The Marketing Cannon or The Marketing Bell

Photo by Lisheng Chang on Unsplash

“How do we make our customers listen to what we have to say?”

On more than one occasion I’ve heard this question being said or seen this sentiment written.

It’s a strange question, mainly because of the word “make”. It implies force and a certainty that what we have to say is something your customers need to hear. Your product or service is a vital piece of their life-puzzle and they simper have to have it.

While it may be true that what you sell might be of enormous value to your potential customer, it’s not a given that they want to hear from you in the way you think they do. No one likes to be blasted with retargeting ads, thoughtless email drip campaigns, or nagged for their attention on LinkedIn.

I call such methods a “Cannon” approach. Make the loudest and widest sound and we might get their attention. You also might deafen them. Rarely do we use a car horn to tell people how much we appreciate them.

So what’s the alternative? The approach I have seen work the best is the “Bell” option. When we hear the gentle tinkle of a bell, something in us makes us pay attention to it. It's soft, it’s intimate and it gently asks us to pause and listen. It doesn’t trouble us, because we don’t mind it turning up. Compared to the Cannon, this whisper of communication has the power to slip into the open arms of our minds.

So which is to going to be? Are you going to deafen with a Cannon blast, or gain attention with a simple Bell?

PS: Seth Godin called this Permission Marketing — anticipated, personal, and relevant messaging.