Getting People to Care

You probably will agree with me that getting the word out about an initiative, an event, a program, a product has gotten much easier. Look at the array of media available to the average person. You can tweet an event, do a press release about it, tweet the release, list it on LinkedIn, push emails out to lists, put a big banner on the front of the building, list it on your optimized Web page, etc.

You get the point. In fact, that's exactly what is happening at the moment. Take the same message, tweak number of words, if you're good you're adapting it slightly to the medium -- let's face it. you know about this stuff often at the last minute, hit send and wait by the phone.

Guess what? Everyone else is doing the same exact thing. What's the result? I'll leave that to you to fill in.

How do you get people to care?

• do you do it with more functionality?

Product or service enhancement, maybe? It depends on how it's done. Your sneezers may not care so much about it when it's a tweak -- and they'd be the ones to buy them first and spread the word. People might care if you had a product roadmap, a vision of where you're going. This is a journey they's want to take with you.

• do people pay attention to "new and improved" messaging?

It all depends on the execution, doesn't it? If you simply stick a new label on the old box, or just redesign the package/solution without appreciable differences in the use or delivery, well, you know how it is. They might however believe you if they were the ones contributing to the labels in the first place and this was your way of running the business.

• is it location, location, location?

The all popular check-ins may in fact be the most appealing point-of-sale opportunities. If you're local to the place. The check-in is much more about who you are than where you are. It could be much more, giving people the opportunity to connect with the businesses they're looking for -- not just advertise against search.

• is it the brand awareness thing?

We said a couple of days ago that when you have no awareness, you don't command premium prices over your competitors and often not even consideration. However, a brand earns the opportunity to have relationships with people after it means something to them. 

• is it a values conversation?

Start with why. People don't buy what you make, they buy why you do it. The goal is not to do business with everyone who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe. Answer the why question. What you do serves as the proof of that -- watch the TED video linked here [18:05"] and get more of this point, it's important.

Belief is a powerful thing, a magnet that attracts attention and unleashes passion. It demonstrates you care and engages others to caring in turn. Engagement and trust happen when people do something for themselves. Are you answering the why question? That's how you get people to care.

© 2010 Valeria Maltoni. All rights reserved.

Comments

[Louis Gray]

"Your sneezers may not care so much about it when it's a tweak"?

Are we selling Kleenex now?

[Melody]

That was a great video. I was sold with his simple phrase, "Dr. King delivered the 'I have a dream speech', not the 'I have a plan speech'." It would be great to understand also, though, not just how companies are passionate and get their employees to pour their heart into their work, but also how that deteriorates with the size of the corporation.
It's like as if passion is best transferred and inspired at the small scale. Me talking to you. If you think about it, traditional advertising is the opposite: It's the corporation talking AT people. Nothing happens until people are talking WITH each other. I have no idea what I am rambling about and I seem to be randomly capitalizing prepositions, but just wanted to say I enjoyed this one.

[Diego]

I liked this post Valeria, there are some very interesting observations that can applied to many situations. Thanks.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Louis - that's from Seth Godin's the Ideavirus. It means people who spread the word. And you do get the word out.

@Melody - he is a terrific presenter, isn't he? Very engaging. Deterioration comes from detachment from the accomplishment. The more you become a cog in the big wheel and are asked to do stuff yet are not brought in to understand why, the less you believe. There's no amount of internal programs that can give you what you could bring to the table.

@Diego - glad you enjoyed.