“The medium is the message” is a phrase coined by the Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan and introduced in McLuhan’s book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, published in 1964. McLuhan proposes that a medium itself, not the content it carries, should be the focus of study. He said that a medium affects the society in which it plays a role not only by the content delivered over the medium, but also by the characteristics of the medium itself. 45 years later, all of us streaming customers and WhatsApp users are getting the message and lots of them.

Likewise, when it comes to what message you want to send to your customers or stakeholders, getting the message content and how you deliver it is key.

In his book, Traversing the Traction Gap, Bruce Cleveland makes the case for creating a minimal viable category (MVC) as a key initial value inflection point on your way to closing the traction gap and developing brand credibility. That means you need to create a simple to understand value proposition by creating an elevator pitch, preferably about a new product category.

He goes on to state that it should capture the way in which the CEO wants everyone in the company, to explain:

• What the company does
• How the products fit in and stand out
• How your product are different and are a better solution than the competition or status quo
• The approved mission statement
• Competitive positioning

Everyone should stick to the script.

Another way to do marketing messaging is to use the messsage house model or create a messaging matrix. You can either do this yourself or hire someone to do it as you grow. The key, however you do it, is to deliver an easy to understand, consistent message at a 5th or 6th grade reading level that your grandmother can understand. Using short videos on your website helps a lot.

What’s more, at least in sick care and digital health, high trust in your brand has replaced high tech and high touch.

There is a lot entrepreneurs, and physician medical practice entrepreneurs in particular, who don’t sales and marketing. They just don’t get the message.

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the