There are three steps you must master for successful marketing, and by the time you finish today’s post, you’ll be able to apply them to all your marketing projects.

1. READ: Make it appealing and legible

If no one reads your content, what’s the point?

Whether you’re mailing out a postcard or trying to grab the attention of web surfers, you only have seconds to make an impression. Seconds!

In those seconds, people decide whether to read your piece based on how much time they think it will take, among other things.

Show them it won’t take long by making your text “skimmable.” That means:

• Plenty of subheads
• Short paragraphs
• Bulleted lists 🙂
• Not too much text on any given page

It’s sad I have to mention legibility, but I’ve seen it too often to ignore. People – sometimes even professional designers – make design choices based on what looks “pretty” or “trendy,” and forget that someone needs to actually read the words on the page.

Look at your text in the font and size you want to use. Check readability. Are long blocks of text easy to read? Is the point size large enough?

If not, make adjustments. Legibility is too important to ignore.

2. RECOGNIZE: Unique messages consistently delivered make an impact

Let’s break this statement down so it’s easier to understand:

Unique Messages

Want to get recognized? Dare to stand out from the pack. Make your marketing materials look and sound different than your competitors’.

Don’t be a copycat. Study what the others in your field are doing, but only so you can veer from the norm and do something different.

• Make your copy original
• Present your offer in a way that stands out
• Use a graphic style that differs from the norm

Delivered Consistently

Once you’ve hit on your unique message, don’t change.

Oh sure, you can change your ad campaign slogan, but don’t change your logo, your colors and your overall graphic style. Make your materials recognizable through repeated use of these elements so that people recognize your brand when they see it.

Make an Impact

You’ll make an impact when you craft a unique message and deliver it consistently. And that’s what marketing is all about, right?

3. REMEMBER: Top of mind awareness drives customers to your business

Wikipedia defines top of mind awareness like this:

“Owning the space that your product or service occupies between your prospects’ ears. That way, when they’re ready to buy they think of you first.”

You’ve made your materials appealing and readable. You’ve positioned your business so it’s unique, and presented your message consistently.

Now, keep up the good work. Over time, you can count on becoming the first company people think of when they need the product or service you offer.

It sounds simple, and of course it’s not. If it was simple to implement these three techniques we wouldn’t need marketing books, courses and blogs. You wouldn’t need my articles and courses, and I’d have nothing to write about!

But you can do it. Keep at it, and hold these three goals in your mind: Read, Remember and Recognize.

Which of these goals is the most difficult for you? Tell me in the comments.