By John McGory
Do you want a first-class tip on how a company can stand out in today’s information avalanche? Read on.
Yankelovich, a market research firm, estimates that a city dweller sees 5,000 advertising messages a day.
Most of these ads rely on good placement, clever wording and exceptional creativity to capture your attention. Victoria’s Secret is betting a scantily clad model licking her lips at you on the bus may add up to a sale next week.
Chances are they are wrong and the ad is a waste of time, money and lip gloss. The human mind disregards a vast majority of what it sees and hears.
The brain cannot process 5,000 ads a day. It deals with the overload through confirmation bias. This is a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions without regard for truth or reason.
We all do it. Stereotype yourself and see how snuggly you fit into your own world where only agreeable thoughts are allowed inside.
Do a personal test on political and social topics. Do you listen to both sides on climate change, Obama’s birthplace, abortion, the Middle East, taxes, political parties and religion? Not likely. Your mind is made up.
Ads are no different. We search for confirmation of what we already think. So how can you market your brand to unbelievers? With a world awash in information and a public programmed to disregard you, if not hate you, is it possible?
Nope. So forget about it and go after new customers who are programmed to possibly like you.
Brands can accomplish this through content marketing. It is new-age marketing that provides quality information to customers in exchange for their attention. Content marketing is not going to change unbelievers’ minds, but it may attract new customers.
Blogs, short, entertaining videos, white papers and podcasts are valuable tools. It’s like inviting someone into your home and having a few hors d’oeuvres. Once people get to know each other, then trust can be built and just possibly, a sale made.
The hors d’oeuvres in content marketing must be worth eating. No one is coming back if they are stale or leave a bad taste in your mouth. Content marketing needs to be deliciously entertaining or informative to stand out in this 5,000-ads-a-day world.
So here is that first-class tip. Combining content marketing with confirmation bias is key.
If you are selling UFO tours in Roswell, New Mexico, then your media content needs to be rich in never-seen-before crashed spaceship videos, alien blogs and political cover-up rumors. The UFO believers expect it. If the content is good, then maybe a few new fans will come to Roswell and buy a ticket.
This powerful combination of content marketing and confirmation bias will show the one-sided thinkers that you get them. And if they think you get them, they will let you in and love you in return.
McGory is a partner in Webface, a content marketing company. Webface can help you figure out who your friends are and how to attract them with deliciously entertaining or informative content. Check us out at www.web-face-solutions.com
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