Melting Away the Skepticism Armor
Both “Do Not Call” and “CAN–SPAM” legislation were passed in the last five years even while consumer spending and business spending have been healthy and rising… People are spending more, yet they’re less receptive to marketing.
Fair or unfair, you’re not marketing in a vacuum. You don’t get a pass, an unbiased consideration. Instead, you inherit the burden of rightful and self protective skepticism.
How do you melt the shield of skepticism and win the audience of your prospect?
People are receptive to people they Know, Like and Trust. In personal relationships, know and like tend to precede trust. In business relationships, trust often precedes know and like. Each feeds the others.
Let them KNOW you
Naturally, (we think) we know ourselves. When we meet someone who shares many similarities with us, we’re inclined to believe we know them. At the core of this is knowing your clients and prospects and reflecting that in your copy.
Go deeper than demographics. You want to know them emotionally… what are their concerns, their priorities, their values, their flash points; who are their enemies.
Bond with your reader by connecting with their concerns and priorities… by speaking directly to them – one to one – rather than big company to faceless masses.
Are you LIKEable…
Use tone and voice in your copy to be personal, friendly, approachable, sincere, open. Write in conversational language rather than formally.
Can you be TRUSTed…
When you’re face to face the strongest measure of trust is eye to eye contact. Think about that… one person looking directly at one person. Keeping your copy personal and one to one also builds trust.
Additionally…
How credible is your message and your offer? While we’d all love to get something of value for free, we know that doesn’t happen. If you’ve got an outrageous offer, you need to show why and how you can make that kind of offer.
Is there a guarantee? Is your contact information easy to find? Are there testimonials, case studies, 3rd party endorsements, industry group affiliations, data, statistics, industry reports.
All of these elements increase your credibility and trustworthiness.
It’s challenging sitting alone in a room, staring at a blank screen and composing copy that speaks to and connects with future readers. Rather than focusing on you and your company, write as if you’re speaking to a single person on the phone. The more you connect with your reader and develop Know, Like and Trust, the more likely you’ll get BUY rather than BYE.