The 7 Deadly Sins of Digital Marketing pt. 7

Welcome to the last installment of the ‘7 Deadly Sins of Digital Marketing’ series. If you haven’t read the first article, click here to check it out.

Each day, we covered one of the ‘7 Deadly Sins’ or marketing ‘traps’ that we all fall into when we’re first starting out (and what to do instead.) I’ve been revealing some of my biggest mistakes and blunders (not to make this series ALL ABOUT ME — but because I don’t want to be picking on anyone) and showcasing some really great examples of what to do instead.

Just a reminder — There will be a fun word and celebrity doppelganger to make these easy to remember.

Here we go…

DEADLY SIN #7 — Your marketing includes too many clichés.

[And if this is you… I feel your pain. This is literally me, right now.]

Your celebrity doppelganger would be Robert Downey Jr. (not because he is a cliché…because of his famous eye-roll GIF.)

Let’s see this in action, shall we?

My current Facebook Business Page Header

Geez Louise! How many clichés can I fit in a single header image?

• Are you growing your business ‘backwards?’
• ‘Cookie Cutter’ courses?
• Market Smarter (Not Harder)?
• ‘Real Results in this Digital World?’

I want to roll my eyes at myself right now! [Bad Melissa! Bad!]

Here’s the problem with clichés:

1. Your marketing messages sound JUST. LIKE. EVERYBODY. ELSE. — Whereas ‘clever’ includes words and phrases that make sense only to you, clichés are words and phrases that we’ve all heard a million times and we’re pretty much “over them” before they even become over-used. We start to tune them out (after rolling our eyes.)
2. You sound like a used car salesman — People are getting smarter. We’re getting bombarded with information and advertising 24/7. People don’t like to be sold to and they can smell a sale a mile away. If you don’t want to sound ‘salesy,’ you’ve got to use clichés VERY sparingly [and limit to only ONE, used one time…]

Instead, you want to use clear and concise language that your clients and prospects would ACTUALLY use to describe their challenges (i.e., what they’re struggling with), and what they want (i.e., the results and outcomes you provide.)

BONUS SIN #7B — You focus on features and not benefits, which makes your products and services look ‘CHEAP.’

I always thought talking about ‘features’ over ‘benefits’ was just a rookie mistake, but it turns out that this is a DEADLY SIN when it comes to selling high-ticket packages. This example comes from Nick Stephenson, who teaches writers and Authorpreneurs to get their first 10,000 readers and build profitable businesses from their books.

IKEA tells you all about the features of their affordably-priced wares

Notice how IKEA tells you all about the features of their affordably-priced merchandise. They give you all the details — from the dimensions, to the fabric content, weight, and even the fact that the cover can be removed to be machine-washed.

Expensive sofa ad with no mention of features

Notice how this more high-end furniture advertisement includes NO mention of features, whatsoever. The positioning is all ‘aspirational’ and emotional. It’s about standing out and making an impression (like a badass who can afford this super-expensive purple sofa-esque piece of furniture.) It’s also about social status. [standing out and making an impression like a badass that gets what she wants.]

So, unless you want to be the IKEA catalog of your industry, focus on BENEFITS and RESULTS — the outcomes your clients and prospects can expect as a result of working with you (and not the features).

So, now it’s your turn.

Does your marketing make you sound like everybody else?

Do you sound like a used car salesman when talking about what you do and who you help?

Do you focus too much on features (# of sessions, support in-between, etc.) when talking about your products and services?

Or does your marketing make you look and sound cliché or CHEAP?

[I know I’ve got some serious work to do this week. How about you?]

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series of articles on the ‘7 Deadly Sins of Digital Marketing.’ I certainly enjoyed writing them.

And, if you’d like some avoiding all these mistakes with your copy and messaging, join my FREE KILLER COPY Challenge. I’m teaching all of my copy hacks so you’ll never have to stare at a blank screen ever again…

The challenge started today, but it’s not too late to join. Visit http://bit.ly/KillerCOPYchallenge to get in on the fun.