There are three really common phrases that are like traps, that I believe hurt more than help your small business marketing message. They seem really common because other people are using them. But have you ever considered the reason why?
Those people (businesses) are running into the same challenge that you and I are running into: They’re really busy, they’re not sure what to say, they don’t trust themselves enough. They think, “I’m not really a marketer. I’m not the expert on this. Who am I to decide what my social media post should say, what should go in my ad, how it should sound, how it should look?”
The reality is, you’re the only one that is really qualified to know what that should be. It doesn’t mean you can’t get help with it, but in terms of who you are and why you’re in the business you’re in, that really needs to come from you.
But that’s a greater issue that we’re going to explore in more depth in future videos and articles. For now, let’s examine these three phrases that I’m sure you hear and see all time in advertising. They’re not helping you. They turn your message into white noise.
1. “Don’t Miss Out!”
Let’s decode “Don’t miss out.” When you use “don’t miss out” as an advertiser, what you’re really saying is, “Stop what you’re doing and come and take care of what I need.” It’s not about your customer, it’s about you.
If you’re looking to reach out to somebody that may be your customer, your volunteer, your sponsor, or whatever the case might be, then we’ve got to understand that it’s not about us, it’s about them.
If you want my attention, tell me something that’s relevant to me. “Don’t miss out,” means nothing to me. I don’t feel like I’m missing out! You’re the one that’s worried about missing out on getting my attention and my money by telling me not to miss out. All it really does is turn me off.
See if you can keep yourself from throwing that phrase into your social media post, into your event listing, into your ad, it doesn’t matter what medium you’re using. It’s a turn-off.
2. “Hurry In!”
I love this one: “Hurry in!” Or, “Hurry in today and save!” Everybody’s telling me to hurry. I guess they don’t want me to miss out.
“Hurry in and save 30% over our already low prices!” When I hear that, or I see that, I think to myself, “I could save 100% by just staying exactly where I am.”
The last thing that I want in my life is to be rushed more and to have more to do. So if you’re just coming and screaming at me, “Hurry!” to take care of your needs and not mine, I’m going to tune you out.
I don’t know about you, but the cup of my life already overflows. I’ve got more than enough to do. I feel like I’m always in a rush to take care of my responsibilities.
“Hurry in, stop what you’re doing, don’t miss out!”
Please, please … when you use those phrases, who you’re talking about is you. But if you want my attention, the potential customer, try saying something that matters to me. I understand that creating scarcity is a tried and true marketing tactic, but if you’re dipping into that well all the time, it loses its effectiveness.
What I don’t want is to hurry or to be rushed. I’ve got plenty of that to deal with already.
3. “Check It Out!”
Let’s suppose that every time I posted an episode of my podcast, “Journeys with the No Schedule Man,” all I said was, “Hey, I’ve got a new episode of the podcast up. Check it out! Check out my podcast! I’ve got a great conversation with so-and-so. Check it out!”
What does that mean? Why would anyone want to “check it out?” I’ve not given any reason, nor added any value to the potential listener or customer.
When you use “Check it out,” what you’re saying is, “Pay some attention to this, do something that I want you to do but do it in a way that I don’t have to actually think about you and to qualify why in the world this might matter to you. Just check it out.”
Come on, now. Think like a customer. If someone tells me to “Check it out,” I ask, “Why would I? What’s in it for me?”
“Don’t Miss Out!” “Hurry In!” “Check It Out!” These are all lazy phrases that hurt more than they help. They’re turning your message into white noise.
For now, see if you can keep those out of your vocabulary. Try and think about what might matter to you if you were the customer. That alone will start to set you apart from the crowd. We’ll dive more into how know what the better vocabulary is in future articles and videos.
Want more updates like this? SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube Channel and join my mailing list to stay up-to-date.
Want help? For any entrepreneur or small business owner looking for help with online marketing and sales, I highly recommended the Wealthy Affiliate community. From SEO to social media to affiliate marketing, building and maintaining your own websites and just about any online-related marketing topic you can think of, you’ll find more resources there than you can possibly use. It’s like having your own team of online experts. It’s what I use and completely recommend.
To learn more about how I use it, visit my Wealthy Affiliate page on this website. – KB
Recent Comments