Here's a very powerful marketing strategy for every small business owner that has ever wanted to "force" his clientele to identify with him.
You realize by now the popularity and effectiveness of including stories in your ads.
Human stories, that is, where the personal emotions of pain, hurt, love, greed, jealousy, sorrow, joy, etc are particularly strong and aroused in the customer.
Gripping stories tend to break down barriers, engage customers, and humanize the sometimes sterile world of Internet business.
A great, believable story will grab an unsuspecting prospect and lead him toward an action step that you have designed if you have been engaging enough and haven't lost the prospect to boredom or mediocrity!
Stories shared in advertising need not focus on positive product or service outcomes exclusively!
In fact, some of the very most successful ads include user stories about how they failed at first, but then overcame all the obstacles in their path to go on to great success.
Yes, it is natural to want to hide our failures, to sweep them under the rug never to be exposed to the light of day again.
The tendency of us all is to highlight our strengths and minimize or downplay our weaknesses and failures.
But often we want to be seen as "human," as a real person that has ups and downs just like each one of our prospects.
Believe it or not, most customers like business people that are honest and not afraid to share their experiences - both the good and the bad.
Customers enjoy seeing a "guru" bear his soul to let you know exactly what he was feeling.
Prospects identify with others that they know have had similar experiences to their own.
They are leary of owners that hide the truth or never make mistakes because they know that everyone fails at some point and to appear as perfect is just not reality.
Don't be afraid to include your failures. But of course, you must also include the "key" to turning that failure into a success.
It's not enough to just show what when wrong.
You must also take the time to explain "what you should have done."
Your message will be seen as having great value if you show a customer how to avoid making the same mistakes you did. Otherwise (without the upside being revealed), your mistake is simply that . . . nothing to learn from . . . just something you did and regretted.
