Description: As a small business owner or solopreneur, getting your message to stick can be a daunting task. In this article, we'll explore 3 ways to make sure your ideal audience not only hears your message, but also absorbs it and takes action on it. With these tips, you'll be well on your way to effectively communicating your message and making a real impact in the world.

Let's be real, as a small business owner or solopreneur, getting your message to stick is like trying to get a toddler to eat their vegetables. It's a damn near impossible task.

But I spent 10 years as a full-time magician. 'Impossible' is kind of my thing.

So in this article, we'll explore 3 ways to make sure your ideal audience doesn't just hear your message, but absorbs it. And most importantly, takes action on it.

1. Make It Clear & Understandable

This should go without saying, but since I make a living saying it, apparently it doesn't. If your audience cannot immediately understand your message, they're going to keep scrolling.

That doesn't just mean avoid technical jargon, or industry-specific language that only you would know. (But yeah, avoid that).

It means stop writing like you're working on the next great American novel! All that poetic language and sweeping prose your high school English teacher taught you is NOT paying off here.

"Discover your inner goddess."

Pardon me, but what the **** does that mean?! No one on Earth has ever Googled, "how do I discover my inner goddess?"

So, what ARE they searching for?

That’s easy: a solution to their problem.

2. Make It Relevant

Your audience needs to know that you solve the problem they have.

What is the core problem your audience has? Your messaging should lead with and regularly refer to their problem.

I asked the world's most powerful language-learning AI, "What does "discover your inner goddess mean," and this is what it said:

"The phrase "discover your inner goddess" is often used as a tagline in the self-help and personal development industry, but it is unclear in terms of its meaning."

Even if you're a flowy Instagram coach, your ideal audience does not have the problem of "I don't know where to find my inner goddess."

Here are some problems they might have:

How do I confidently negotiate a raise?
How do I feel my best when I look in the mirror?
How do I command everyone's attention when I walk into a room?

And a host of others.

Clearly I'm being tongue-in-cheek with this example, but it's shocking how often a company's lead messaging is completely vague and totally irrelevant to the customer's problems.

"Unleash your hidden potential" (a word processing app)
"Experience true freedom" (a car company)
"Discover true fulfillment" (luxury chocolatier)

The sooner and clearer you can articulate your customer's problem, the quick your messaging will grab their attention.

But grabbing their attention isn't enough. You've got to keep it.

3. Repeat Yourself and then Repeat Yourself

It's not just about making your message engaging, you also have to repeat it.

I'm a Business Made Simple Certified Coach, and our high commander Donald Miller likes to say, "Marketing is an exercise in memorization."

Some studies indicate that we don't hear a message until the 8th time it's repeated. Think about how you remember your favorite song lyrics or movie quotes. You rarely memorize them on the first listen. It's the 5th, 10th, 100th time that you get it lodged in your brain.

Repetition is key to making your message stick. Repeat it in different ways, in different contexts, and through different channels to ensure that your audience receives and retains your message.

You're going to feel like an idiot. You're going to feel redundant. YOu're going to think, "My audience is going to be so bored listening to the same thing over and over."

They're not bored. They're not even listening.

Your business should represent one core idea. Repeat it over and over until people remember you for 1 thing. Then, when they come calling, they'll discover the other 42 things you can do for them.

Bonus: Write Like You Talk

This one comes from my hero and mentor Seth Godin. People want to do business with people, not companies.

If you're try to write like a company, or on behalf of a company, your audience will ignore you. That's a thing of the past, man.

Instead, be a human. How would you actually say this to a friend or colleague over coffee? If you write the way you speak, 2 amazing things will happen:

You'll never run out of things to write (because you never run out of things to say), and
You'll connect quicker with your ideal customers (because everyone is starved for human connection).

Making your message stick is about clearly communicating what you do, speaking to their actual problem, and repeating your message in a way that is both engaging and memorable. Remember, the key to effective communication is making a human connection, and by following these simple tips, you'll be well on your way to doing just that.