The first memory of Baron Germain was the castle on the other side of the Loire valley. Squat and aggressive, it dominated the view and his life. The source of conflict for the last three generations of his line: sortie after sortie, raid and reprisal after raid and reprisal. One day the Baron decided enough was enough: it was time to send a message to le Comte d’Villefort.
He gathered his advisers and began to make important decisions. This message must be perfect. How many guards should he send with the messenger? Too few would show weakness, too many would indicate that he didn’t trust the count. After spirited discussion, it was decided that three guards would be enough if one was his most trusted lieutenant, the formidable and scarred Jean-Pierre.
Trumpeters were quickly vetoed: they always accompanied challenges. Debates on whether the messenger should wear the ermine or the sable lasted many hours. After a quick repast, the councillors started on the form of the message. The gold-edged paper was unanimously decided against, but on such a historic occasion the scroll should be illuminated and written in vermillion ink. And the Abbé himself agreed to bless the scroll before it left.
Everything was in place, as the baron looked at the expectant scribe. “I wish it to be known…”
“Ummm…”
“Hi?”
The medium DOES matter…
… but only insofar as it supports your message. The message is the most important part.
You don’t need a Facebook strategy. What you do need is a strategy to spread your message to the right people, which might involve using Facebook.
The same applies to logos, free e-books, fliers, website designs, email autoresponders, prize giveaways, plugins, taglines, social media platforms, gimmicks, competitions, branding and every other marketing activity you complete.
None of these things are the message. They’re techniques to spread the message.
Spend most of your time designing the message, not the pretty scroll case it’s delivered in.
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