Improve Your Marketing By Not Being Boring

Abhay Gupta

Oct 13, 2024

"You should get us to do your marketing for you because we're really good at digital marketing and we've been doing this for 10+ years. Our competitors don't really know what they're doing, they're bad at it and we're good because we're more experienced and have won several Nobel prizes..."

Boring. Right?

What if I told you that this is what 90% of marketing is?

And I don't mean that in a good way.

I mean, how many times have you read or heard something similar to that?

Probably a lot.

I've seen it Too Many Times!

So... what's actually wrong with writing like this?

What can you do to ensure that you don't end up sounding like every other business on Earth?

Being Boring is the Worst Sin in Marketing

That essay-sized paragraph from before... it's just boring.

And in marketing, you can't afford to be boring.

What exactly is wrong with being boring?

Well... you'd never keep the attention of your audience.

And all of marketing relies on getting your audience's attention.

Think about it.

You need to sell something, so you run an ad to sell it. That ad needs to get people to click on it, or interact with it in some way. So, you need to get that person's attention and keep their attention.

And if your ad is boring, it'll never keep anyone's attention.

Especially if the ad is digital (on Facebook, Instagram etc.).

I mean, do you go on Facebook to just watch ads?

No?

Well... neither does your target audience.

So, when they see an ad, they'll want to scroll away as fast as possible.

Your ad needs to disrupt their scrolling.

You need to get their attention and keep it.

So, how can you do this?

Many Businesses Make This Mistake in Marketing

Back to that oversized paragraph. Did you notice a theme?

That paragraph only talked about my company.

And this is the same mistake almost every company makes - they only talk about themselves.

"We're really good at this..."

"We've been in the industry for 20+ years..."

"We've won several awards..."

"We..." "We..." "We..."

It sounds very narcissistic. And that won't look good on your company.

The self-centred writing leads to another huge problem. Text overloads.

I mean, there's so much I could go on about my company, but would you care?

After all, your audience isn't reading a novel, they're trying to solve a problem they have.

So, you cant expect people to see your ad, go sit by the fire, put their feet up and read your stuff with rapt attention. Thats not how it works.

In fact, they probably won't even read a single paragraph about your company.

So, you essentially have a word limit.

You need to get your point across in as few words as possible.

And with so much to say, how can we possibly know what to include in an ad?

How to Not Be Boring with Your Marketing

First of all, nobody cares about your company's achievements.

Sure, you can talk about your services in your ads.

But, more personal stuff like your background, achievements and so on does not belong in any ad.

Every prospect will only ever think about themselves.

So... you need to talk about the customer. For example:

What problems are your audience facing?

Have your audience tried any other solutions?

What would happen if they don't fix this problem?

The exact questions you need to answer will vary depending on a bunch of things, of course.

As long as you focus on your target audience's problems and how you can solve them, then your ads will land you more clients.

So, no more being boring.

Avoid just saying generic stuff that's predictable. It's what every competitor says.

Finally, focus on your client's problems instead of text overloads about your company.

Talk Soon,
Abhay