Tale of the Unexpected

If you were to take a cross-section of some of the marketing out there today – right now – you might perhaps see quite a bit of this…

“I can help you get rich”

“I can make you thin”

“The easy way to lose weight”

“Make money out of property”

“Get maximum performance from your team”

“Look 10 years younger”

“The XyZ Diet”

“How to retire early (and get rich)”

“Get a cleaner wash for your clothes”…

… And I’m sure you’ve got your own examples in mind.

In a nutshell, there are a LOT of people out there all selling the same kind of stuff.

And after a while.

(A bit like political parties in the UK)

They all start to sound the same.

That’s potentially confusing for the consumer, the prospective purchaser, the business buyer.

And great news…

If you know what you’re doing with your marketing.

Because you can easily make yourself stand out from the crowd.

Make your message so clear that it’s easy for people to see and understand.

Make an offer so compelling and so in tune with your audience that people simply want to pick up the phone, return that reply coupon or click that “buy now” button on your web page.

Just by choosing to:

  • Avoid jargon
  • Speak naturally when you write
  • Skip the hype
  • Talk to people as if they’re intelligent human beings (which they are, despite some displaying clues to suggest the opposite)
  • Communicate your message in a different way to the “norm”

You are on the path to creating something more interesting and compelling for your audience.

A genuine story.

A clear path from challenge A to Solution B.

Something surprising. Something exciting. Something inspiring. Something desirable.

When you design that you create a powerful story.

A tale of the unexpected.

It will stand out. It will bring results.

Want an example to illustrate this point?

Think back to when you were at school, college or university.

Essays, assignments and the dreaded exams.

Remember your teacher, tutor or lecturer having to mark 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 or more books or papers.

Who got the top marks in that English essay?

The ones who were the most creative. The ones who avoided the cliche narratives and came up with something a little bit different, dare I say, original.

Who got the best comments for their dissertation, speech or “discussion” article?

The ones who did the extra research, used their additional knowledge and put together some fresh thinking on the topic (rather than just regurgitating what they’d heard in class or seen in another book).

Best marks in geography?

Those able to add their own knowledge and reading into their coursework and exam answers: provide real world examples of physical features, talk about modern day examples of theoretical models in action, refer to history and current affairs to back an argument.

Why were these students given the best marks?

Because they rose above the norm. They provided a little of the unexpected (enough to stand out from all the “average”, dull, repetitive efforts of the majority).

If you want top marks for your marketing efforts, you need to be thinking and doing the same.

What’s your tale of the unexpected?

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