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Breaking Through The Marketing White Noise

This article is more than 5 years old.

White noise can be defined as meaningless chatter, hubbub, or constant background sounds that drowns out all other sounds. In a highly competitive marketing world where every ding, ping and notification can distract the potential client away, how do you break through the distractions?

“Remember that marketing is the same as it has always been; it’s just the medium that has changed,” says marketing strategist Minal Sampat. “It’s still all about staying relevant to your ideal target audience. And you do that by using the most powerful tool you already have: your stories.”

Sampat is a social media coach, speaker and healthcare professional. She launched her first company by breaking a Guinness World Record utilizing community, digital and social media marketing strategies. I caught up with her after her keynote address at Jumpstart 2019, sponsored by the Dental Speaker Institute in Phoenix in January of 2019.

Sampat shared her strategies for cutting through the marketing white noise:

Hone Your Message. “Your business has a message,” says Sampat. “It used to be delivered, for example, by newspaper ads. Today you might use newspapers, but you are more likely to use digital and social media platforms.”

Change the Medium, Not the Message. “Here’s the thing: the most important part of your marketing is your message,” says Sampat. “This was true decades ago and this is still true today. The only thing that has changed is the medium that you use to broadcast your message. With so many marketing options, perfecting your message is the one thing you can do to be sure that you will be accurately represented, regardless of medium.”

Focus on the Client. “Now, about your message,” says Sampat. “Rule #1 is to focus your message on your client. It’s not about you; it’s about your client. You need to connect with the client.”

Connect with Stories. “How do you connect? With stories,” says Sampat. “Forget about how good you are at what you do, and focus on why what you provide is what the client needs. How do you meet the client, especially on a personal level? Share your imperfect, humbling, humanizing experiences that brought you to a point in life where you decided to provide this service or product. Disclose how this service or product has helped others and use that to connect with your ideal audience. The one sure-fire thing that separates you from your competition is your story.”

Leverage the Message. “Once you’ve nailed your story, shared your authenticity, then you can focus on maximizing its representation by leveraging various marketing mediums,” adds Sampat.

Create Interesting Interactions. “Once you have your message and medium, focus on creating interactions with your ideal clients,” says Sampat. “Provide opportunities for your audience to feel that they have a chance to be heard. The best way for you to stay relevant is by creating an engaged fan base.”

The bottom line: Use a clear message and interactive storytelling to cut a clear path through the marketing white noise.