Break the 100-year-old habit
There are certain absolutes in communications and marketing. Axioms ... recognised truths.
What are the axioms of marketing? What are the 'recognised truths' of communication?
Here's one; customers must be willing to listen and learn about your product or service.
It sounds so simple. So obvious. But is so often forgotten as the starting point of all communications - marketing or any other. If you start with this axiom, the links in the communication chain will join easily and things make sense. If your thinking doesn't stem from this single axiom, connecting further links is difficult and your communication becomes confusing.
Could you be kidding yourself into believing your marketing is being absorbed by an attentive audience, when in reality no one is listening?
It's not only possible, it's highly likely. And in the future it will just get harder. People are actively seeking to obliterate all sales messages from their lives. They are shutting advertisers out with digital technology (podcasts) and legislation ( Do not call register).
So what's the solution? How can you make your potential customers listen to your message? You can't make people listen ... they have to want to listen.
Old thinking is to simply spend more on advertising. But if people pay less attention to the ads but love the content, what does that tell you as a communicator? It tells you to transform your advertising message into news and information. Go with the flow. Understand that they want to hear about your product or service on their terms.
This is another example of what Image 7 Group calls 'Long-Form Advertising'.
It can be difficult to break the habit of reducing your sales message. For over a century, marketers have been editing down their copy to accommodate the size or duration of their ad.
Turning your advertising messages into longer form stories is not that difficult when you tell your whole story. When you add some of the nuance back into your message that has been progressively stripped away, it's surprising how interesting it can become.
We're not suggesting at Image 7 Group that you dispense with your advertising budget. That would be irresponsible. What we do suggest is that you search for ways to communicate your message in Long-Form Advertising. Stories in the media. Interviews on niche podcasts ... or create your own podcast.
Use communication channels where you can put the nuance back into your message, your product or your service.
When thinking about your marketing and communication strategies, I implore you to look for ways to build on your message in the form of a story.
Think of your product or service as something that takes time to explain and is worthy of someone's attention. Then go tell your story where your audience will listen and learn.
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