One of our local employers was on the front page of the Monadnock Ledger last week regarding a $400,000 settlement with OSHA for worker safety violations. Ouch! They not only have to pay the fines, but they also must take corrective actions & improve the safety of their workplaces for all of their employees. They have agreed to get a full time safety &...
Hype Versus Honesty: And the Winner Is...
Submitted by TWP on Sat 1/15/11 3:48 pm
We all recognize hype: the car that promises to turn you into an Indianapolis 500 driver or an Amazon adventurer; the toothpaste that lures beautiful women and studly men to your door; or the chocolate bar that reduces weight. Hype is all around us and it often works, so it seems like a good choice for any marketing campaign. And that's the problem.
According to hype, every brand in the world is fast, sexy, cheap and state-of-the-art. Therefore, what does it matter ultimately if you buy brand A or brand B?
I started my career as a technical writer and for years thought of marketing writers as "those people," the ones who exaggerated a 10 minute improvement in speed until it became 24 hours or who refused to describe a real breakthrough because it was easier to toss in breathless adjectives. I added marketing writing to my services only when I finally understood that customers are hungry for honest, detailed, objective information--and that I could ignite and keep their interest by providing it.
Your product or service is too complex to describe? I've described industrial welding machines, process control simulators and financial software so that anyone can understand it.
Your product or service is exactly the same as your competitor's? That's true only if you inhabit the same location, with identical hours, identical prices and a staff of clones.
You don't need to depend on hype to differentiate yourself when your customers are hungry for an honest dialog. If you need help, please contact me through my website at www.twriteplus.com.