“The medium is the message.” That’s how Marshall McLuhan, twentieth-century media theorist, phrased it, and it means that the medium used to convey a message really has an influence on the way the message is perceived by its recipients. It’s important to think about that whenever you’re creating content for prospects and customers.
Ask yourself: What’s the ideal medium for presenting my content? Maybe it’s a text. Maybe an email. Maybe it’s a YouTube video. Maybe it’s a postcard, or a tweet, or a Facebook post, or…a sky-writer. Don’t be afraid to try new things, but don’t be gimmicky just for the sake of being novel. Sometimes a simple blog post like this one is what a certain message calls for.
“Make sure you match the message to the medium, always keeping in mind the purpose of the communication and what you hope to achieve,” said Matt Murphy, CMO of Chime. “Put yourself in the target audience’s shoes: what will get the best response for this particular message, with this particular audience? Communication is a transaction — what does your audience really want, and what will they give you in exchange for it?”
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Audiences may be changing, but they’re still quite diverse in what appeals to them. Many don’t have time to read text-heavy blog pieces, but do have the time to listen to podcasts. The Ring in the Sales weekly podcast is a perfect example of how to play to strengths and weaknesses. Many real estate agents spend hours in the car, so listening to a podcast while driving to open houses or geofarming is an ideal way to multitask.
Your audience may respond positively to short YouTube videos that appear in their social media feeds, or a digest-style email may be the right touch. It all depends on your goals, and understanding your audience’s habits and preferences is essential to matching the message to the right medium.
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Ready to learn more? There’s much more in this FREE eBook, Creating & Distributing Phenomenal Content, available here.
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