It's a marketers job to sugar coat the world a bit. Take out some of the starkness and add a little magic. This is exactly what annoys IT folks and realists about marketers. The truth doesn't sell, stories sell.
From time to time people will comment that my personality has spark. And the better I feel about life and the universe, the more apparent the spark.
Sometimes when I write about certain things I love to write about, I can almost feel it through my fingers as I type. When I get too realistic and into the mundane details, it changes the mood entirely.
Seth Godin (his socks tell a story. They are the mental image I have of him in my head. He cannot take himself too seriously because he wears them with his suit!) posted about this finesse, which he calls the placebo effect.
He talks about how you can sell the exact same product for a higher price by raising it's perception, telling a better story. After all, many of our choices are not based on reason, but on emotion.
“Very rarely do vodka marketers tell the truth and say, “here’s our new vodka, which we buy in bulk from the same distillery that produces vodka for $8 a bottle. Ours is going to cost $35 a bottle and come in a really, really nice bottle and our ads will persuade laddies that this will help them in the dating department… nudge, nudge, know what I mean, nudge, nudge…”
Marketing happens in settings you don't think about…like how burning candles and incense can add a mood that helps you feel more spiritual. So you're more likely to feel like your prayers are working.
What's more, he points out – there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. In fact, it's expected, it's imperative.
“It’s all storytelling. It’s all lies.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
In fact, your marketplace insists on it.”
Isn't Godin the one that said it first anyway – that all marketers are liars?
Listen to Godin's book on your iPod or in your car on the way to work: All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World (Unabridged)
Janet,
I just LUV Seth’s SOCKS. LOL It REALLY IS all about emotion,
isn’t it? And Seth Markets it THAT WAY ! It takes a Creative
Individualist to wear those socks and a business suit on top !
Glad you finally got a picture of them ! Yes, when you come right
down to the nitty, It’s ALL about storytelling and the lies that sell
IT. It appeals to the Kid in all of us and I remember those
stories they told me, I always wanted to hear them, cause they
were exciting ! Kind of like Seth and his SOCKS just slightly
covered over by his business suit ! Yes lies, but Exciting and
Excitement sells. Absolutely what people want and there’s
nothing wrong with that, as long as you deliver ! Sort of like
Pimpn. Everybody does IT or wants to, it’s Exciting, but Nobody
wants to call it that ! Let’s face up to it, we’re ALL Pimps in one
way or another so we might as well relax, enjoy the Excitment,
but just make sure we deliver !
Janet,
How refreshing to read an article that dives right in and gets straight to the point. A high volume of marketers use emotive selling to generate sales. Some have the hard luck story, the rags to riches story, and throughout their sales pages, they continually press on our emotions to get the desired call to action – “BUY NOW!”. The storytelling weaves in and out, with suspense and drama, just enough to hold your attention, get your adrenalin pumping and get you to make that all important purchase. When I was searching for a mentor, I persevered until I found one that did not not succumb to these tactics, namely James Brausch. What I like is his direct, up front, honest approach to selling – no bells and whistles – and he is very successful. For example, if you take a look at one of his products sites http://www.FreedomBusinessSystem.com. Not a story in sight, a single page, upfront detail of the product, guarantee etc. Also the site is very easy on the eye as are all of his sites. However, marketers will continue with their storytelling as it works for them and they have excelled at pushing our buttons. My compliments on your site.
Hey Pippi Longstockings,
Why don’t you have a “recent posts” widget in your sidebar?
I set my blog up to serve a feature story and 6 top stories in categories and still I put a recent posts feature in the sidebar – because I am so paranoid about the way a really good post just gets buried due to the chronilogical nature of the blog.
What are your thoughts on this?
My feeling is that the emphasis on the “chronology of sequence” of a date driven blogging format – pushes excellent content into oblivion.
I guess being a “Newspapr Girl” you feel that the freshness of the most recent handful of stories supersede yesterday’s news?
Thanks and great job,
Rick
Mr Butts,
I can see your point. Do you notice when you type a comment that the box is an ugly yellow? That is another fix that I haven’t gotten to. I want to write and the technology gets in the way.
I had a recent posts but my blog was broken when my host upgraded their servers. The only way to get it to work was to turn off all the plugins and try them again one by one. Life sped by and I haven’t finished.
It’s time to revamp my entire blog, both the design and programming. I’m starting a fund.
Janet
You know what’s interesting, I just came across Seth’s book “All Marketers Are Liars” just yesterday. And only yesterday did I start reading Seth’s blog on the subject.
While reading Valeria at ConversationAgent.com, she brought up an excellent point in social media and competition…”he who tells the story best, wins!” Sad, but true!
The better you tell the story, the more likely you are to win the sale over your competition. Then people wonder where/how the “salesy” (yes I know it’s not a word) salesman type is born.