How to Craft a Marketing Message that Attracts the Right Clients

I took my car in for its MOT recently, thinking it would be a quick in-and-out job. You know that smug feeling when you’re certain everything is fine? Well, that didn’t last long. It failed. Not just on one tyre, but three. Two of them had major bulges and were on the verge of exploding. The day before, I had driven more than two hundred and fifty miles, so I cannot say how grateful I am that I was looked after. It could have gone very differently.

Now, I had a choice. I could buy the cheapest tyres going, cross my fingers, and hope for the best. Or I could invest in quality ones that would actually grip the road, keep me safe, and last more than a few months. I chose quality. It is something my now ex husband taught me when it came to cars: don’t buy budget, especially when it comes to tyres. And while my bank account wept slightly, I drove away knowing I had done the right thing. Because the foundations matter.

Business is the same. You can cut corners with your marketing, and you’ll probably still move forward, but not in the way you want. You’ll slide around, attract the wrong people, and wonder why you’re always fighting fires. Or you can get the foundations right and build something that keeps you steady. One of those foundations is your marketing message. When your message is weak, you’ll find yourself asking the same question over and over: how do I stop attracting the wrong clients?

What is a Marketing Message?

Here’s the truth most business owners miss. Your marketing message isn’t about you. Your prospects don’t care how many awards you’ve won, how passionate you are about customer service, or how innovative your solution is. Your prospects care about themselves. Their problems. Their desires. The results they want.

Your marketing message is the bridge between what your clients are worried about right now and the outcome they want to reach. At its heart, it should answer three simple questions:

• Who do you help
• What problem do you solve
• What outcome do you deliver

But let’s be clear, this is not just about facts. A strong message is about feelings too. It should make your ideal client think, “You’ve just described exactly what I’m dealing with, and you’ve just shown me the future I desperately want.”

Most businesses get this wrong because they talk about themselves. They reel off services, credentials, and processes. The problem is, that puts the focus in the wrong place. Clients don’t wake up worrying about your services. They wake up worrying about their own problems. They want to see themselves in your words. That’s why your message has to shine a spotlight on them, not you.

Why Your Marketing Message Matters

Let’s not sugar-coat this. Every wrong client you say yes to costs you. They fill up your diary with low-value work. They haggle on price. They sap your energy. They prevent you from working with the clients you really want. And worst of all, they make you start doubting your business.

It’s not that these clients are bad people. They’re just not the right fit. But if your message is unclear, you’ll keep letting them through the door. When you’re vague, people assume you’re for everyone. And when you’re for everyone, you end up serving people you don’t enjoy working with.

A clear message changes that. It acts as both a magnet and a filter. It pulls the right people towards you and gently pushes the wrong ones away. It sets expectations from the very start. It tells your ideal client: “I see you, I understand your problem, and I can help.”

This is why your marketing message is inseparable from your ideal client. If you haven’t defined who they are, you’ll struggle to write words that resonate. I explain this in detail in Why Your Marketing Isn’t Working: The Missing Piece Every Business Overlooks. Without a clear message, you’ll forever be stuck in the cycle of taking whatever comes your way. With one, you start connecting with the right clients, the ones who value you, pay you properly, and make running your business a joy.

How to Craft Your Marketing Message with StoryBrand

When I work with my clients to craft their marketing message I base it on the StoryBrand framework by Donald Miller because it makes this process simple. The reason it works is because most businesses cast themselves as the hero of the story. They talk about their mission, their features, their awards. But your client doesn’t want another hero. They want a guide. They want someone who understands their problem and can show them the path to success.

StoryBrand flips the script. It puts your client as the hero and positions you as the guide. Here’s how to apply it to your message.

Start with your client. Describe them in plain, recognisable language. Avoid jargon. If you’re an accountant, don’t say “SMEs across multiple sectors.” Say “business owners who are tired of surprise tax bills.”

Then name their problem. Not the technical description, but the way they’d say it out loud. “I’m sick of spending evenings drowning in spreadsheets.” “My website looks good, but it doesn’t bring me any clients.” “I can’t get my team to take ownership.”

