It's a fine line between (some things I've noticed)...

When crafting your marketing message, it's a VERY fine line between...

Enthusiasm + Desperation. When Billy Mays yells at us about Oxyclean, etc., is he "enthusiastic" or desperate?

Authority + (false) Arrogance. When we see messages that begin with, "Everything you've been taught is garbage...", is that borne of true authority or some legitimate revolution/change in the way things are done, or is it just naively ignoring the wisdom of the ages, due to INexperience?

It's up to the receiver of our message to decide that, of course. But perception equals reality -- and I think keeping the above 'fine lines' in mind is advisable.

The more I see mrktng messages (+ maybe I'm just getting older, so I've seen more of them + I am now "immunized"), the more it may be that people do NOT want marketers to be GENUINE after all. Maybe it IS better to be GUARDED and MEASURED when crafting mrktng messages. Maybe being REAL = being amateurish.

If you truly want to be helpful to others, maybe 'just showing/demonstrating that' drives your intended audience in the OPPOSITE direction.

Maybe that approach is too intimate. Too direct. Too obvious. Too sincere(?!?).

MAYBE some who seek help DON'T really want help after all -- and the more we try to help, the more they run the other way.

Analogy: What's your response to someone who openly demonstrates they want to be friends with you?

Just some thoughts that have been percolating in my mind recently.

I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

-- TW

Originally Posted by -TW

When crafting your marketing message, it's a VERY fine line between...

Enthusiasm + Desperation.

I think the line is broad rather than fine. I find it very easy to distinguish between the two presentations.

Originally Posted by -TW

When Billy Mays yells at us about Oxyclean, etc., is he "enthusiastic" or desperate?

He's enthusiastic because he has a good product. My wife switched to it and loves it.

Originally Posted by -TW

Authority + (false) Arrogance.

False Arrogance? Arrogance is defined as "unwarranted pride". Arrogance is what an ignorant audience accuses you of having.

Originally Posted by -TW

When we see messages that begin with, "Everything you've been taught is garbage...", is that borne of true authority or some legitimate revolution/change in the way things are done, or is it just naively ignoring the wisdom of the ages, due to INexperience?

As an authority, I've made the statement that "Everything you've been taught is garbage..." many times. I've gone out of my way to try and correct situations where someone is following what he was taught, and following it straight into disaster. It does no good. You can't teach what won't be learned. Ones who have accepted that maybe they have been doing something wrong, and ask for advice, those can be taught. It's not black and white though. Some who ask for advice really want something done for them, rather than having to take the trouble to learn.

Originally Posted by -TW

It's up to the receiver of our message to decide that, of course. But perception equals reality -- and I think keeping the above 'fine lines' in mind is advisable.

I don't think perception comes even close to equalling reality. But that's just the way I see it.

Originally Posted by -TW

The more I see mrktng messages (+ maybe I'm just getting older, so I've seen more of them + I am now "immunized"), the more it may be that people do NOT want marketers to be GENUINE after all. Maybe it IS better to be GUARDED and MEASURED when crafting mrktng messages. Maybe being REAL = being amateurish.

I forget where I saw it, but some guy reported that back of the room sales at a seminar were strongest for the "quick and easy" type stuff. The guys trying to sell the truth didn't do so well.

Originally Posted by -TW

If you truly want to be helpful to others, maybe 'just showing/demonstrating that' drives your intended audience in the OPPOSITE direction.

Someone who says he "truly wants to be helpful", as his sole motivation, lights up my BS detector big time. "I just want to give back to the community", or "I had such a hard time, I don't want you to suffer the same way", are giant red flags for me. I call BS. The guy that truly just wants to help is out there helping and has nothing to say about it.

Originally Posted by -TW

Maybe that approach is too intimate. Too direct. Too obvious. Too sincere(?!?).

That approach is frustrating for the giver, and BS to the other guy.

Originally Posted by -TW

MAYBE some who seek help DON'T really want help after all -- and the more we try to help, the more they run the other way.

They want it done for them. Do it for them and they won't run away.

Originally Posted by -TW

Analogy: What's your response to someone who openly demonstrates they want to be friends with you?

Somebody that wants to be a friend is not coming along telling me I'm doing something wrong. A person that wants to be a friend helps with no comments and expects nothing in return. I welcome such people, rare as they are, and make an effort to return in kind.

Originally Posted by -TW

Just some thoughts that have been percolating in my mind recently.

I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

That's my perception, which of course equals reality and you should immediately begin thinking exactly the way I do.

"It's a joke, son." ...Foghorn

Well, I think a lot depends upon what has gone before, if there's a relationship there between us, or if the person is known for their excitedness and enthusiasm, I might forgive a bit of excess but I wouldn't depend upon that happening too often. I'd probably just unsubscribe and/or walk away.

As for the friendship offer, if we 'know' each other enough to make such an overture, sure (assuming I like the other person at that point and haven't heard any off-putting news about them). If there is no such background, it would put me on alert as to 'what do they really want from me' kind of alert. I enjoy having good friends but I detest those who profer friendship for what they think they can get out of you. Hustling is for the hustlers, not for friends and those I wish to establish a business relationship with.

The garbage thing, well, I distrust anyone who comes across saying something so broad, sweeping and generalized. I may read on but it will be with a skeptical stance and probably will not continue for long unless they have some pretty substantial reasoning and back up.

There is a very fine line between truly heartfelt stance and rabble rousing. Sometimes one has a tough time staying on the rational side if one feels strongly about an issue. That I can forgive, usually. What I have trouble forgiving is the 'anything to get a rise out of people' baloney. Life's too short to put up with the latter so I eliminate them from my life AMAP.

Sandi Bowman

Thanks for the response Sandi.

Just for the record, the part about friendship was an analogy to try to portray the feeling(s) some of these marketing approaches bring up in the marketEE -- not a comment directly about friendship.

Originally Posted by Sandi Bowman

As for the friendship offer, if we 'know' each other enough to make such an overture, sure (assuming I like the other person at that point and haven't heard any off-putting news about them). If there is no such background, it would put me on alert as to 'what do they really want from me' kind of alert. I enjoy having good friends but I detest those who profer friendship for what they think they can get out of you.

The most unique thing about any product or service isn't so much the product or service itself... it's the person delivering it that completes the equation. I did a radio interview last week where people called in and asked questions just like the one you just asked here... and that's what exactly what we got into.

In life, we have our own unique styles of "selling ourselves" and connecting with other people. When you create a sales letter for the first time, however, the result can often seem "artificial" and insincere.

The short answer is; you have to find "your voice" in sales print the way a writer finds his "voice" in writing a novel or how-to publication.

When you can sit back and look at what you've written (be it a marketing piece, how-to product, story, etc.) and you can - see yourself in it, that's the real you. That's the genuine YOU. Some are very straight forward. Others laid back. Some are scientific. Other's - folksy.

Now for the bad news....

Some people are still going to think you're a lying, two-bit #@!!%. Some will still think you're not being sincere. As soon as that no longer bothers you, you're halfway home.

Ride the fence and try to be too many things to too many people and you wind up becoming very little to crowd's of people.

Just know your subject well and allow your marketing message to evolve into a natural extension of yourself. This takes a little time and a little practice but it's well worth it in the end.

One of the best marketing books I've ever read is "You Are The Message", by Roger Ailes. Ailes started Fox News from scratch after CNN had a 15-year headstart in cable news, and he left CNN in the dust. The subtitle was something like, "How to get what you want by being who you are."

Wonderful stories. Great book. A great reminder that people either buy or do not buy YOU. It's not about a product.

Richard Dennis