Let me begin by saying I’m a skeptic, or at least I was until that day. And, before I go any further, I also want to make sure you know that every word of the story you are about to hear is absolutely true, not a word of it has been fabricated for narrative value. I’ll leave it to you to judge the veracity of any subject matter beyond that. But, I tell it because it has important instructive value that will play a role in the discussion we are about to have about writing and creating messaging in a way that makes the audience a part of the story we tell.
In my last post, I talked about how the most effective branding happening in the marketplace today draws the audience in and makes them a part of its own story. I also cited Disneyland as a great example of that process at work. Well, it seems like it’s only fair that, if I bring the subject up, I should dig a little deeper and provide a few practical tools to use to help us all as we strive to draw the audience into our work and make them a part of the messages we craft. So, in today’s entry, I’m going to talk a little more directly to some of the practical tools we can use, as marketers, to make that happen. But first…
It was a bright autumn morning during that magical season when the leaves are red and gold and the smell new cars are in the air. And, yep, I was in the market, but I had no idea what kind of car I wanted. I had it all planned out though, I was going to drive down to the local car-porium and spend a leisurely Saturday morning strolling through the new breeds getting acquainted with all the possibilities. In my head, it was the perfect way to start by new car shopping experience.
I rolled up the street, entranced by all the sparkling possibilities lining the lots that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was just as I had dreamed it would be. And right there, only a few car lengths away, an open parking spot stood beckoning to me from under a perfect golden-leafed tree. The day couldn’t be going better. I pulled in.
As I got out of my car I stopped to take a deep breath of the fresh autumnal air, in anticipation. The morning smelled like endless potential…and golden leaves. I turn and began walking towards the lot I had chosen to begin my adventure with. That was when it happened. My foot had barely landed on the sidewalk—obviously some kind of enchanted ground—when he sprang up, out of nowhere. I hadn’t even reached the car lot, but there he was. The perfect shirt. The perfect smile. Those alone should have told what he really was, but it wasn’t until I saw that mischievous little sparkle in his eye that I knew.
Yep, this was no ordinary human standing before me. And I knew he hadn’t been standing there before I set foot on the sidewalk. I mean, you should have seen the tie. It was too, perfect. No, here, standing before me, was one of the leprechauns of old. Magically sprung out of the ether to lure me away to his enchanted fairyland, where he would undoubtedly keep me entertained eating donuts and drinking soda until bringing me back to deposit me on the sidewalk a hundred years later, never realizing what kind of trouble he had gotten me into in the meantime. That’s what they do, leprechauns.
What else could he be, right? Magically appearing like that?
You can scoff. You can tell me I overreacted. But before you do that, let me tell you what he said to me next. If that doesn’t convince you he was a leprechaun, nothing will.
Standing there, mischievous, other-worldly twinkle in his eye, that leprechaun looked at me and said, “What can I do to get you into a new car today?” Just like that. Popped up outta nowhere, and the first thing he does is offer to grant me a wish, no strings attached. Why would anybody that wasn’t a leprechaun say something like that, right? It was unnerving.
Now, I’m not sayin’ I believe in the fairy-folk, but that day I swear I met a leprechaun face-to-face. Fortunately, I’ve heard the stories, and I knew better than to let him catch me up in his glamor. I had come to look at cars, but there’s a time to look at cars, and there’s a time to turn around and drive away before the leprechaun starts his sales pitch.
I know I’m exposing myself to the possibility of a bit of ridicule by telling this story. Leprechauns can’t possibly exist, right. Maybe I had just had too much autumnal oxygen that day. It’s for a good cause though. This story about my experience with the leprechauns helps illustrate two principles that we have to understand before we can plunge too deeply into the how-tos of drawing your audience into your story. I like to call these principles the Cardinal Rules.
These are two simple, basic rules that almost every marketer, no matter how seasoned, have either overlooked or just not understood, at one time or another. Rules that are so fundamental that without a basic understanding of them, nothing else you do will ever reach your audience in a meaningful way.
What are these simple, yet elusive, rules you ask?
Well, let me begin with the one that trips people up the most.
Cardinal Rule Number One: No One Cares About You.
Now, that may sound a little harsh at first, but the reality is that your audience isn’t worried about you, or the product you provide. They care about themselves and their needs. When you talk to them, you should be talking about them and their needs, not about you.
