Make Marketing Suck Less

It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's time where we get to talk about ‘meh’ messaging and trust me, my friends, there is a lot of  ‘meh’ messaging out there. I often joke with my clients that I read sales pages and websites and look at marketing so they don't have to. And because of my other podcasts, Duped, and the work I do with my clients, I do tend to pay attention to a lot of marketing and a lot of copy on websites. And what I see makes my eyes blurry and my brain oozes out of my head, because all of these websites, all of these business owners who in some cases are doing work that is radically different from what other people are doing in their industry, but they're using messages that all sound the same. And there's a problem with  ‘meh’ messaging in the industry. 

So before we dive in, I just wanted to mention why I call it ‘meh’ messaging. And that's because the messaging isn't bad per se, it's just not going to do much of anything to get your audience, to act, people aren't going to see themselves in messaging. It's forgettable. And we don't want to be forgettable. It's the type of message that it's just easy to walk away from, to click out of, like, to completely ignore, to scroll, like scroll very fast away from it. In a word, the message is just ‘meh’. It's really not doing much for their business. 

And before I dive into the top ‘meh’ messages of this past year, I just want to give you a warning that you may see yourself in this episode. You may be hearing me talk about a message that is on your website right now, or in your bio on LinkedIn or Instagram that you're like, Oh I use that. And that's okay because this is your rallying cry to do better in 2022, so your business stands out and is set up for success. Let's do this. 

So before I start telling you about the ‘meh’ messages that I'm seeing, I want to tell you about a couple of trends that I'm observing in online business right now. The first trend I'm seeing is more and more people are bringing their business online, which is amazing. It's a great opportunity because, for those of us who service online business, that means there are more people who will need our expertise and what we uniquely bring.

And there's also a downside to it. It means that the marketplace is becoming more and more competitive. The internet is getting noisier and noisier and we have less and less time to really capture someone’s attention. And that's why radicating ‘meh’ messaging from your own marketing and copy is so pivotal right now because there are more opportunities and more competition. 

And the place to start is by eliminating some of this ‘meh’ messaging. So unlike last year's episode about the messages that need to drown in the sea of sameness, I am categorizing these and you will see many returning favorites from that 2020 episode.

The first one, the first category is an oldie, but a goodie and that is: make more money messaging. Oh my gosh. I, if I was going to do a research project, my hypothesis would be that this is the number one type of messaging for online business. And it is all so boring. I'm talking about messages around your six-figure, your seven-figure, and now your eight-figure business. Like what the hell is that all about. The scale your business messages, the grow your business, the make more money, make money in your sleep messages. And we talked a lot on this past season of Duped about income claim marketing. So we'll hook that up for you in the show notes if you want a deep dive into the high ticket hustle and income claims everywhere. 

But here's the deal, there might be an FTC problem. I am not a lawyer, I'm just saying that the federal trade commission is starting to crack down on some of these money claims. So just be aware of that and also more relevant to this episode is it makes you sound like everybody else. If everybody is promising six figures or seven figures, make a million dollars, be an eight-figure CEO, like who cares? Like who really cares. Everybody's promising the exact same thing and here's the deal - they can't actually deliver on those promises. So money messaging, you can still do it. You have to be more creative and specifically all around it. Like, what does that money actually do for people? Why do they want, like, what do you want to be a seven-figure entrepreneur? What's the reasoning behind that? Because I'm seeing a lot of evidence out there that just because there are seven figures doesn't mean they're paying themselves exponentially more than you're currently making. All right.

The second group of messages, I feel like these first three are just kind of a trio of messaging, it's more impact. Oh, impact. Um, I'm a big fan of the word impact. I have used it in the past. It's probably still on my website, but nobody knows what that actually means. I hear things like amplify your impact, make a bigger difference with your work, create a big change, more impact, more impact, more impact. And can we be just a tiny, more specific about the impact we're trying to make or the impact our clients are trying to achieve? I feel like there's more nuance here and making an impact is just a shorthand that could mean anything to anyone is making an impact being on 20 podcast interviews so more people hear your message. See how much more specific it's, right, and that just came off the top of my head. But what does that actually mean? 

And the third category of the message is the without message. And I'm just going to give a huge shout-out to Maggie Patterson at The Small Business Boss because this is one that we were talking about on the season finale of Duped, which is all about critical thinking. We'll hit, we'll hook that one up in the show notes too because it's an excellent episode. 

But we see all these messages and brand promises with the word without in it. And I know this is a copywriting technique, but we here without burnout, without ads, without a big audience, without launches, without webinars, without hustle without, without, without right. Lots of without, and as Maggie pointed out, it's not actually showing us what we're doing instead. So if you are going to launch your course without a big audience and knowing the courses convert at 1% to 3%, who the heck are you launching this to? Like, what are you actually doing to get that course out there?

And the online space? We're not, they're not doing a good job of describing what the alternative is. So if it's without something, what are you actually doing? What is it actually for? 

Category number four, the love message. Build a business you'll love, create a life you will love, love your relationship, love your body, love your health, create a launch you love. And I know the Beatles said ‘’All you need is love’’, but what does this even mean? 

So I always think about this in the context of business, because I very much view a business as an entity that exists outside of you. So there is me Michelle Mazer, and there is my business, which is Communication Rebel. And that is a living, breathing entity outside of me. And you know what, I don’t love my business. We have a very amicable relationship. We work really well together, but why do we need to love it? Why is that the prerequisite and what does it even mean to love your business? Can someone please inform me about that, because if you can tell me what that actually looks like, guess what you're going to be more specific. And it's the same with all the other love messaging, right? Like, love your body. What does that mean? Does it mean I need to change my body by into diet culture? Or are you talking about like radically accepting who I am? Specificity! If you haven't gotten the theme of the show is going to save you from his type of ‘meh’ messaging.

