“I wanna talk about me
Wanna talk about I
Wanna talk about number one
Oh my, me, mine”

These are the lyrics from the popular Toby Keith song written by Bobby Braddock.  Unfortunately, this is also the message of most advertising and a huge blunder made by marketing types.

Its not about you. Get over yourself, please.

If you want to get the attention of prospective customers and maintain the connection long enough for them to first buy and then remain customers for life, you need to change your marketing communications from a focus of “us” to “them”. The them I am speaking about is your customers. The us, well, you get it, that is you and your organization.

Stop telling me about you. So what! Sorry, no one cares about your logo more you, so stop making this the first thing everyone sees.  If I see another ad, email or flyer with the company logo as the headline banner, I think I will barf. Ok, that is an exaggeration as if that were to be true, I would be barfing all day today as I drive my 5 kids to and from their saturday games and activities. Sounds unpleasant too.

Want to get the attention and remain connected? (aka the Attention Connection™)

Hit the customer right between the eyes by solving a problem of theirs, hit a hot button. Activate the reticular activator.

Don’t tell me the meal replacement shake is yummy, has the best protein or is the hot new product. Tell me that it solves my problem of being so hungry two afters after I eat that I will justify eating anything! Can you pass me that barrel of lard laden chips and I will wash them down with a Coke?

Don’t tell me your the best vehicle wrapping company, tell me that you can make my phone ring off the wall and sales shoot through the roof if you wrap your auto with me!

Are you getting this?

Our world is overwhelmed with marketing noise. Messages are everywhere. I even see signs now on our local public school district buses advertising a local bank. (Makes my stomach turn to think my kids are riding around in a bus sponsored by a bank. Didn’t the banks get us into the current mess?)

Small and medium sized businesses do not have enough money to truly pierce the noise and establish a brand that stands alone. In today’s world, solving the customer’s needs and then maintaining the connection is what the successful companies do.The brand loyalty will come with satisfied customers.

It’s not about you. It’s about them

Attention connection…

Connect with you later.