Most entrepreneurs think that marketing is about “getting the word out” but it’s actually far more than that. Of course it’s important that your clients actually hear you but what is actually far more important is – what they hear!

In finding the right message it is first important to understand who you are and what you have to offer. Next you must understand what it is your clients want and need. Although that might sound really obvious, putting the pieces together can be somewhat difficult. Here are a few questions to ask yourself that will help elicit the right information to answer these questions.

1. Who are your clients?
2. What issues are your clients seeking to address?
3. What results do they create?
4. What sets you apart from others?

In answering these questions it is important to go beyond just the surface. The objective in answering these questions is to provide words that resonate with the client and help them see themselves, their issues to be addressed and why you are the best choice. The simple answers are rarely the one’s that catch people’s attention or help them identify themselves.

The art of marketing comes into play when you assess how to actually answer these questions and put them together to form a marketing message. Here are a few simple examples to help illustrate the point. Let’s use massage as a starting point.

The first question is not about demographics such as gender or age but about how the client identifies. These might be things like overworked professional, active athlete, health conscious, chronic pain sufferer, high stress, etc. The answers to this question are about how the identity of the person enters into their consciousness. If you reference simple demographics like “women over 35″ you exclude anyone else who might identify with the challenges or concerns typical of that age group.

To answer the second question there are many possible answers for what issues massage addresses. It might include relaxation, stress reduction, injury treatment, pain reduction, athletic preparation, emotional release or general pleasure. Depending on which modalities are available there might be even more answers. In answering this question you will want to determine what your “specialty” is. Typically this takes the route of which type of treatment is most exciting to you. By picking this specialty you help clients identify you as a “best choice” for that treatment and it helps them understand that you have extra knowledge or focus on the subject referenced

The next question can be tricky for some subjects. The results you are looking for is about what the client “walks away with” or what tangible or even visible result they will see if they look in a mirror of their life. Massage may yield more energy, greater vibrancy, better flexibility, improved health, less pain, better body alignment or any number of other benefits. With this question you will want to identify 3-5 top benefits and understand which are most important or most likely. Make sure that the results are correlated with the issues being addressed.

Lastly, you will need to differentiate yourself. Even if this answer is as simple as the modalities or knowledge you bring to the product or service. Experience can be a great differentiator as can special training. Other differentiators might be your particular focus such as “creating a calm space to unwind”, “treating car accident injuries” or any other number of options. Pick the one or two that most resonate with the answers to the previous questions.

In putting these answers together you can come up with a simple phrase that helps build an image of identity in your client’s mind. Something like “Helping athletes & chronic pain sufferers heal injuries and return to full vitality” create an immediate resonance with the client that would benefit most from your services.

There is no silver bullet in marketing but by creating a resonant image and understand of who you serve and how they benefit you will attract the perfect clients for your business. What’s even more important is that they will get exactly what they are looking for and tell others about you!