From SEO guru Neil Patel to Forbes, the Internet is a fantastic place for gathering tips and insights to enhance your marketing and copywriting strategies. However, for every good piece of advice you come across, there are also detrimental ones lurking around. And no, we don’t mean the absolutely ridiculous tips like “you don’t need a content marketing strategy” or “clicks are all that matter” – we mean the “tips and tricks” that may seem useful at first glance, but are worthless in practice. For the unwary, these bad techniques may not have immediately apparent negative effects, but using them can (and often will) weaken the credibility and persuasiveness of your writing!
Weeding out the bad
To help us better understand how problematic strategies could affect our businesses and strategies, Lisa Collum – an Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor – has identified three common bad practices.
1. Displaying revenue screenshots
Some people have a natural tendency to show off, be it the affluent celebrity with their new sports cars and handbags or the small-time Instagrammer waving around a wad of cash. It’s no different in business – investment wizzes typically flex by bragging about their winnings, real estate moguls will demonstrate how their properties have skyrocketed in value and even scummy door-to-door salespeople will express how they have tripled their net worth with their network marketing schemes.
“There’s no doubt that consumers are drawn to seeing sales and big numbers,” explains Collum, “but it’s a toxic marketing strategy – it may generate sales in the short-term, but it repels high-end clients and more potential customers in the long-term.” The promise of riches, however alluring and glamorous the amounts are, feels trashy when you’re at the receiving end of the bragging. “The consumers who buy based on what they see in revenue screenshots tend to be in a challenging financial position and need to generate income quickly.” Like a drug dealer dangling a short-term solution in front of their desperate clientele, these quick fixes only drag the user deeper into their holes. “[These customers] aren’t in the place to focus on what it takes to do the work that increases revenue, and they end up disappointed when they buy as a result of flashy marketing,” Collum points out.
Instead of pushing your sales figures, consider what some of the world’s top businesses do. Neither Apple, Disney nor McDonald’s feel the need to do that – and whether you like the brands or not, at least they have the humility to not publicly brag about revenue in their marketing campaigns. “The results that your customers experience are a better way to market your business. Publish solid content and you can nurture cold prospects.” Are all client testimonials equally valid and applicable then?
2. Sharing client wins with no attribution
Client testimonials are great because they give your brand authenticity (assuming they are from real customers). However, just who exactly are these customers? “In a guru marketing world, the consumer is sceptical,” writes Collum. Unless the customer you are quoting wishes to remain anonymous, it’s a good idea to give a “shout-out” to those who appreciate your services. Provided you’ve done a good job, the people you worked for will not only vouch for your results, you’ll also be giving them free advertising. It’s a win-win as long as they’ve given you permission!
3. Marketing results from years ago
Success stories, positive research findings and effective philosophies – brands love to share these and consumers enjoy reading about them, but as great as they are, their relevance to today trumps the content itself. For example, a success story of a company from 1985 may have been a good read at the time, but when the company has been merged and acquired countless times in the decades since, the company’s original identity may have changed or even been lost. What good is the 1985 success story if it’s no longer applicable today?
“Growth-focused entrepreneurs stay at the forefront of their industries. They don’t get a result and market those wins for years without working on getting more results. It’s acceptable to market the results you’ve obtained in the past, but ask yourself if you continue to do the work that helps you grow.”
Old results are not only irrelevant, they also dissuade potential customers from trusting you. “Why should I care about something you did 50 years ago? I want to know more about who you are now,” demands the everyday consumer. In situations where you don’t have any good recent results or findings to share, remember that you aren’t obligated to share anything (unless it’s through a financial or annual report). It’s better to not have anything than it is to share outdated information!
Sowing the seeds of change
With the weeds out of the way, let’s focus on effective techniques for captivating audiences. For that, we turn to David Walter (another Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor), who compares persuasive marketing and prospecting strategies to the conniving trickery used by the Devil in the comic book series/film Ghost Rider.
1. Understand prospects are short-sighted
In the story, motorcycle stunt driver Johnny Blaze offered his soul to the Devil in exchange for the recovery of his ailing father, but Johnny did not consider the consequences of his deal… As a result, he was forcibly transformed into the Devil’s “spirit of vengeance” – a chain and hell fire wielding biker revenant. What does a comic have to do with real life marketing? Walter’s point here is that people often have a very narrow field of view, some have blinders on so tight that it only permits them to see the immediate future. Knowing this short-sightedness, it’s a good idea to spend the majority of your efforts focusing on how you or your business can help with your audience’s current problems.
2. Always talk about future change
This point may seem contradictory to the previous one. If someone is already so preoccupied by the present, how can you possibly help them plan for the future? “It might seem difficult talking about a change in the future …, but it’s actually very easy to do,” writes Walter. “If change is going to happen in the future, then it needs to be planned. For it to be planned, executives (or your customers) would have to talk about this possible change now.”
Although Walter’s article focuses on prospecting, his suggestions are also applicable to marketing. The quickest and most direct way to figure out your audiences’ problems (and whether or not you have the power to change anything) is to talk to them. Approach a few of your consumers for questions or set up a focus group. It’s a bit of a hassle, but knowing precisely what troubles them grants important insight towards how you could potentially foster positive change in the future. Furthermore, this simple act helps audiences to realise that they need to look beyond their immediate situation – even if they only make minor alterations to their current lifestyle or habit, things can improve in the long run.
3. The devil is really in the details
When the Devil healed Johnny Blaze’s father, he kept his side of the bargain. What he didn’t mention was that Johnny’s father was still going to die because of a stunt accident. When Johnny confronted the Devil about it, the Devil simply shrugged and said that it wasn’t a part of the deal.
We’re not saying that you should hold out on details or intentionally mislead your audience, but you need to be upfront and consider your strategy’s effects from multiple angles. With your audience focused on the short-term, it’s up to you to help them see the bigger picture and motivate change.
Let’s say that you work for an NGO and you are trying to promote a new financing plan to help individuals and households struggling with low incomes because of COVID. After talking with a focus group, you’ve found that some of these people may be desperate and have already gathered large debts from borrowing, so it’s very likely that they have a bleak vision of the future. In a short blurb promoting the scheme, let’s see how we can offer to help.
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We could start with something like “COVID has caused insurmountable challenges, and for many families and households, it has also brought financial despair” – while this approach helps explain the situation for people who are unaware of the scheme, it is redundant news for our target audience. Furthermore, empathy can be misconstrued as pity, and for these families, some may also feel it to be condescending towards them. We feel it’s better to get straight to the point and explain how we can help, then show how our services offer a short-term fix that can lead to a long-term benefit.
It’s a good idea to take recommendations from Internet “experts” with a grain of salt. While it may not be the writers’ intent to spread bad suggestions, not everything should be trusted at first glance. Focus on being persuasive and be as devilishly detailed as you can – your audiences will appreciate the effort!