know what? You’re totally right!” or “That sounds awesome. I’ve got to give it a try!” Simply put, it should resonate with people. And in the long-run, this unique message is what will help you drive sales and guarantee loyal customers.

Unique Message Cheat Sheet

It’s easy to talk about the importance of creating unique messages, but actually rolling up your sleeves and getting down to business is something entirely different. If you want to creatively communicate a message through a new campaign, there are a lot of things to consider. So, pour yourself a nice cup of coffee and fasten your seatbelt, because this ultimate cheat sheet for creating a unique message is going to take you on a wonderfully creative journey.

1. Dig Into the Core of Your Message

Before doing anything else, answer this question: If you were suddenly asked to define your intended message at this very moment, would you be able to do it smoothly, without any “Uh-s” and “Umm-s”? If you answered no, it simply means that you, yourself, do not have a clear understanding of your own message. So, begin by writing down the message that you want to convey on a piece of paper and identifying its very core. Make pointers of what your message is all about, what it stands for, and how you would like it to be perceived by the world. Develop a deep understanding of your message before proceeding to the next step.

2. Identify Your Target Audience

This is something that shouldn’t even need an explanation. If you ignore this step, then you have already put your campaign on a sloppy path to downfall. So, if you haven’t already, think about your audience. Who are they? What matters to them? What are their lives like? Do they belong to a specific age group or social class? These are only some of the many questions you should be asking yourself. Identifying your target audience will help you clear the road of any hurdles and assist you in devising strategies to make your message unique.

3. Think Like Your Customers…But How?

This step is highly crucial and must not be skipped if you want to deliver a truly unique message. Once you have familiarized yourself with your own message and your target audience, it’s time to put yourself in the shoes of your customers and think like one. Ask yourself, if I were my own customer, how would I react to this message? Would it make me think? Would I feel influenced? Would it leave an impact? Or would it make me roll my eyes?

Remember, your aim is to think outside of the box. The message should be about something new or should at least be communicated in such a way that makes it seem new. This will certainly leave an impact on your target audience and make them instantly react to your campaign. If your customers say “So what?” and move on, it means that you have failed at making your message stand out.

4. Stick with Casual Conversations – Avoid Robotic Language

Now that you have set the foundation, it’s time to actually build the campaign. The most common mistake that some businesses make is using overly formal language. You don’t want to bore your target audience with robotic language and clichés. Whether you are using social media, email or SMS, talk like people normally do across all the channels that you are going to utilize for your campaign.

5. Stay Up-to-Date

Always be on the lookout for news, keep an eye on the latest trends, and try to creatively relate the message of your ongoing campaign with them. This will not only help you further in making your message unique, but will also assist people in relating to it. Let’s say your message is about an active lifestyle, sport or something in that neighborhood, and one day, the news of an athlete breaking a world record sets the whole world on fire. You can share that piece of news on your social media platforms and indirectly relate it to your campaign.

6. Don’t Experiment Too Much with Important Messages

If you have an important point to make and feel that this will get your target audience thinking, try to be as clear and concise about it as possible. You should not be overly subtle if you want to ensure that the message is communicated effectively. This doesn’t mean that you cannot get creative – just don’t let your creativity overshadow the content itself. Drive the point home and be done with it.

7. Make Everything Crystal Clear

Although this tip is somewhat similar to the previous one, it definitely deserves to be emphasized again. The message you deliver, regardless of the channel you use, should be crystal clear. It should be something that clicks with your audience instantly and does not require them to have to think about it too much before they get it – if it does, they WILL end up getting bored and ignoring it.

8. Use Captivating Graphics

You cannot ignore the role of captivating graphics in making your messages unique. So, kickstart your creative system and get working with vibrant colors and alluring designs to enhance your message for platforms like social media and email. This will give a unique “taste” to your messages and increase the likelihood of interactions.

So, next time you have to develop a campaign to convey an important message to your audience, keep these checkpoints in mind – your content will automatically become fresh, creative, and exceptionally unique.