Most marketing messages come about through a similar process. First you spend a large amount of time working on the features of your product or service. Then you spend time trying to connect those features with tangible benefits. Perhaps your next step is to develop sales stories and strategies in support of those positions.
This process makes sense and it’s what many of us in the marketing world do naturally – as well we should. But do you ever wonder if there’s more you could do to make your messages more powerful? There is.
Connection cuts through the clutter
Messages that resonate with audiences have meaning. When something has meaning, it is deeper than simple recognition or understanding. Meaning implies a connection at a different level – a more significant level.
Audiences of today are covered in marketing promises. As a result, they are prone to suspend belief and potentially dismiss your message if it is too general or too common. Despite the promise being a truth, you still risk not reaching your audience if you do not provide some depth of context or a more concrete reason to believe. Give them the rest of the story (homage paid to Paul Harvey) and they will understand at a more significant level.
An example
Consider this common copy point in marketing and promotion: “Our people care.” Now think about how context – making an emotional connection – might enliven the message. It would sound something like this:
“Every year our organization identifies a local nonprofit. Members of our team are given paid leave each year to serve at these organizations and we regularly donate services in support of these groups. We are a part of this community and want that spirit to show. We care about our people and the people around us. Our role in in this community must reflect that position of compassion.”
Do you see the difference? Though both messages are essentially the same, you find more reasons to believe the later example because you see the meaning behind the statement.
Use your story to make connections
The deeper the connection, the more lasting the impression. A deeper connection can be created in personal selling, trade show settings or even in networking. Find out the story behind the person you are meeting. Help them understand the story that motivates you. Try to avoid the jargon of the common and look for something deeper and more real.
- Mike
