Are You Making These Two Mistakes?
Last Update: Feb 3, 2019
Did someone ever ask you a question on a topic you were very passionate and knowledgeable about and you started rambling on and on with special vocabulary?
After one minute, they’ve already lost interest and you get frustrated.
Damn, didn’t they request your knowledge? Now they don’t want it?
They want to know just enough, and you can’t go throwing at them your technical slang…
Jargon
Imagine a friend goes to your house and asks you how to make money online.
You say: “I’m glad you asked, I’m part of a communitywith free training called Wealthy Affiliate, where they teach us how to create a website and write articles in a niche optimized for SEO and then make money through affiliate marketing. Would you like to join and make money?”
This is what you said, but what did your friend hear?
“I’m glad you asked, I’m part of a group of nerdswith free brainwashing called ‘Sounds-like-scam’, where they teach us how to sounds-like-hard-work and write articles in a blaoptimized for BLA and then make money through blabla bla. Would you like to join and lose a lot of money?”
This is where you lost your friend, but you’re still talking…
Overdelivering
This is my biggest problem, it happens with my wife every day, or it used to…
Especially since I tend to gather ridiculous amounts of information.
Let’s say she asks me the same question about how to make money online, I wouldn’t only talk about WA, but probably try to tell her all about dropshipping, Amazon FBA, affiliate marketing and what are the pros and cons of each…
Of course, I wouldn’t even get past the second sentence because she’d get bored and start interrupting me…
When communicating with a client or prospect, it’s extremely important to know who that person is, what he knows, etc., and not to offer more than the strictly necessary.
The most expert marketers are very aware of this and charge for every bit of information, this allows them to know where the customer is in their journey and offer the right information while increasing their revenue.
The Reader’s Journey
Your reader can be in various stages of his journey, both Kyle and Jay have spoken about this extensively in their trainings, calling it user intent.
Your reader can be just curious and browsing a subject, can be ready to take action, or actually ready to buy.
If you’ve followed the trainings you’ve learned how to find the right KW for each of these readers, but you also need to speak their language to keep them engaged.
If you’re writing to a ‘browser’, you can’t go and say affiliate marketing is the best way to make money online, but if you tell your curious reader that there is a way to get paid a commission to refer other people’s products or services you might get their attention.
Since I don’t want to overdeliver, this will be my post for today… :D
Have an amazing week!
Recent Comments
25
Thanks Fran, Great Post! I love the example you gave. Yes, sometimes information overload can run people away. So putting ourselves in their shoes is key. I will definitely implement this strategy into my communication/content writing from here on out.
🤣 group of nerds... brainwashing...
This has definately happened with me, and a few of my posts!!
Thank You for pointing it out for others!!
Shaunna
Great post Fran. I can relate to these mistakes. You just opened my eyes.
Our job is to put ourselves in our readers' shoes. This is a good way to fix the problems.
Thank you for sharing it.
Hope you have a great week.
Amy
Indeed Amy, put ourselves in their shoes and speak their language.
Easier said than done sometimes. Hehe.
That's true. You need to speak in a language your customers will understand. Layman terms not jargon.
Spot on!
I was over delivering on a keyword and I made it into three different posts. I have done that mistake in the past and try not to do that.
No better way to learn than from our mistakes, Anusuya. That's what inspired me to write this post, a mistake of mine.
Ah, so THAT'S why I'm not getting any conversions...? :-)
Great post, Fran. Know your audience and talk to them accordingly.
Ian
Thank you, Ian! That's the essence, yes.
The right offer to the right person at the right time.
I hope you're doing fine, haven't seen you around for a while...
Hi Fran
I love this post, that is exactly what we tend to do! I loved your description of what people hear - haha! I've never been called a nerd before, it was pretty neat, made me feel clever, lol!
Thank you for yet another great post.
Blessings
Louise
Thank you, Louise!
It was a lesson for myself as well, like a self reflection.
Have a great night and don't snooze that alarm.!
Fran,
You are so right !!! I think I might be just like you in
the same way I do over deliver my explanation !!
Need to cut back on doing that we get so excited when
people ask us and forget that they do not have a clue
about the jargon on how we speak ::))
Thank you for sharing great post,
Susan
See more comments
I've read a number of your posts, just today.
This was the one I needed to read.
haha
Because I "over deliver" all the time.
Telling folk information that they both do not need (at their current "buyer readiness") and do not understand (their level of "expertise" with respect to any one subject).
You and I?
We're "nerds" of a feather (see how I substituted "birds" for "nerds" yet it still fit because of the structure of the phonemes present?).
We give more than what is asked of us.
It is both a "gift" (to some) and a "curse" (to others).
We must bear this burden.
Still, as you say, we are not entirely bound by this state.
We can choose.
I am working on this, as are you.
I will continue to work on it.
Thank you for sharing this post with us.
I appreciate it.
I am indeed working on this, and this is what I wanted you to see from my posts. I actually forgot I wrote one specifically about it.
With my current project I am practicing this exact 'skill' through trial and error.
I liked the 'nerds' of a feather.