Next, position yourself as the guide. Show empathy: “I understand how frustrating this is.” Then show authority: “I’ve helped hundreds of business owners sort this out.”

After that, give them a simple plan. Not a 12-step methodology. Just two or three steps they can remember. “We diagnose where the message is broken. We create the words. We roll them out across your business.”

Finally, paint the success. Describe what life looks like after the problem is solved. Show them the outcome they care about. Instead of vague lines like “you’ll get more leads,” be specific and bold. “Your sales calls will feel effortless because prospects arrive pre-sold on your value.” “Your team will finally pull in the same direction because everyone understands the mission.” “Your calendar will be filled with clients who energise you, not drain you.”

Donald Miller calls this a marketing message statement, or one-liner. It combines problem, solution, and success into a single, repeatable sentence you can use everywhere.

It follows this structure:

• Problem: What your client struggles with
• Solution: What you do to help
• Success: What life looks like after

It looks like this:

We help [specific client] who [problem] by [solution] so they [success].

For example:

“We help boutique law firms that are wasting time on poor-fit enquiries by clarifying their message and intake process so they attract higher-value matters and convert the right clients.”

That’s not clever. It’s not poetic. But it is clear. And clarity is what sells.

You can read more here: StoryBrand.

Examples of Weak and Strong Marketing Messages

It helps to see the contrast. Let’s look at some before-and-after examples that show the difference clarity provides.

Example One: Accountant

Weak: “We provide accounting services to businesses of all sizes.”

Strong: “Still losing sleep over tax bills? We keep your numbers simple and your tax predictable so you can stop stressing and start planning.”

Example Two: Website Designer

Weak: “We build beautiful websites that make you stand out.”

Strong: “If your website is stunning but silent, we redesign it around clear messaging and simple paths to enquiry so it finally becomes your best salesperson.”

Example Three: Business Coach

Weak: “We offer bespoke coaching tailored to your needs.”

Strong: “If you feel like you’re working harder than ever but still stuck in the same place, we help you build the systems, mindset, and clarity you need so your business starts working for you, not the other way around.”

Notice what the strong versions do. They name the problem in a way the client feels. They show the outcome in plain language. And they sound like real conversation, not brochure-speak. If your own message sounds like the weak examples, don’t panic. With some work, you can transform it. But it does take a willingness to let go of being clever and focus on being clear.

How a Clear Marketing Message Works in Practice

A marketing message isn’t a slogan you write once and forget. It has to run through everything.

On your website, it belongs right at the top of your homepage. Within seconds, people should know who you serve, what you do, and what result you deliver.

On social media, it belongs in your bios and your posts. Stop filling those spaces with vague titles like “helping businesses thrive” and write something real.

In networking, it becomes your introduction. Instead of mumbling, “I’m a consultant,” you can say, “I help [specific client] who [problem] by [solution] so they [success].” That’s memorable.

In emails, it frames what you do so every offer makes sense.

The key is consistency. If your website says one thing, your LinkedIn another, and your sales pitch something different again, people will be confused. And as I’ve said before, confused people do not buy.

Consistency builds trust. When people hear the same clear message wherever they encounter you, they believe you. It creates credibility. It makes you the obvious choice.

If you want to understand how consistency fits into the bigger picture of getting regular work, read this: How to Get Clients Consistently. A clear, consistent message connects you with your ideal clients and filters out the wrong ones. It saves you time. It saves you energy. And it saves you from the never-ending cycle of chasing business that doesn’t serve you.

Your Next Step

If you find yourself asking how to stop attracting the wrong clients, the answer is not shouting louder on social media or spending more money on ads. It’s clarity. A clear marketing message is the foundation that connects you with the right clients, filters out the wrong ones, and keeps your communication consistent across every platform you use.

Imagine what business would feel like if you stopped wasting time on wrong-fit clients. Imagine if the right clients came to you already knowing they wanted to work with you. Imagine if every sales conversation felt easier because your message had already done half the work. That’s the difference clarity makes.

If you want help crafting a marketing message that attracts the right clients, book your free Business Performance Strategy Session today.

​