Oh boy. And this next one, this made last year’s show as well. And I still put it as a standalone because I hear it all the time and that is: take it to the next level. Like, oh, what is that next level? Take your business to the next level, next level your life, level up your business. Is this a freaking video game? Am I playing Super Mario Brothers and I'm saving the princess so I can level up, like, what does this mean? I feel like what people are hinting at with this next level of messaging is that it's supposed to be about some result, but they're not specific about the result. 

So my business isn't an elevator. I don't want to go to the next floor or the next level. And my life is not an elevator either. So can you describe what result you're getting your clients? Like, what is the premise behind this next level? What are you actually doing for them? What does that next level look like? But next level is just, oh, I almost feel like it's the pinnacle of ‘meh’ messaging, because it's just so vague. And to me, it signals that the person running the business isn't really clear about where they're taking their clients and customers. And that's your job. Your job is to get radically clear on where you're taking your clients and customers, and then create a message that conveys that.

Number six is just one big old category and it is coach speak. Coaches, I love you. You are some of my favorite people to work with because you're kind and compassionate and you really care about helping people. But the way that coaches talk about their work sometimes is just... doesn't make any sense to a person who is not a coach. 

This year I've seen the word embodied, thrown around so much, like empower, embodied decisions in your life. And like, uh, I don't know what it means to make an embodied decision. Sounds cool, but what, what is that? What is that really? And then there's always the ones like living your best life or being stuck or talking around limiting beliefs and playing small.

And all of those are coach speak. It's also vague and not specific. And I know how difficult it is to take something that is intangible and make it tangible. But, oh my gosh, I've worked with enough coaches that I know that this can be done, but you have to leave the words around being stuck and embodied and empowering and all of that stuff. How can you make that more memorable, more concrete to the people who are using your, or like using your services, who are getting results? 

All right. We have reached number seven. This is the final category that I have, and this is kind of a personal pet peeve. So I'm just going to mitt that, but it's magnetic anything, magnetic messaging. 

So I have a side rant about this because as a person who does messaging, do not trust messaging, people who are promising you a magnetic message, because that's what messaging people who don't know how to message say. And side note is that this idea of magnetic messaging actually comes from pickup artists. There's like a whole series of books if you Google magnetic message about using text messaging to pick up women and get them to sleep with you. This phrase does not have a great history. So no magnetic messaging, just no, like if you're a messaging coach and you're using that, you need to do better with your own messaging. Cause I've seen that so many times this year, like grid your magnetic message. No, no, no, no, no, no. 

Create your own way of talking about how you do messaging. But that's not all you can see. I'm very ranty about this one. There's magnetic client attraction. You know you want to attract clients like you're a magnet, okay. Or magnetic money mindset. And as Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad, one said, ‘’Magnets, bitches.’’, I don't know what the obsession is with magnets and magnetizing everything in this industry. I don't even understand, like, what people are really trying to say? Are they talking about attraction? Are they talking about drawing people towards you? And they didn't, they don't have any choice, but to smack into you like a magnet smacks into the refrigerator, like, I don't get it. And I wish it would just stop. If you're going to use magnets or magnetic, please tell us what that is. And by doing that, you're going to create a better message. 

All right. So this was quite the episode. Some would say this is quite the epic rant, and maybe you saw yourself in some of this ‘meh’ messaging. And what I want you to do is see that as an opportunity, because if you have been struggling in your business, maybe just struggling to get clients organically, you're just relying too much on referrals, you're getting ignored, passed over, overlooked for opportunities to share your expertise, it might be because your message is relying on these cliches and tropes because if people can't distinguish how you're different, you are just going to be passed over for the people who have the bigger following, the bigger email lists, the popular people. Because the popular people are widely known and accessible already. 

And we, you and I don't have that advantage, but we do have the advantage of using our words to claim our difference. And I truly believe that your message, the words you use to describe the incredible work you're doing, is the only remaining way to stand out in your business.

So now that we're heading into Christmas where should you start with this?

Number one - start with the book. If you already have the book, excellent. Take it out over Christmas and do the exercises. Even if you've done the exercises before, revisit them, especially chapter four, where we talk about the questions that lead to a rebellion, those questions you can revisit every quarter and get new, fresh perspectives into your work. That's what I do with my own work. And it's helped me refine my own messaging over time. 

And, if you don't have the book, go grab it. You can get it on Amazon. You can go to 3 Word Rebellion and that will direct you right to Amazon, but it's also in places like bookshop.org.

So support your indie bookstores and Barnes and Noble and Book Depository. And if you have the book, you have done the exercises and you got to chapter five and you're like this chapter on how to analyze for my 3 Word Rebellion is kicking my ass and I can't move forward to find that unique message, my fingerprint on this industry, then is a time for you and I to work together. Because unearthing your 3 Word Rebellion and then creating a system of specific messaging that talks to your right-fit client and expresses your expertise in a unique way, that is totally my jam. So let's talk in the New Year, but what you can do right now is go to https://drmichellemazur.com/3wr-application. That's the https://drmichellemazur.com/3wr-application and apply for a free consultation. 

All right, I will see you in the New Year, my rebel friends. Have a fantastic Christmas holiday, New Year. May you take time to relax, drink some eggnog or watch a few Christmas movies. There's a couple of Bruce Campbell movies that I am particularly excited about. Who knew that B movie star Bruce Campbell is doing Christmas movies, but he is, and I am here for it. 

All right. Happy New Year! Talk to you soon.