Every successful marketing strategy relationships on three essential elements. These elements for "best marketing" are easy to remember if you think of major team sports. Each game often recognizes a "best player" – the MVP, or Most Valuable Player. That MVP acronym captures the three elements for successful marketing: Message, Voice and Platform.
In the successful marketing strategy, each MVP element plays a different role, and each requires choices that depend on the product, the customer need, and where the customers live. Let's look at each element separately for maximum marketing benefit.
M is for Message
What is the message you want to deliver about your product (especially about your customer's emotional need for your product)?
We recently produced a brochure for a builder. His target customer was churches who were ready to move out of rented space. Our primary message was not, "We build great church buildings." Instead, we keyed on the particular issues that churches face, including a need for solid concepts before they could begin a building fundraising campaign. Because the builder offered free design service, our message became, "Kick start your church building without spending a dime." That message resonated with leaders who wanted to be good stewards of their church finances. What message will resonate with your customers?
V is for Voice
What impression do you want to create about your product or company?
My mother used to say, "Do not use that tone of voice with me." At that moment, her tone of voice was not very pleasant, either. She was marketing "authority" while I was marketing "rebellion." We both heard a message, and voice enhanced it. Voice is more than the words.
On a recent brochure for an air conditioning company, we had many choices about voice. Should our graphic be an egg fried on the sidewalk, with bright red colors through? Should we feature an igloo, and major on frigid blues? Because our client was a 2nd-generation family business with pride in customer service, we went with a pleasant brown and a warm blue. This voice supported the message (also a voice contributor), "Home feels good, home feels safe, home feels secure." What voice will establish the best relational environment for your message?
P is for Platform
Platform is the actual method used to deliver the message and voice. It can be a bullhorn in the public square, or printing on the back of a store receipt. It could even be an unmarked employee using a company's wonder-phone in a crowd, trying to stir up buzz amongst target customers.
However, most platforms are more established and traditional. In the case of digital media, they are also measurable. Sometimes that is what makes these top-of-mind media suitable for so many marketing strategies. But even platform is a choice, so do not limit your options to the foreseeable. Which platform is best tailor to deliver your message and voice to your customers, where they live?
The MVP Difference
By now you should notice that the true "secret" of a successful marketing strategy is choosing and executing the right message, right voice, and right platform for your product, based on many factors. It is critical that these elements work in unison. When they do – and your product really meets a market need – the results will be just what you are looking for.
