Successful communication happens when your message is transmitted to a listener, reader and viewer with the meaning you intended. When a listener “gets” your message, you earn the opportunity to say more about yourself, your product or your organization.

A successful message depends on:

• The Right MESSAGE
• The Right CHANNEL
• The Right AUDIENCE

Evaluate your public, professional and private communication. How do you stack up in those three areas?

To go deeper about message, channel and audience, read on:

1. Send the Right MESSAGE.

• Is your message clear, concise and creative?
  Clear – Cover the basics (typically the who, what, when and where details) and don’t leave out important details.
  Concise – Say it as simply and with as few words as possible.
  Creative – Make it memorable and out of the ordinary.
• Is your message purposeful and persuasive?
  Purposeful – Know why the message matters.
  Persuasive – Motivate, inspire and emote with your message.

2. Use the Right CHANNEL.

• What channel is best suited for your message and audience?
• Should your message be sent over multiple channels (digital, social media, print and more)?
  Digital – Website, blog, e-mail, text, IM, digital ad placement, SEO and more
  Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Vine and more
  Print – Direct mail, brochure, card, letter, print display ad, etc.
  Broadcast – Radio and TV
  Personal – Anything that can be used to share the message from one person to another.
• Will you use free or paid channels, or a combination of both?
  Free – No-cost social media, web or print channels
  Paid – Google AdWords, Bing, Yahoo, Facebook ads, sponsored Twitter and social media ads, StumpleUpon, display ads, banner ads, text ads and more
  (For more on paid advertising, read “5 Things You Must Do Before Jumping Into Paid Internet Advertising“)

3. Choose the Right AUDIENCE.

• Who are you trying to reach with your message?  What’s your target?
• Is your audience an internal or external core constituency?
  Internal Core Constituencies – Employees, leaders, non-profit volunteers, non-profit contributors and more
  External Core Constituencies – Current customers, potential customers, consumers, prospects and more
• What demographic and psychographic characteristics describe your audience?
  Demographics – Who your audience is and what they do
  Psychographics – What your audience thinks and how they act

So what’s the Big Idea?

Send the right message over the right channel to the right audience.