SUCCES. No, it’s not a misspelling. It’s the acronym for what authors Chip and Dan Heath call “sticky messages.”
In their book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, the Heaths outline six key principles that are the recipe for messages that resonate. Consider how to adapt SUCCES into your marketing message.
Simplicity. Edit to one concept or idea rather than confusing the issue with three, four, or ten ideas.
Ken Steele, in his blog on academicagroup.com, says that “effective communication demands that we be ‘masters of exclusion.’” You probably have at least ten reasons why your donors should support your school. But you need to hone down to that nugget that sums it all up. Over time, you can layer on additional messages, but you need your supporters to be moved by the one thing about your school that will strike a chord.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VP6NXfL61I
Trey Baker of The Mustard Seed Company suggests you ask yourself three questions to help you find the core of your message:
–What’s the big idea I’m attempting to communicate?
–What is the opposite of what I’m attempting communicate?
–What’s the outcome I want to have happen as a result of this message?
After you answer those questions, he says, you should list three things in order of priority that you want people to understand or do as a result of the message…then eliminate all except the first to get your core message.
Unexpectedness. A “surprise” stands out in the crowd. Something unexpected in the message piques curiosity and fosters further exploration. Essentially, you need to capture their attention with something different, a twist so to speak. Stating the obvious will only go so far—you need to break that pattern to make your message stick. What could you do or say to make your message different, create almost a plot twist?
Concreteness. Your goals may be lofty, but your message needs to be grounded and specific. Your audience needs to understand the message—they don’t need to use their powers of deduction to connect the dots.
Have you ever read a billboard or watched a television commercial that left you not sure what it was all about? Or you can't remember what it was all about? Well, you don’t want your message to do that. You want your audience to, honestly, not have to think about what you are trying to say. Instead, show them, so they can use their senses.
Credibility. This means your message can be tested; it doesn’t represent simply a concept or a pronouncement from “authority.” More and more, people are relying on word-of-mouth recommendations, often via social media, to make purchases and show support. Those types of recommendations carry credibility way beyond an organization simply saying “we are the best.”
Emotions. When you make an emotional connection with your audience, the message will not easily be forgotten. You always want to connect your message with your donor’s passions and concerns. The best way to do that is through people and their stories. How has your program affected that one individual? Which brings us to…
Stories. Humans have been conveying ideas and teaching lessons with stories for thousands of years. People can relate better to stories than dry concepts. Ken Steele writes “to leverage suspense and surprise, arouse curiosity, portray vivid concrete detail, and present human characters about whom your audience can care emotionally, you need to tell a story.”
Finding your core message and telling the story of how that one student’s experience at your school has impacted his or her’s life will resonate. Describing how wonderful your school is, how excellent or rigorous your program is, can be empty. Doing the hard work to make your message "sticky" for your constituents will be time well spent toward achieving your goals.
Additional ISM resources of interest
ISM Monthly Update for Development Directors Vol. 10 No. 8 Let Your Students Tell the Story to Inspire Donors
ISM Monthly Update for Development Directors Vol. 9 No. 2 Tell Donors What Their Gifts Will Achieve
ISM Monthly Update for Admission Officers Vol. 8 No 9 Your Summer Assignment: Define Your School’s Main Marketing Message
Additional ISM resources for Consortium Gold Members
To the Point Vol. 17 No. 1 Tell Your School’s Success Story
To the Point Vol. 16 No. 2 Give Major Donors a Reason to ‘Give Big’
