You Must Create Top
Of Mind Awareness
Copyright 2003 by Willie Crawford
Your customers and prospects are bombarded
with thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of advertising
messages every day. Getting your email though to them is a
very small part of the problem. After it gets to your reader,
you have to connect with them on a conscious level. Something
about your message has to make them really read, understand
and digest your message. You have to create a "top of
mind awareness." Otherwise, your message isn't really
received.
To make your message stand out, you need
to be what Seth Godin describes as a purple cow. He points
out that if you're driving down a busy highway, and pass a
purple cow grazing in a pasture, you would have to take notice.
You'd say, "There's a purple cow." And then you'd
stop and take a closer look. Your email messages to your customers
and prospects need to stand out like a purple cow.
So many messages that we get every day aren't
fully "received." We aren't fully aware of them
in our environment. This point jumped out at me a few days
ago as I walked my shitzu (dog). I knew there were bears in
my part of Florida. There are signs posted along some of the
highways warning drivers. However, I had never seen one until
about a week ago. I noticed several cars stopped along the
street where I was out walking my dog. I looked in the direction
of the cars and there was a black bear. It was about 3 feet
tall when down on all four legs! At that point the message
that there were bears near where I lived was fully received
and felt on a very deep "gut" level. There was a
loose, wild bear, about 50 yards from where I was! Fortunately,
he was only interested in crossing into a nearby patch of
dense vegetation.
After seeing that bear, and reflecting upon
how long the claws and teeth were on those I had seen in zoos
and museums, I now appreciated the fact that there were wild
bears around. Now, when I heard a rustling sound in the bushes
I paid more attention. Previously, I had just assumed it was
a porcupine or an armadillo rummaging around for food. Now
I was aware that it might be something big enough to hurt
me. Your email and promotional messages to your reader need
to be this impactful!
"Ok, Willie," you say. But how
do I create this top of mind awareness in my readers. "How
do I stand out in their universe like a purple cow?"
"How do I have the impact of seeing a big bear walking
through my neighborhood?"
You increase your visitors top of mind awareness
by showing them in your messages that you understand their
problems. You show them that you really understand what it
is that they need or want. The words in your message to them
shares what *they* are feeling. Your empathy and understanding
has to come through.
Increasing your top of mind awareness in
your readers and prospects involves nothing more than showing
them that your thoughts are "what's in it for them."
If you show that you have their best interests at heart, and
that you are working for them, they have to appreciate you
and what you do. You do this by studying great copywriting
- as I have pointed out before. You do this by talking directly
to them, as I am doing in this article. You do this by using
the words you and your more than I, me, and my in your copy.
This shows them who the message is really about.
Making your message about your customer or
prospect pushes you to the top of their consciousness because
you are communicating about something that they care about.
You are moving yourself into a universe involving something
they think about all the time. Your prospects spend a lot
of time and energy thinking about how to improve their lives.
It's human nature. If you also spend a lot of time and energy
thinking about how to improve their lives, you naturally move
into where you have top of mind presence. You begin to stand
out in their subconscious and conscious minds like a purple
cow or a wild bear!
Now you have the secret to breaking through
the clutter of all of the messages your readers get everyday.
Simply make the message about them. Simply convey," here's
something that will help you." Simply convey that you're
working to make their lives easier. It will be virtually impossible
for you to be ignored if you do this with sincerity.
Willie Crawford is a popular writer, speaker, and Internet
marketing consultant. Through the 32-step Power Copywriting
For The Internet system, you can learn more about creating
top of mind awareness in your website visitors and email readers.
Begin using this powerful system today by visiting:http://williecrawford.com/powercopywriting/