Let’s look back at my leprechaun story for just a second. That was a completely true story. It actually happened to me in that exact way. And the point it illustrates? “What can we do to get you into a car today?” was a question that had nothing to do with my needs. It showed a complete and utter disregard for me, as the audience. It was a question that was focused on his goals. He could just as easily have said “I want to sell you something right now, what are you going to do to help me make that happen?” and it would have had the same effect.
A question that was focused more on my needs might have been something like, “What are you interested in seeing today?”
As marketers, our messaging often take the same approach as our leprechaun friend. “My-wonderful-product is the perfect solution to all of your personal needs.”
And that’s the trap a lot of us fall into. We think that because we show the audience how our product benefits them, we’re talking about their needs. I won’t waste your time arguing this point, this one is simple, you’re not. This is not a sentence about your audience’s needs, this is a sentence about your product. The first thing it says is “My-wonderful-product.” And there’s one of the first things you can do to help determine if you’re messaging is talking about you, or your audience. Look at your messaging and ask yourself, “Does the first sentence have my name, or the name of my product, in it”? If it does, it’s probably about you.
The next question you can ask yourself is, “How many times does the first paragraph mention my name or my product?” More than once? If it does, it’s probably about you and not your audience. And, once again, no one cares about you. If you want your audience to feel like they are a part of the story you are telling, you need to be talking about them and their needs, not you and your product.
This is probably one of the most often broken rules in the world of marketing messaging. And probably one of the most difficult ones for marketers to understand.
No one cares about you, or your product. Stop talking about them.
When you talk to people, talk to them about their needs, their wants, and their concerns.
Cardinal Rule Number Two: No One Wants to be Sold Anything.
Once again, my leprechaun story illustrates this for us. Being approached by someone whose only goal is to sell you something automatically puts you on the defensive. No one wants to be put in that situation. And you don’t trust the motives of the people putting you in that situation. More importantly, your audience won’t listen to you if they don’t trust you, so don’t do that to them.
Don’t sell, talk. Have a conversation with your audience. Treat them like you actually care about them, and they will be more likely to listen to you. And the trick here is you have to genuinely care about communicating with them. Your audience will always know when you’re not being genuine. And there are no exceptions to that. If you mislead, prevaricate, or just outright lie, they will pick up on that and mistrust our message. This also means they will mistrust you, and your product. It was David Ogilvie that said, “Your customer is not a moron.” and he was right.
Talk to people like they are people. Have a conversation with them. Keep the tone of your copy conversational, make it sound like you are talking with them, not at them. And, don’t make the mistake of trying to define their needs for them either. Nobody wants to be told what they want, they already know that.
Above all else, don’t force your audience into a position where they will automatically distrust everything you say by “selling” them something.
Note: Here’s something to keep in mind as you create marketing materials that are intended to speak to the average audience member.
Remember that most people converse at a 13-year-old level (the average publication in America is written at a ninth-grade reading level). Try to keep your writing at that same level. Your audience prefers to read words that are 5 characters long or less. And, they prefer short paragraphs to long ones.
In short, make it simple. (The Flesch-Kincaid Reading level scale uses this equation to determine reading levels: 0.39 x Average No. of words in sentences + 11.8 x Average No. of syllables per word – 15.59 = grade level.)
Cardinal Rule Number Three: No One is Going to Listen to Everything You Say.
I’m not sure if this is as much Cardinal Rule as it is an Important Guide. But, I run into people who don’t seem to understand this principle enough that I’ve ranked it with the other Cardinal Rules.
The sad truth is that most people are not going to take the time to read everything you write. So all that time you spent crafting the correct language and making sure you have all of the details that need to be included in your marketing piece will probably have less impact than you expect. What people will do is scan the information on the page and pick out the information that is important to them as they go.
This is where effective information design comes into play. The way you organize and present the information on the page will have a direct correlation to how the audience consumes it. Make sure you take the time to present the information you want them to find in a way that makes it easily available to them. And remember you can’t expect them to see it all. Pick the top two to three most important bits of information and make sure they can be found in the order you want them seen.
That’s what good graphic design is about. A good designer can control the way the audience consumes the information, and therefore, how they continue to be involved in the story.