Making CleanTech Marketing “Pop”
I’ve been helping a friend fine-tune his marketing message for an energy efficiency product he’s selling, and, after giving him a few specific suggestions, I write:
Strategically, this piece is a bit dry. Is there anything you could say that would grasp the reader’s attention without sounding cheesy? Here is a page full of direct mail pieces I wrote in the period between 1982 and 2008 for my large corporate clients in the business-to-business space: IBM, H-P, 3M, FedEx, Philips Electronics, Penske Logistics, 3Com, AT&T, etc. Perhaps they will give you some ideas.
Not to sound immodest, but this stuff worked extremely well, as suggested in these video testimonials.
Of course, three-dimensional direct mail as a tool in business-to-business marketing has gone the way of the horse and buggy, but the concept of grasping the reader by the throat will never change. The concept is this: If you don’t nail the reader and provide him a reason to continue based on what he sees in the first fraction of a second, he’s gone. And, (obviously) if he’s gone, it doesn’t matter what you write from that point forward.
A few years ago, it was fashionable to believe that all this was based in neurophysiology, in particular, that marketing messages need to appeal to a part of our brain called the reticular activating system, as this organ is constantly helping us, at an unconsciously level, select out stimuli in our environment that are important versus those that are useless noise. To me, the ultimate root of all this isn’t relevant, but it most certainly is important to connect with the reader instantly.
TY, Craig,
I often am drawn to correct misperceptions and misguided meanings, and doubt any correction occurs. That’s OK because the reason I have responded at all is an attempt to placate my ego, which is always wrong, and I must forgive myself.. I sometimes see it and delete the comment, but just as often, not…….. I have become aware that each of us has a thought director that employs a higher minded awareness with a more peaceful guide. Just as our more complex, modern, personal computers require an operating system, so does our mind employ an operating system to arrange and select thoughts to use. If I use my ego,(the mind I, myself, made), to choose my thoughts, I will be guided to attack and defend, because the ego, being associated with the body, sees itself as vulnerable and able to be threatened. If I choose my Higher Mind, or the One Mind of Loving Guidance, I am at rest, always peaceful, and invulnerable to any threat. It is only in this mind that engagement with others true reasoning capacity is enabled. I sometimes compare this to a ROM memory, because we cannot change it or overwrite it, but we may, and often do, employ volatile programming to work in its place, which is the ego.
…….I call it Truth or One Mind because it is the same mind in all of us, the same as the mind of Christ, who was able to see beyond the world we see with our body’s eyes to the world of Holy Higher Decisions, which are already made in truth. It sometimes seems to be different because of the level of denying the world of illusion and form is variable, but unreal all the same. Once we open our awareness to this idea we can be aware of an expanded universe of unlimited potential because we must realize we made it up in our own minds. This idea explains the meaning, in new light, of many of the biblical stories of the world being made in seven days, or that God made it at all. Because it is made in our mind.! And only our True Mind can see it again.
….. But this material world of illusion was indeed made (by us) to be a place of separation and loss. We may rise above it if we truly want this, with forgiveness of all the illusions and thoughts of sin, which call only for correction.
Another tenant of truth is that the idea of sin, punishment, or retribution is not of God, but in man’s mistaken making of god in his image instead of seeing himself in Gods… “God” is simply an idea. Accepted into the peaceful mind of Christ’s brothers as they choose to accept it. It sets man apart from lower life forms, and gives him ability to see the world differently, and at peace.
….. When communication is offered on this higher level, it is received, whether acknowledged or not.
Craig,
You are right.
When I was in school, we learned that a news article should begin with the 5 Ws, i.e., who, what, where, when, and why. Too often articles do not and, to find out what the article is about, we have to read almost the entire article which I will not do. The main points should be first and, as one progresses, the background information and minor points should be made. The point of the article MUST be immediately clear for me to read it because I don’t want to waste my time reading most of the article before determining that I’m not interested or that it doesn’t even contain any useful information. That is especially a problem with videos. If I cannot kill the advertisement within a few seconds, I will not watch the video. It is also annoying that videos often begin with a cutsy introduction that provides no information.
Then there are video advertisements for products of questionable value, such as for products that are supposed to cause dramatic improvements in health and longevity. The videos go on and on and on before FINALLY providing any actual information. I have learned never to watch them for more than about five seconds.
Just two brief comments: First I often attempt to build bridges in my conversation and writing. The images of “nailing” readers or “grabbing them by the throat” while it does express a certain force or power it also somehow seems less appealing than explaining what might be lazy reading or attention issues with the nice sounding neurophysiology analysis.
Grabbing the attention can be done in many ways. I wrote a piece about a test drive of an electric car and received the “negative” comment that the piece was very annoying. It seemed that the reader was used to scanning the topic sentences and headlines instead of reading the complete article. However instead of writing the article with such a technical outline I adopted a storytelling format. When I asked for clarification they continued their complaint: “I had to read every word to keep finding out what happened next.” I often find that your writing does the same. I only hope that the compelling article I wrote left at least some of the satisfaction that yours often provide.
Thanks for the insights and kind words. Yes, my metaphors about aggression may not accurately express what I mean. In fact, generally, I do the opposite, trying to dial in and tell my story. You put it nicely above.
Both writing and reading should be an active business. It is “too easy” sit back and hope some magic happens and I give a sigh when I (too often) see that in myself. It takes some attention to put dynamism in writing. Aggression can be one part of the toolkit and images like “nailing” and “grabbing” cab be useful but like a club they can have negative potential if what you are trying to achieve is subtle. “Tuning in” to the reader (or writer) is helpful and you seem to have a gift for this.