In 1997, I met Dan Kennedy for the first time.
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Dan, you know what a lovable, approachable, huggable kind of guy he is.
I’m totally kidding. :)
Dan was kind of a grumpy old man even then.
But he shared three things that weekend that I’ve carried with me ever since.
Message. Market. Media.
First, you need the right message.
Dan called it your USP — your Unique Selling Proposition.
Why should someone choose to do business with you over every other option they have?
That’s the message.
Then you need the right market.
Not everybody.
The specific people who are most likely to want what you have.
Back then, that might mean advertising in a magazine specifically for carpet cleaners or realtors.
Or getting a mailing list of exactly the people you wanted to reach.
And then you choose the right media.
What’s the most effective way to get your message in front of those people?
In 1997, that meant magazines, newspapers, classified ads and direct mail.
Today we’ve got Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, email, podcasts and a thousand other options.
But here’s what’s interesting…
The media changed.
The framework is timeless.
Get the right message…
in front of the right market…
using the right media.
Almost 30 years later, that’s still a pretty good way to think about marketing.
Especially in a world where it’s very easy to get distracted by the newest media.
The media is usually the least important part.