You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

The Secrets to Creating a Powerful Brand Message Using the 'Trial Lawyer Marketing Method' Here's an easy-to-use template to build your winning case, get more customers and bring in more sales.

By Tony Verner

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Hero Images | Getty Images

Most businesses miss the mark in creating a powerful brand message. It's not delivered to their prospects in the right fashion. They haven't built a believable "case" for their "jury" -- their prospects to become their customer.

To build a winning case, it takes a lot of work to drill down to understand the deep-seated motivations of your best prospect. But once you do so, you will be able to deliver the right marketing message and achieve above average results.

As the founder of PawBiotics, a pet supplement brand for dogs and cats, I've been able to gain control of my marketing message using the "Trial Lawyer Marketing Method," which helps you intimately understand your prospects and market to create a "big idea" that leads your prospects through your case argument so they become your customer.

It has catapulted our ad and sales conversion rates by over 300 percent in some cases, all while simplifying our marketing strategy. The reason for this improved performance boils down to the fact that prior campaigns had a "weak link" along the marketing message. Something that broke the chain of thought of our prospect where we lost them. This method makes sure there are no "weak links" in your marketing message. We now have one optimized brand message -- our marketing case -- that we can deliver using any medium. Online ads, TV spots, radio commercials, you name it.

Related: 7 Phrases That Can Help You Be More Persuasive

By implementing the "Trial Lawyer Marketing Method" , your prospects will feel like you're reading their mind. you're offering prospects solutions and outcomes tailored for their wants, needs and desires.

But how are you able to figure out the best way to build the right case? Below is a two-step process to help you identify what your prospects need to believe and how to craft your message.

Understand your audience's awareness level

It's crucial that you understand the true awareness of your target audience. By that I mean, how aware are they in relation to your company, products and competitors? By answering these questions and determining their needs, you can craft an effective marketing message tailored to them.

Advertising legend Eugene Schwartz (known for his copywriting skills) created a prospect awareness scale.

Here's what it looks like:

Unaware: Prospect doesn't realize they have a need and knows nothing about you
Problem aware: Prospect realizes they have a need but not sure of a solution
Solution aware: Prospect realizes they have a problem and know of solutions
Product aware: Prospect understands the problem, available solutions and the products that solve their need
Most aware: They know you have the solution to their problem

You have to be delivering your message in the proper fashion. This depends on where your best prospects fall on that scale.

Related: This Sports Publicist Explains How to Make Your Online Content Go Viral

Your marketing case will be short and to the point if your prospects are most aware. It will be much longer and detailed if your prospect is totally unaware. They'll need much more information to believe your case.

Here's a hypothetical example: Let's say you have a product for chicken farmers that will increase their egg production by 500 percent. Prospect group no. 1 is completely unaware that such a solution exists, so you will have to completely educate them on how it is possible, how you created it, proof that it does work etc.- a much longer marketing message. Compare that to an offer to prospect group no. 2 who are very aware, who already know how this is possible, are familiar with you as an expert and your product, so all you have to do is make a very straightforward offer for a discount or special price. A much shorter marketing message and approach.

Create your marketing case

Think about offering your prospects a big-idea solution, versus a product or service. Your message will attract a better and larger audience. Craft a big idea that captures what you are offering your prospect. Your big idea should tap into your prospects overriding emotion. It should be interesting. It should show your unique method of delivering your promise. It should communicate the benefits your prospects will receive.

For instance, book titles really help clarify this. Think about a book titled Daily Quotes to Make you Feel Better versus Chicken Soup for the Soul. Or how about How to Get More Done versus The Four-Hour Work Week.

The latter in both examples capture the emotional component and are intellectually interesting. Add in your promise for results and unique delivery method and you have a winning big Idea.

So now you must deliver your big idea effectively. It will lead your prospects to the natural conclusion to become your customer.

Here's a proven format to deliver your marketing case.

Let's use our hypothetical example for chicken farmers.

Lead with your big idea that draws your perfect prospect in. This will engage them into learning more. Here's an example: " Learn how to increase your egg production by 500 percent using an all natural ingredient found in the Australian outback that causes wild chickens to lay triple the eggs of domestic chickens.

You then can dive into the problem that they need your solution for. Things like: chicken feed costs have tripled over the last two years. Now you can get more eggs without having to get more chickens.

Related: 12 Ways to Actually Get an ROI Using Influencer Marketing

Then build your case addressing every point they need to believe to become your customer. Make sure to provide independent proof of your claims and the benefit attached to each. This builds your ironclad marketing case. Here's an example: One point may be that this new ingredient is safe. Here's your proof point: This all natural ingredient is produced from a high mineral soil in Australia and is approved by the USDA as an animal food additive. This assures safety while helping you increase egg production to improve your farm operation.

Just do this for every belief or objection your prospects will need to have addressed to become your customer.

So now you have a compelling case that fits perfectly with your prospects level of awareness. They'll be thinking to themselves that you're reading their mind -- and you'll have more customers.















Tony Verner

Serial Entrepreneur and Founder of PawBiotics

Tony Verner is a serial entrepreneur and has started and run multiple businesses in real estate, construction and most recently online physical products, focusing on his pet supplement brand called PawBiotics.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Making a Change

Learn Up to 14 Languages with $460 Savings on Lifetime Access to the Babbel App

Expand your professional reach with help from this popular language-learning app.

Business News

'Wildly Inappropriate': Woman Says She Was Denied a Job Because She Didn't Wear Makeup During the Interview

Melissa Weaver was applying for a VP of HR job at a tech company via video.

Starting a Business

Free Webinar | April 25: How to Launch a Business For Creative Minded People

You can monetize your creativity! Join our webinar on April 25th to ask globally recognized design executive Launi King anything you want to turn your passions into money. Register now!

Innovation

Up to 90% of Startups Fail — But Innovation Accelerators Can Help Yours Succeed. Here's How.

Learn how innovation accelerators are powering startups, shortening time to market and increasing the survival rate of fledgling businesses.

Growing a Business

The Brand Whiz Behind Sun Bum Is Famous For Making Boring Products Fun. Then, This One Stumped Him.

Everything Tom Rinks touched turned to gold until he took on a brand launch at Target that fizzled. Then, he found a creepy doll on Ebay, and he saw a way forward.

Business News

Woman Goes Viral After Recording Her Disastrous Call With HR After Being Let Go: 'They Tried to Gaslight You'

Brittany Pietsch posted a nine-minute-long clip of her firing from Cloudflare on TikTok, and it went viral. The company's CEO responded on X — and also went viral.