People have learned to tune out messages that don’t align with their goals, mood and intentions at the time. We recognize a sales team at a mall when we see one, and we ignore their friendly hellos. After all, we only went to the mall in the first place because we had a prior intention that led us there. Once we’re through the doors, anything that doesn’t relate to the carrying out of that intention is ignored.
But we expect marketing messages to be ignored. That’s part of the game. What we don’t expect is to actually dissuade people from using our products and/or services with our messaging.
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” In ancient times, before the internet and the telephone, messages were actually delivered face to face. Unfortunately for the messengers, human beings have a propensity for unfair association.
As Shakespeare said, “The nature of bad news infects the teller.”
This is not something that human beings have since “evolved out of”. Weather forecasters frequently face negative treatment simply for reporting bad weather or communicating incorrect predictions.
So if your marketing message is actually a hindrance to people, or it’s perceived as annoying by potential buyers, you’re pumping hard-earned cash into building associations in their brain that PREVENT them from doing business with you.
Luckily, we don’t have to fall into that trap. We don’t have to irritate people to get them to look at our stuff and make a buying decision. We don’t need to force people to do anything they don’t want to do.
The most important thing to remember when crafting an ad or marketing communication is that it must resonate with potential and current customers. Obviously your message must be conducive to sales, but it will fall on deaf ears unless it makes sense to your target audience and appears on a medium they consistently respond to.
It also must provide value in and of itself. Whether it be in the form of a how-to guide, a link to a free ebook or something else, your messaging will simply work better if it’s useful to people.
That’s how you avoid irritating your audience with your messaging. You make it useful. You identify a common problem that they’re facing, and that your product solves. You provide solutions through your e-mail marketing, content and whatever other medium you’re using.
That way, your audience comes to know, like and trust you. They view you as a friendly authority with the answers they want. They eagerly read your communications because they know they’ll learn something useful and immediately applicable if they do.
As John Caples put it in his classic book, Tested Advertising Methods, “A free offer is a device that frequently leads to future sales.” If you provide information, humour or anything else your audience deems as useful – you increase the chance of creating long-term customers.
That doesn’t happen by accident, however. You have to know your audience so well that you can consistently give them EXACTLY what they need, and present it to them in the EXACT language THEY would use. It takes thorough research, testing and expertise, but it’s worth getting right.
Are YOUR marketing messages actually turning buyers away? If you sign up for a FREE media audit, we will assess your current marketing funnel and help you reach your target audience with messages that resonate, not repel.
