When you read something from your favorite writer or catch a talk from a speaker you admire, what do they do that captures your attention?
Do you read a great novel and say, “I loved how many times this book made me go to the dictionary!” Maybe you listen to a speaker and say, “I love how dry and unrelatable his talk was!”
Of course you don’t! And yet, many people think professional messaging means dry and boring messaging. This is absolutely untrue. Well, unless you’re looking to disappear and blend into the endless digital pile of dry and boring copy.
Whether you’re writing a novel, introducing a product in public, or writing an ad or social post, you’re telling a story and looking for it to reach somebody other than yourself. Join me as we take a look at 3 tips for better marketing messaging.
Tip 1: Speak in a conversational tone
The goal of anything you write for a business is to get noticed. It’s not about bringing attention to you, however, it’s about the story of your company, product, or service.
After attention, you want action. You may not always demand action but after so many touches, it is the ultimate goal. And you don’t do that by writing a manual, you do it by writing a conversation.
Start by picturing one person on the other end. One person listening to your words. In business writing, you usually picture your ideal customer. If you’ve been in your industry for some time, your ideal customer is likely somebody you already know. And that’s the best-case scenario.
Now that you have somebody in mind, stop thinking about writing and start thinking of speaking to that person. It’s easy to fall into the high school mindset and the dreaded 5-paragraph essay. Don’t do that.
Visualize your target customer listening on the other side of your desk as you write and focus on what you would say to them in person.
Tip 2: Use metaphors to make complex ideas relatable
We use metaphors (and other forms of comparisons) in everyday conversations to get the point across quickly. It’s not actually raining cats and dogs but I don’t need to look up rain measurements to explain it was raining hard.
By relating your more complicated offerings to something the average person is familiar with, you make it less daunting. Something complicated becomes relatable.
You don’t want to go overboard here (see what I did?). One good metaphor is enough to keep your listener engaged if they understand it. Here are a few examples:
- If your service targets people who are overwhelmed with tasks: “Got a lot on your plate?”
- If your target customer is a sports fan: “Knock it out of the park!”
- If your customer lacks strategy: “Don’t build the plane while in the air.”
Tip 3: Use humor where appropriate to lighten the tone
Yes, humor makes an impact. It’s why you’ll ignore a grammar book called A Guide to Grammar in favor of Let’s Eat Grandma.
How many times have you walked away from a presentation and only remembered a good joke that got a laugh out of the room? It’s even better when you remember the joke and the main point of that segment.
I’m not saying go out and make fart jokes, unless your target customer is into that. The key to a good joke goes back to what I said in tip 1, know your audience. Actually, that’s the key to anything you write, say, or show.
That’s the Last Takeaway
You can’t use any of these tips if you don’t know the person on the other end. You have to understand and empathize with that person. If not, your conversation tone could offend them, your metaphors could go over their head even if they’re as tall as Shaq, and your jokes will land as smoothly as a shot of cheap whiskey.
These tips will help you write messaging that connects with your target customers. But you don’t have to go at it alone. If you’re ready to get help telling your brand story or developing and implementing a content marketing strategy, contact us today to get started.