The average American is exposed to anywhere between 247 and 3000 commercial messages each day. How do we stand out in the crowd? And why do engineers need to stop speaking Klingon?
We are surrounded by communication because that is what we were made to do: communicate. Some people are more naturally inclined to socialize, while others might prefer to hide in a hole (or behind the safety of an avatar). Unless you are living in the deepest jungles of Borneo, you are receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of messages a day.
The average American is exposed to anywhere between 247 and 3000 commercial messages each day [1], the latter including every label you skim over at the supermarket.
So how do we stand out in the crowd?
We skim information to find what matches our core interests, desires and values. Know what your audience wants. Listen to them. Engage with your audience.
Don’t just tweet about yourself, respond to others and start a genuine conversation. It’s not just about your fabulous new product. If you want people to buy your product or request information on it, you need to emotionally stimulate their mind and touch their heart. Yes, this takes time and resources but in a competitive market, creating an emotional bond may be the one thing you can do to stand out. You have seconds to make your first impression, especially online.
“I want a banana”: How often have you gone online to find some information or a product, then clicked on an Adwords advert [2] only to be led to a completely irrelevant product? It’s like asking for a banana and being offered a ham sandwich. No matter how good your sandwich is, I still want a banana and I might even be a vegetarian.
Sound ludicrous? I know it does. Still, numerous organizations waste valuable marketing budget on campaigns that 1. Don’t appeal to their target audience and 2. Annoy their audience because of their trickery. Be honest, your customers will thank you for it. They’re smarter than you think.
Peacocks have their feathers, and so do we. But if we all have the same feathers, none of us will stand out in the mating grounds of communication. Be original: No one likes a copy cat. Dare to be different and be that Purple Cow Seth Godin wrote such an inspiring book about!
As for my fellow lovers of technology: for some people, tech-speak sounds like Klingon. When you are writing your brochures, web content and even your technical product data sheets, keep in mind that the person responsible for buying your product may not be an engineer. Ask yourself why a particular feature is important and translate it into a USP [3] that shows why your product will benefit the buyer. I assure you, you will reap the benefits.
Want to stop speaking “Klingon”? Contact me to find out how.
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[1] http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=56750
[2] The items on the right hand side of your Google search results.
[3] Unique Selling Point
