At the core of your marketing is communication. Of course, you need the tools and venues to be able to communicate (social media, video, networking, speaking etc). However, in their haste to get into action, many business owners focus on the tools and jump over one important piece: WHAT are they going to communicate.

A clear, succinct and convincing marketing message will land squarely and persuasively with your ideal clients.

Certain basic elements of marketing connect your business to your clients. They form a foundation for your core marketing message. Every business has a core message yet few business owners take the time to do the exploration necessary to define it. It includes:

• Details of your target market.
• What makes you different from everyone else in your industry.
• The objections potential clients have to buying your services.
• The deep benefits your service provides.
• Your personality.
• and more.

It's no different when you're promoting your product or service on social media: basic marketing principles apply as much here as they do in offline marketing.

How can I say this with certainty? Because marketing is based on perception, human behavior and the psychology of sales and persuasion. The tools we use may change at a breakneck pace, but human behavior does not.

With the basic elements defined, your message will be clear.

• Your website content will be focused.
• You'll know what to say in your 30-second commercial. Indeed you'll have the information to put together several 30-second commercials that you can pull out based on the audience you're speaking to.
• It'll be easier and quicker to write Tweets, Facebook posts, and LinkedIn comments that are relevant to your readers.
• You can choose article topics that are targeted.
• Conversations with potential clients will be more productive and focused.
• It will be easier to establish trust with your audience, and inspire confidence in your service and products.

Doing this exploratory work is like x-raying your business to see what's really in there, what should be there and isn't, and what is there that shouldn't be. It's looking for what may not be obvious, unless you use a structured approach to identify it.

When you take this approach, you'll shine no matter where or how you're promoting your business, because your message will resonate with the people you're speaking to.