In journalism, every good story must answer these questions, often referred to as the 5Ws and How. The specific questions vary slightly; here’s Wikipedia’s version:
- Who was involved?
- What happened?
- Where did it take place?
- When did it take place?
- Why did that happen?
- How did it happen?
Marketing is simply telling your story to the world, in a way that will inspire them to act. These fundamentals of good reporting, with slight modifications, are also a great foundation for your marketing. Whether we are building a website, designing a brochure, or creating an advertising campaign, we begin with asking and answering questions:
- Who is our audience?
- What do they need to know about our product or service?
Also: What are we trying to accomplish with this project? - Where are we now and where would we like to be as a result of this project?
- When can we best reach our audience?
- Why will they care about what we’re saying?
- How will we let them know that we can meet their needs?
Simon Sinek teaches us to “Start with Why.” And that is a good start to keep yourself and your team on track. To communicate your story, you need to answer the Who, What, Where, When and How, too. If you’re having a hard time getting started, you might try answering these questions first.
Speaking of questions – what questions would you like me to answer in future newsletters? I love to hear from you and would be happy to answer your questions.
- How 2020 can make 2021 better - December 28, 2020
- Welcome to the Kim Schlossberg Designs newsletter - December 18, 2020
- A Strong Brand is the Key to Resilience - April 10, 2020
