Imagine if you will, attending a swanky holiday party. Up sidles a good lookin’ guy or dame, drawn to your abundant charm and charisma. You’re interested…until this person opens their mouth and proceeds to talk about the royal “me” the entire evening. You wouldn’t be attracted to some schmuck focused on themselves, would you?
So, why run your marketing like that? Most ads, web pages and other communications I see fail to engage because they are all about YOU, instead of THEM.
Humans by nature have a strong psychological need to be seen and understood. And—let’s face it—most of us enjoy talking about ourselves. The trick is to give the stage to your audience first.
My Top-Shelf Tip for March is: To GET attention, GIVE attention. The point is not to get your audience to understand who you are, but to show that you understand who THEY are: Their needs, goals, aspirations, motivations. Once you establish that connection and generate some warm fuzzies, then they will take an interest in you. Most businesses do just the opposite, resulting in ads that miss eyeballs and websites with a higher bounce rate than a Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliot in the 1998 movie Roadhouse.
The triangle on the left shows the pattern most businesses display in their communications. Turn that lackluster paradigm on its head and you’ll see a turnaround in response to your marketing efforts. The triangle on the right is a good guide to laying out your message, whether on a print ad, a TV script, your website or a sponsored Facebook post. Print these babies out and post them where you’ll see em.
Notice how we walk the Timeless Tip talk in the home page content I wrote for Eagle Wealth Management in Bend: http://myeaglewealth.com. These folks had the insight to put their target customer first and themselves last; their photos depict the potential for a warm and focused personal relationship. Well done. This approach has helped this small, family-owned company grow and has strengthened their brand immensely. Why? Because they understand that to get attention, you gotta give it first!
Watch for more “Swig of Branding” Timeless Tips to come. Email me and I’ll send you a free eBook teeming with tangible marketing treasures!
Kelly Walker is creative director for Intrepid Marketing, a leading Bend, Oregon marketing agency. For more information, contact Kelly at 541-419-9976 or Kelly@intrepidforward.com
