Message to Market to Moment Match

Mountains of Arizona
Sunny 66 Degrees
2:09 p.m.

It’s common knowledge that “message to market match” is an important principle in sales and marketing.

You have to say the right things to the right people to have a chance.

If your “market” was this big lifeless blob of goo, then maybe that would be enough. You could just find the right message to put in front of them and be done with it.

But if you’re on the path towards mastering this art of communicating with others and inspiring/empowering them to act in their own best interest, you realize that “message to market match” is just the beginning.

The bar is actually much higher. And that higher bar includes the WHEN the folks get the message. The moment makes a difference.

For example, I can have a nationwide magazine advertising campaign go gangbusters and then watch in horror (I’ll get over it!) as the very same ad, delivered via postcard (to the same folks!) goes bust.

The magazine readers received the message in a moment of their day that allowed the message in. The moment was right.

The postcard readers received the message in a moment of their day that the message was ignored. The moment was wrong.

Nothing is as simple as we’re told. Nothing happens as quickly as we’re told. Nothing happens as reliably as we’re told.

The more you learn, the more you realize you have yet to learn.

And so it goes with humans.

Message to market to moment match. When you get it right, it’s pretty magical.