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Gone are the days of the traditional sales letter. Engaging with global audiences in an increasingly competitive world means that what you say has to be incisive, relevant and delivered in a way that can't be ignored. On Message provides expert guidance to help you keep up with the demands of the newest of new media, build a community and compete with big players. Packed with examples and practical help, it includes: templates; simple formulae for better messaging; practise exercises; review techniques; tips on flexing your writing muscles, and strategies to develop hard-hitting communication.Examining how to capture more followers who listen for longer and more intently, On Message will teach you how to develop your voice, segment your audience for more effective messaging, edit existing copy and engage with new and emerging markets.

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Introduction Noisy, isn't it? In every way our world has become a louder place to live and it's going to get worse. It's noisier in the sense that we are bombarded by more and more messages every day; everyone seems to be crying out for our attention. From politicians who want our support, to competitors shouting about their latest achieve-ments, retailers with their 'biggest ever sale' and opinion-formers testing our judgement on fashion, attitudes and trends. And where are we in all this, where is our voice? How do we make ourselves heard? As individuals we don't have a limitless budget to mount a self-publicity campaign and in business we face competition from much bigger players, so we need to get smarter with our written communication: it needs to be incisive, relevant, engaging and delivered in a way that can't be ignored. The old adage of good communication remains true and content is still king, but in the digital age there is more. Now it is not simply what we say which matters, but also how we say it, when we say it and who we say it to. Imagine someone receiving one of your messages, how do you want them to react? Perhaps with a knowing smile, a nod of approval, recognition of your insight or interest in your proposition. With really effective messaging we can galvanize people, get a reaction, encourage them to reply or take some action as a con-sequence. In business this can be an amazingly powerful tool for connecting us with a whole variety of stakeholders who take an interest in, or are affected by our activities. Whether we're selling a product, service, lifestyle or ideology the effect of powerful messaging is to garner loyalty, generate action and ultimately encourage evangelism on our part. Although the world has become noisier, we do have one thing in our favour. Technology has become the great enabler in com-munication but it is not the hardware and software which has had the biggest effect, it is behaviour. Attitudes have changed and 'accessibility' is the new trend which has altered the way we think of personal and business relationships. Vague 'friend of a friend' relationships are hardening into real alliances between interested parties and with millions of online connections being made every day it is no longer thought of as pushy if we make the first approach. Suggesting a 'relation¬ship of convenience' based on common ideals or goals is now the norm and we can begin the process of seeking out new partners to drive our businesses or personal ambitions forward. In time we can build a community supported by a virtual intranet of our own creation. Whoever is within our circle will hear what we have to say and over time that circle will widen. Setting ourselves this objective is the easy part, but exactly how in these days of information overload do we rise above the ca-cophony of din and stand out from the crowd? The first thing to say is that 'less is more'. None of us has the time to read everything which comes our way. In fact a common analogy for consuming incoming communication is that it is 'like drinking from a fire hose'. As a hard-pressed executive once said, 'This pile here, this is the stuff I'm meant to read'. Enable your au-dience to get to the kernel of a message and they are much more likely to stay with you. Don't make it hard for them! The logic of this is undeniable. If we are swamped with 'mes-saging' in the broadest sense, the only way to cut through the noise and get ourselves heard is by succinctly delivering powerful, memorable, consistent content. In this context, what do we mean by consistency? To stay 'on message' means working out what the objectives are, devising a 'solution' and communicating this relentlessly in a meaningful, easy-to-grasp way. Business leaders have talked for many years about the 'elevator pitch', where we only have a few floors in the lift with the chief executive officer (CEO) to outline what we're setting out to achieve. When we're constructing our own messages, it is an excellent discipline to remember. Not only does it encourage brevity, but it also allows us the facility to deliver the same core content time and again, reinforcing our stance. This is important because often the differentiator in business is not so much what the message says, but what it says about us. This leads us to a second fundamental tool: finding our voice. In this we have a head start as we are already unique, in thoughts, mannerisms, outlook and personality. The trick is to turn our personal idiosyncrasies into a way of 'speaking' to others through our written communication. In very many ways this process is much like branding, so we will examine in detail the skills of the marketers who have built international brands and sustained their value over many years. There are valuable lessons to be learned here, and seeing our messages as a key part of our personal branding will help to maintain the consistency we have talked about, as well as giving readers a shorthand method of judging who we are. In daily life we come across 'clusters of language' which are in essence ways of speaking in different circumstances. There is ad-vertising speak, political rhetoric and legal jargon, all of which are bound by profession. Beyond this we find sociological groupings; teenagers have their own language, Afro Caribbean communities often use 'patois', the aristocracy adopt 'the Queen's English'. What is common to all is that it is the individuals in these clusters who have found a voice which is theirs and theirs alone. It may draw heavily on the norms of their group, but each and every one is different. Developing and sustaining this voice makes our brand stand out from the crowd. What follows here is a text which draws on the widest possible selection of sources, from political oratory, all the way through the science and art of marketing and promotion, along the road of technological and societal change, covering the ground of the ad-vertising copywriter and encompassing the wonders of language through précis and precision. These are the strategies for getting our messages noticed by our 'targets'. It is unthinkable that on this journey we wouldn't touch base with some of today's biggest names in social networking, but if Twitter gets frequent mentions or Facebook is used as a representation of the wider world of connectivity this is not an endorsement of them over their rivals. The digital communications marketplace is crowded already and is set to become even more so in the coming years, but it will take time to shake down; history teaches us that consolidation and competition will shape the future. However, as the technology constantly evolves, the principles of effective messaging will not change. Whatever developments in hardware unfold, the trend will remain the same. There will be an increasing number of channels, content will become richer encompassing text, graphics, pictures and video. HD and 3D will make images brighter and more excit-ing, but the words we supplement them with will never lose their significance or ability to move or to motivate our audience. In order to achieve this objective of effective messaging you will find a range of tools, techniques and tips to help you develop new skills: templates; simple formulae for better messaging; practise exercises; review techniques; step-by-step guides; ways of flexing your writing muscles; strategies to develop hard-hitting communication. The simple truth is that boring messages are just boring. However, if what you say (through any channel) is vibrant, readable, interest-ing and unique you will always attract an audience and your mes-sages will stick. Use the practical exercises, plan your own communication strategy and develop a digital social networking presence that will rise above the noise. Make your voice heard! Excerpted from On Message: Precision Communication for the Digital Age by Theo Theobald All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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Theo Theobald is a freelance writer and business consultant with a track record that includes six years in senior sales and marketing management positions with the BBC and a creative writing career embracing major internet and audio production, including writing for BBC websites and radio. He runs his own company, Shocktactic Ltd which has undertaken major writing and production projects for a host of organizations including the BBC and CIPD. You can visit his website at www.shocktactic.co.uk