When I get an e-mail, request, invitation, social media inquiry, or a host of other things, what causes me to simply hit the DELETE key rather than reading on? There are THREE MAIN REASONS I find in talking to most people as well as my own actions…I think you will be able to relate to one or more of these yourself.
It isn’t always about the catchy headline…I can get past that in less than a second and hit delete. It also doesn’t matter if it is some freebie giveaway of something else I don’t need…I can get past that in maybe 2 seconds and hit delete. There is more to this than meets the eye and there are some very specific reasons that cause me to READ ON and see what it is you have to say…
- TIME…I READ ON when you either save me or not waste my most valuable asset today…TIME (over 70% according to a recent Forrester Research report). When I read/see something I immediately ask myself the question, “Is this going to help ‘save’ me time or help me ‘make the most’ out of the time I have?” If the answer that immediately hits my brain is yes or maybe, I continue and READ ON to see more about this information or invite or whatever the offer is about. This is my first and most important decision point.
For example, when thousands of people were tested on where their eyes go when they see something on YouTube, their eyes went immediately to the TIMER, not titles or summaries or comments. And the majority of people will not click play if it shows more than 3 minutes…they might go to 5 minutes if they are really interested in the video. It is the first thing they check out to see if they are going to watch it right now. If it’s too long, they say they will “come back later” and watch it…which is another way of saying I won’t be back because I will forget or be distracted by the other thousand messages that have been put in front of me after I leave this page.
Everyone wants a piece of your time. But unless you feel there is some return to you by using up your most valuable asset, you hit DELETE and move on.
- RELEVANCE…My second most important criteria is whether this is something that will HELP ME in some way or IMPROVE MY LIFE. Is it relevant enough to do one of these two things? If not, I hit delete. If it is something I am interested in and believe I will be “better off for reading/watching/listening to it” then I READ ON. You can tell me all you want about it and how important it is but if I don’t feel a direct benefit to me, I’m out.
This is where a “content management” strategy is vital today…giving your specific audience the relevant content that will improve their life or business. But not just content by category…but “personalized content” so I feel like you are talking directly to me. Here’s an easy way to think about content that will always keep you on track. Pretend you are at a party and you meet a group of people who you learn some things about and understand some of their interests and needs. After you learned about these, would you then start talking about something entirely irrelevant to them? If you did, they would immediately leave the conversation and head to the food line.
But if you started offering them some insights and new thinking in the areas they just brought up to you that were of interest to them, they would skip the food altogether and stay glued to what you were saying. This is relevance. This is how you capture the attention and create value with your audience using content. This is one area most people in marketing don’t understand…it isn’t a “spray and pray” technique…it is personalized help for your selected audience.
- RECOMMENDATION…This has become the most powerful means by which we do filtering after I have made it past #1 an #2 above…does someone I TRUST recommend this or not. If not, there is a high likelihood I will hit DELETE. But if one of my friends, connections, or colleagues recommends this to me, I most likely will READ ON.
This is one of the most valuable reasons you want your trusted audience to “share your insights and content” with others…it is TRUSTED CONTENT. If someone is taking the time to share something with me, I am going to check it out…almost regardless of what it is about…because it came recommended from a trusted source.
This is one of the primary reasons why you want to specifically identify your ideal Personas as an audience so you can share relevant information with them. When they find it of value, they will gladly share it with others “just like them” who are also in the target persona audience…creating a broader audience of your ideal personas. This is also why you don’t market or communicate with anyone who will listen…you don’t want more of an audience you aren’t specifically focusing on because they will bring others who you don’t focus on and they will be disappointed.
If you focus on these three areas, you can’t go wrong. Your audience will give you high percentages of both reading and sharing…they will READ ON. When you have a plan to address these areas, you are well on your way to creating massive WORD-OF-MOUTH and ADVOCACY from the right audience. Not only will they not hit delete, they will take the time to read, comment, and share. You have “earned their permission” and they are going to reward you by connecting you to others you want to reach. This is one great step towards “getting your customers/audience to do your marketing for you.”
