In the first installment, you learned about three marketing tactics worth testing in your market, if you’re not already. In true Zeigarnik Effect fashion, I kept you guessing until this post, where we detail the final four of our ‘Marketing Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know.’
To recap, the first three secrets are:
- The Zeigarnik Effect
- Exclusivity
- Social Proof
With that, let’s move on…
4. Scarcity
Two things cause us to act. The first is to gain something we want. The second is triggered by the fear of losing something we have. Scarcity actually plays on both.
We’re more likely to take action to prevent from losing something we already have than we are expected to take action to gain something we do not yet have. In this case, we’re typically referring to access; or the ability to own something. Threaten to yank that ability away, and a quiet audience can turn into an angry mob.
Stack onto this the idea that what you’re about to take away is what your audience has been clamoring for in one fell swoop using scarcity.
Keep in mind that false scarcity is easy to spot and can kill an offer, so only call upon the scarcity angle if they’re only really are 100 more, or the offer ends this weekend, etc.
Just remember that we always want what we can’t have.
5. Short, pithy, concise, easy to read
Less is more.
Really.
Everyone gets too much email.
Has too many choices.
You get the idea.
6. Hypercharge Your Verbs
Another challenge of communicating to folks who live in the post-Internet world is that they’ve seen it all before, they’re not easily impressed, and that makes standing out all the more difficult.
The macro concept that I’m not going to dive into in this post is that storytelling matters (but you should already know this.) If you’re stammering around in search of the single tactic that will make your narrative more engaging, it may just be to hypercharge your verbs.
Novices often fall prey to laziness, piling on adjectives and repeating boring verbs, so don’t be that guy. Try stripping your writing of adjectives, focusing on verbs to deliver the grit and gusto.
To illustrate, take the statement, “He walked down the street.” Now substitute “walk” with “scrambled” or “bolted” or “stammered” and the imagery of the narrative shifts.
7. Speak Directly To Them
“Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language” — Dale Carnegie
You’ve tirelessly researched to know the perfect demographics and preferences of your buyer persona, so now it’s time to speak directly to her!
Speak to one person – define that person, even give him or her a name, and at every marketing touchpoint address this person directly and specifically. Now, imagine how she would respond and react to each touch. We’ll call our imaginary prospect, Nancy.
A step in gaining Nancy’s trust is by accurately describing her pain points. She feels you “get” her, which is powerful, but just a start.
Now talk to Nancy’s hopes, fears, and ambitions, the things that matter, and play off of her sensibilities.
Clinical, corporate speak is detrimental, not just because it’s bland and tedious by nature, but because it doesn’t actually appeal to anyone… and indeed not Nancy! However, everybody has casual conversations with their closest friends. So draw Nancy in by having a casual – and personal – exchange with her.
Personal communications tend to be informal, so if you can slide into that segment of your customer’s brain, all while using some of the other six techniques I’ve covered; you’ll be on your way to becoming a memorable personality and endearing brand that stands out from all of the noise.