The number 1 marketing tool that will make the biggest impact for little cost.

We live in an increasingly noisy world. We are inundated with messages trying to get our attention to buy, join, give, subscribe and engage. We shut off from most of them, but we open our wallets to messages that get our attention and speak to us. We connect when businesses speak like they know us, offering products and services that make our life better, take away the pain and help us get to where we want to go. Many successful companies craft clear one-line messages that connect with customers and keep the cash coming in.

Crafting a one-liner is the most important marketing you can do and it won’t cost a cent, just your time.

This article shows four steps to create a powerful one-liner that will motivate customers to choose you instead of the competition. Once you have it sorted you will use your one-liner everywhere – on your website, business cards, email footer and anywhere you interact with clients or customers.

Powerful one-liners need to have four components, all beginning with a ‘P’:

What’s the problem?

I guarantee that if you are in business, then you are solving a problem for someone. You need to identify that problem, pain or obstacle. Is it lack of time, skill, resources, knowledge, or bad health – the list is endless. The more specific you can be with the problem, the more effective your message will be.

Who is the person?

You need to define a specific person or group of people whose problem you are helping to solve. E.g. It could be Mums who have no time for themselves or it could be business leaders who find it hard to communicate with their customers.

What’s your plan?

Now talk about how you help solve your customers’ problems. What do you offer (in a word or two) that solves their problem? Let’s think of our Mums as if you own a gym. “Busy Mums get superior fitness with Social Spin –  the 20 minute fitness class that will help you live a happy, active life with your children”. The problem is lack of time but the plan is ‘Social Spin – the 20 minute fitness class’. 

What’s the perfect outcome?

Once you have defined a problem, a person and a plan, you need a perfect ending. How will what you offer make my life better? How will I feel once I have used your product or service – fit, healthy, free, confident, connected? In the example of a Mum above, she will have a ‘happy, active life with her children’.

Another example is our one-liner at Downing.

“In a noisy world, we help your business stand out with creative marketing that attracts customers, makes sales, and adds value to your products and services.”

The four P’s above are all in there. Notice the focus of the four P’s Is more about our customers and their needs and how their life will be better rather than all about our business.

Don’t try to be clever with your one-liner, just be clear. Donald Miller, the author of Story Brand says, ‘If you confuse, you lose.’ Your one-liner needs to be direct, clear and easy to understand. You are not trying to be clever, just clear. Don’t make your customers think too hard, give them a simple solution to their problem.

Have fun crafting your one-liner, then use it everywhere. Let me know how you get on.