> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://kelfordinc.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Start with the distance, not the message — Kelford Labs Daily - URL: https://kelfordinc.com/start-with-the-distance-not-the-message-kelford-labs-daily/ - Published: 2026-03-18T10:33:34.000Z - Updated: 2026-03-18T10:33:34.000Z - Description: Where they are changes what you say. - Author: Joel Kelly - Tags: attention, control, customers, Daily Labs, distance, focus, messaging, measure, next step, overdeliver, perspective, principles, rangefinder, value, writing If you don’t know what to say in your marketing, the first question I have for you is: - *To whom are you saying it?* Because the people you’re trying to reach may be at different [*distances*](https://kelfordinc.com/tag/distance/) from you, and a message that appeals to one distance may not appeal to another. You’re not changing your value, but it’s important to change what you *say* at each distance to get the prospect to take one step closer. **Far: Strangers Need Information** People who’ve never heard of you before don’t need your philosophy or your features, they need to know that [you do the thing](https://kelfordinc.com/being-found-from-far-away-kelford-labs-daily/) they need done. We recently completed an ad campaign that exceeded our media partner’s benchmarks for the highest click-through-rates they’ve ever recorded. Here’s how the ad copy was constructed: {{Service offering}} for {{prospect sector}}. That’s it. Just “We do x for y.” Because if someone’s never heard of you before, all they need to know right now is that you do the thing they’re looking for. They’ll then take one step closer. **Close: Neighbours Need Insight** Once they’ve clicked through and landed on the website, they’re now closer to us and they’re looking for more than information. They need *insight*. They need to see the tradeoffs we’ve made to be especially focused on their priorities and how they perceive value. That’s why [this website](https://kelfordinc.com/) is a newsletter. Once you know we’re marketing consultants, the next thing you need to know is whether we’re the right kind of consultants for you. So we reveal our [tradeoffs](https://kelfordinc.com/trust-is-about-what-you-dont-do-kelford-labs-daily/), our [experiences](https://kelfordinc.com/is-your-content-current-kelford-labs-weekly/), and our [perspectives](https://kelfordinc.com/the-objective-is-perspective-kelford-labs-daily/) via this newsletter. All in service of making our prospects [*comfortable*](https://kelfordinc.com/content-makes-them-comfortable-kelford-labs-daily/) enough to get one step closer. **Here: People At Your Door Need Experience** We often think our clients measure us when the work is delivered, but they’re actually measuring from the first moment we start working together (even a little before that). So at this distance we need to [overdeliver](https://kelfordinc.com/marketing-keeps-going-when-they-get-here-kelford-labs-daily/) where it matters to them most: making promises, keeping them, and demonstrating our value through every touchpoint. How fast we deliver the first assignment, how clear and polished our documents are, how easy we are to work with: these are all elements that get measured at this distance, and marketing’s job is to remind our clients that they’re getting the value they value most. Because once they’ve worked with us, we want them to talk about us. **Connected: Friends Need Words to Repeat** If you’ve worked with someone in the past, you don’t need to sell to them. You just need to [*remind them*](https://kelfordinc.com/staying-connected-with-ideal-clients-kelford-labs-daily/) of what they experienced before. We want to harvest the expressions of value and satisfaction we’ve heard and then repeat them back in clear, crisp, [memorable](https://kelfordinc.com/making-your-marketing-more-memorable-kelford-labs-daily/) phrases that lodge in their mind. So the next time they’re asked to refer someone, they don’t just know to refer *us*, they know *what to say* to do it. **The Cycle** Past clients, now Connected to us, represent the gravity of the system, pulling new Far prospects toward us. So by providing them with the right words to say, based on the value they experienced, we acquire more people who need to know that we do what they need. - Then, we move them one step closer by providing information about what we do. - Then, we move them one step closer by revealing the insights behind *why* we do it that way. - Then, we move them one step closer by overdelivering on the experience. - Finally, we move them one step closer by shaping the words they share with others. So if you’re struggling with what to say, here’s the one question that matters most: **How far away are they?** --- [***Kelford Inc.***](https://www.kelfordinc.com/) ***is the marketing team that’s never at a loss for words. If you’re struggling with what to say and where to say it to attract ideal clients,*** [***we’ll show you the way***](https://kelfordinc.com/contact/)***.***