If you’re interested in capturing more prospects and growing your small business on a shoestring budget, you must have a brilliant marketing message (a concise statement that explains the purpose of your small business to your ideal clients and customers).

The fundamental reason why a marketing message is such a powerful component of your small business is that it forces you to become extraordinarily clear about what you do. Believe it or not, most small business owners do a “little of this” and “a little of that” and aren’t able to effectively articulate what business they are in.

The main objective behind your marketing message is that you want to describe what you do as quickly and succinctly as possible. If your marketing message is effective, it should create an instant connection with your target market that sparks conversation.

The end result should be a one to two sentence statement that highlights the main benefit(s) your prospect will receive if they decide to do business with you. Once created, your marketing message should be used everywhere: on your website, blog, ezine, newsletters, brochures and business cards.

Here are five industry-specific marketing messages:

Fitness Trainer: “helping women over 40 create rock-solid bodies”

Dog Trainer: “achieving lightening-fast results with naughty dogs”

Insurance Agent: “creating family-friendly health-plans at rock-bottom prices”

Dentist: “delivering pain-free results for your entire family”

Virtual Assistant: “maximizing time and money for the busy business professional”

Here is an easy, three-step formula for creating your own marketing message:

1) Describe What You Do. Use an active, precise adverb to begin your marketing message.

2) Identify Your Ideal Client. Who is your potential client or customer? Are they women? Men? Small business owners? Writers? Dog owners? The better able you are to determine exactly who needs your product or service, the clearer your marketing message will be. 
3) Pinpoint The Main Benefits Your Clients/Customers Will Receive. Your product or service should ultimately solve a nagging problem or potentially improve your prospect’s life. A well-crafted marketing message will clearly accomplish this in the mind of your prospect.

It’s not easy to describe everything that you do in a simple sentence. However, once you are able to capture the essence of your small business by speaking to your target market and providing them with benefits, you will have crafted a brilliant marketing message.