OPTIMIZING YOUR IMPACT: The $65,000 Marketing Camouflage Program

Optimizing Your Impact with Jeff Schomay

I was going to call this article “The Benefits of Formulating Your Message to Differentiate Your Company and Increase Your Sales,” but that sounds rather flat and boring, doesn’t it? I think this is better. And it illustrates a point. Read on.

Boring things suck. People avoid them. How do you make your Company/ Product/ Message/ Etc. not boring? Fancy-pants (misguided) marketing doesn’t always work. But I suggest two qualities that do:

1. It’s got to resonate
2. It’s got to push the envelope

Does your material do that? Accomplish just those two qualities and I believe people will listen closer, take more action, and maybe even spread the word. Let’s take a closer look.

It’s got to resonate – Speak to their heart!

This is simple human psychology. We fear what we don’t know or understand, while we cling to that which is familiar. But more than that, when something resonates with us we identify with it, internalize it, and even root for it. We’ve been there before and feel a connection to it. Or we are there now and are feeling it right now, so we make even stronger emotional connection to it.
In film, the screenwriter must make certain to include a scene near the beginning of the movie to make the audience sympathize (care about) but also empathize (identify with) the main character so they are rooting for him or her. If that connection fails to be created the whole movie falls flat because there is no point – the audience isn’t involved and doesn’t care! Same with marketing.

But it’s stronger than that. You’ve got to speak to the heart. Don’t you know that all decisions are ultimately made from the heart? Logic sets up the parameters, but emotion accepts or rejects. If you can touch someone, you’ve won them over, and they’ll be your biggest fan, customer, walking advertisement, and support. Don’t neglect this connection.

So how do you make your material “resonate?”

I’d say the first step is it has to resonate with you. It has to excite you so much you shiver when you think about it. Why are you selling this? Why are you trying to get other people to use it? You must firmly believe there is a value that your customer truly needs and you want to supply it. (If you don’t, either think long and hard about it until you figure it out, or drop it and find something that matters – everyone will be better off).

The next thing to do is you’ve got to approach it from the other fella’s shoes. What are they feeling right now? What are they dealing with? How is it affecting them? Can you relate? Approach them from that angle and you’ve got a good start. But remember, this is very serious in their mind, and you’ve got to be offering from your own heart to touch theirs.

It’s got to push the envelope – Give it edge!

Boring things suck, remember? We’ve got a world filled with mediocre people doing mediocre things in mediocre ways. People are afraid to stand out. We’re conditioned to be conservative and follow the status quo. Boring! The only way to stand out is to actually stand out. And it’s not hard to do - there’s only one way to do what you’re doing in the way you’re doing it. So own it. Make it yours. Embrace it. People will notice. Push it as far as you can!

How far is too far?

This is an interesting question that everyone faces either consciously or unconsciously, and usually results in pulling back, then they wonder why no one’s paying attention anymore. I’d say there are two “rules” to follow – don’t be insulting or destructive, and do be accurate and sincere.

I had a client once who had a very niche product for a very niche target market, divided into two extremes. They had a cool, edgy product, but the problem was they were concerned about alienating, or even angering or upsetting one side of their target market. They had a solution – marketing camouflage. They made their product more conservative so it would appeal to both sides. But, guess what… it lost its edge, which was really what made it special in the first place, and both sides lost interest.

I had a different solution. First we identified their fear. Then we dove into their original inspiration and vision. Why did they make the product in the first place, and what about it made them so impassioned that they wanted to sell it to the world? In a world that has so many things available, how was their product filling a void that wasn’t being filled by anything else? Now, take that and run with it, because that is your product’s raison d’etre. Don’t play it down, play it up! And guess what… both sides of their market started paying attention again – maybe the “edge” resonated with something in them…

Examples of these principles in action

There is a super-popular video on YouTube that millions are watching that is nothing more than a guy dancing like crazy in different parts of the world. Maybe you’ve seen it? (Where the hell is Matt?) Why is it so popular? It’s kind of silly and (forgive me) stupid, but there’s something about it that is compelling apparently. Why? Here’s my suggestion. Is it edgy/unique? You bet! And maybe something in his freeness of expression and how much fun he is having resonates with us and we can’t get enough. What do you think?

Another example – I recently learned of a book titled, “It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys.” Read that title again. Interesting isn’t it? It could be called “Live Better by Getting Organized” or something similar, but that would be boring, conservative, and camouflaged, and probably wouldn’t sell. The title the author chose is great because, for one, it stands out and goes way beyond a functional level, and two, because I think it’s something people really resonate with. I’ve lost my keys and couldn’t do what I needed to do. You probably have too. It’s a bummer. So this speaks to our hearts. Maybe you even identify with it and would consider looking closer or even buying it (and you can if you choose to: It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys). People care about making a difference. Being organized is boring and annoying. The author understood this and capitalized on it.

Can you think of other examples? Hopefully your own product or service or message is a shinning example now! Make it resonate. Push the envelope. Sell well.
(Feel free to give your example in the comments section.)

Good luck and Good Marketing.

Jeff Schomay

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Written by Jeff Schomay
Inspire Your Buyer - Branding and Marketing
Maximize Your Impact. Get Better Results.
www.Inspire-Your-Buyer.com
jeff@inspire-your-buyer.com
(c) 2009
Jeff Schomay is an expert brander/ marketer, and a professional film writer/ director.

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OPTIMIZING YOUR IMPACT: The $65,000 Marketing Camouflage Program