Your messaging can feel like a moving target as you’re launching a product or service. The reality is that you should consider it to be a moving target because few business owners get it right initially.

The first post in this series was about sales blunders, and in this post we’ll dig into messaging. Here are a few ways business owners can get tripped up with their go-to-market messaging.

Testing messaging on the wrong people

It’s not a bad idea to test your messaging on a friendly audience initially. Putting your idea out there is scary and getting initial feedback from people who will be kind can be a good place to start.

However, you need to sense check whether your mom or colleague is your ideal customer. If they are not, their feedback may be off, or they simply may not get what you’re trying to do.

If you’re selling services that need to trigger an emotion to unlock someone’s wallet, you need to find your ideal client and listen deeply to their pain points, concerns, and emotions. Only by showing that you really understand what they are going through AND have a solution for them will you go from nice to have to need to have.

Waiting too long

Analysis paralysis is a real problem when going to market. Please remember that done is better than perfect. The longer you wait to launch, the less likely you are to do it. And the more you may agonize over it.

In the tech community there is the concept of minimum viable product. I think this works well for any kind of launch. What is the bare minimum you need to have in place to get your thing out there and start getting some feedback from real prospects?

While you do want to be professional in how you present your product or service, nothing is written in stone, and you can (and should) tweak things as you go.

Having a fixed mindset

While you may think you know everything about your ideal customer, I promise that they will throw you some curve balls. You may nail 80 percent of your messaging, but the other 20 percent may surprise you.

Don’t let your ego get in the way of your success. A fixed mindset regarding messaging can stall your growth.

Posting in the wrong places

Often our ideal clients are like us, or have similar aspects to us. However, how and where you like to consume your content may not be where your ideal customers hang out.

Even the most gorgeously delicious messaging will be wasted if your ideal customer isn’t seeing it.

Consider the deep listening I suggested above and ask your ideal customers where they would look for your product or service. Would they search for a specific key word or phrase? Would they ask their friends on Facebook for a recommendation? Would they search on LinkedIn?

I have mentioned many times that I like to spend time on Facebook, but my ideal clients are looking for my services on LinkedIn.

As it turns out, my Facebook time isn’t a total waste because my Facebook connections often refer friends and relatives to me.

I hoped this sparked some ideas for you on how you can avoid getting stuck in the mud of perfect phrases and color shades and fonts. Get your best guess in front of your prospects sooner rather than later, and let them help you craft compelling messaging.