The hardest thing to get these days seems to be people’s attention. It’s definitely harder for a small business to differentiate themselves from their competition and to stand out from the noise.
People are spread too thin and doing too much. They are distracted and have trouble focusing. They are being fire-hosed with information from all sides.
When I do resumes for people, I often can’t find a concise sentence that tells me what a business does. Instead, I get a string of buzzwords, acronyms, and jargon, which actually tell me nothing. I find myself zoning out and your prospective customers will too.
Sometimes I find that specific types of businesses have gravitated to the same description of their services, making one business seem exactly like its competitors.
So many businesses have a bland, confusing, or boring online presence. I think more small businesses need to make an effort to not be boring.
Boring is forgettable.
Boring is dismissible.
Boring doesn’t get referrals.
Boring doesn’t inspire someone to click on the Buy Now button.
Standing out above the noise so that a prospective customer actually takes notice of your information is what you need to concentrate on.
Does that mean you have to be brash and bold? Only if it’s in brand for your business. Being loud and snarky with in-your-face content works really well for some businesses.
Quiet and classy can work, too, if that would appeal to your ideal customer.
Carol Roth manages to do both – be classy and still serve up some snarky straight talk.
I tend to be “appropriately irreverent” and poke fun at uncomfortable topics. People laugh, get good information, and remember me. I can be a big goofball at times. I am also very compassionate. My brand is distinctively mine and it isn’t boring.
Everything you put into the world about you and your business needs to be evaluated before it’s released. You should ask yourself two questions:
1. Would my ideal customer care about this? I recommend you imagine your reader leaning back in their chair with their arms crossed staring at their screen thinking, “Why should I care?” Write something they would care about.
2. Is it boring? If you’re bored writing it, they’ll be bored reading it. And, if it’s really boring, they won’t see it at all because it will blend in with the noise. (AI-generated content can be very boring. Watch for that.)
Learn everything you can about your ideal customer. Learn what they love, what they fear, what they want, what they need to know, what they’re stressed out about – everything.
Use this understanding to develop messaging and content that cuts through the noise and stands out. If you do this, your business will grow.
Remember, you don’t need to try to appeal to everyone – just your ideal customers.
And whatever you do, please don’t be boring.
