Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

Never change your message, it is the key to your long term branding and growth.

Two truths. Yet, two seemingly opposite statements. How do we reconcile them? It would seem that if your advertising isn’t working, then doing the same thing won’t change that, therefore the message needs to be changed. But there is a flaw in that statement. Do you see it?

It isn’t the message that needs to change, it is the way you deliver that message. You can only change two things in your message delivery:

• The audience to whom you deliver the message
• The strength with which you deliver the message

The first one is easy. Just switch mediums or stations, or papers, or magazines. I can promise you that there is an advertising salesperson who has “exactly the right people for your business”. But you’ve already tried that and it didn’t move the needle. You have bounced around from newspaper to TV to radio with the same lousy results.

A Stronger Delivery
That leaves you one option. Strengthen the delivery of your message. Your message is good, but the delivery is weak. Common mistake we all make. We water down our message in hope of not offending anyone.

But if you calculated your market share, you already know that 95% of the population are currently choosing to not shop with you. Who are you afraid of offending?

Messages are like magnets. The stronger they attract, the stronger they repel. In fact, your message’s ability to attract new customers is in direct proportion to how much it repels others. You can’t get everyone to shop at your store, so quit worrying about the people you repel and start thinking about who you want to attract.

Then make your message delivery so powerful that those you want to attract can’t help but hear what you’re saying.

Insanity is thinking you can attract anyone with a weak delivery of your message.

-Phil