With the volume of information available today, your message can get lost in the shuffle. Follow these tips to grab the attention – and keep it.
Read this! Listen to this podcast! Watch this cool video! Click on this link! Tweet this. Friend this person (yes, “friend” is now a verb)! Buy this from me!
Ugh, it never seems to stop. We are inundated with messages, all trying to get our attention. All of these wonderful marketers (okay, I’m being generous) are vying to get our attention and get us involved with them, their products and services. Sometimes you just want to turn off the TV, the radio, unplug from the Internet (well, at least for a moment) and get away from it all.
Maybe you can’t relate to this, but I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed in this age of constant information. I want to stay on top of what’s happening, but no matter how fast I read, how many podcasts I listen to or how many hours I spend on social media sites, it never seems to end. Welcome to the 21st Century.
Sometimes I think I’d like to just leave it all. However, that belief is quickly dispelled when I realize I need to stay current with what is happening. And besides that, I really enjoy reading, listening, watching and consuming information.
So, what can you do for your business to get attention when so much is being thrown at us? How can you stand out from the crowd with your message? Here are some steps that can help as you deal with the overwhelming amount of “stuff” around us.
Accept fragmentation. By this, I mean that the world is big with many people of varying interests. Not everyone is going to be interested in what you’ve got to say. Of course we know this intellectually, but we need to accept it emotionally when people reject our message. Don’t worry about those who dismiss your message. There are others who will be interested. I find that successful salespeople are those who can quickly shrug off rejection and the endless stream of “NO!” from prospects, and just keep going. This mindset is critical to facing whatever challenges you encounter in your business.
Think focus and specificity. Being general doesn’t cut it. Find a specific product or message that is desired by others, and focus on that. You can’t be everything to everyone. Bill Cosby said it best: “I don’t know the secret to success, but the way to failure is to try and be everything to everybody.” How true.
Be relevant. Your message has to be something that pertains to a strong segment of the market. Don’t market water skis in Northern Alaska during the winter. Sure, this sounds obvious, but I’m continually amazed at people marketing their products to people that are nowhere near their target audience. Find where people are hurting and offer the “aspirin” to alleviate that pain.
Be consistent. Your message becomes part of your brand. You need a continual presence so it communicates reliability. If a magazine only came out sporadically, it would not be dependable. You communicate reliability on a subconscious level when you are consistent.
Use humor appropriately. We all love to laugh. Humor is powerful, but be careful not to offend, and don’t force it. Let humor be natural when you communicate.
Now, once you’ve got their attention, you need to deliver the results they are looking for or you will lose their attention for good. Provide value to others, and you’ll get the kind of attention that you need in business. You will be able to reach others and keep your business profitable. And after all, having a profitable business is another good way to get attention in this age of overwhelming information.
