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For the life of me, I can’t remember the end of this story. But it starts with me going to the movies to see Wayne’s World with a friend, and it has a LOT to do with your business.
So, it was 1992 and I drove to the movies with a friend who had her license. By about 10 minutes in, I knew this had to have been the stupidest movie of all time.
I was 15 years old.
By about 30 minutes in, I became visibly irritated by the laughter in the theater. I remember thinking, “Are you SERIOUS? Are you literally LAUGHING OUT LOUD at this stupidity?” I mean, these people laughing were ADULTS.
Even then, I was mad at the fact that my time was being wasted on stupidity. Rolling my eyes, giving my best glaring looks at those laughing MOST loudly, and looking down at my watch, I contemplated walking out. I remember what I was wearing. I remember my gold watch with the small rectangular face. And I remember the theater I was in. I DON’T remember if I actually left or not. (This leads me to suspect that I STAYED and blocked it out due to extreme shame.)
Regardless, I should have walked. I was bored. And I was irritated.
So, what does this have to do with your business?
A lot.
You see, this movie came out in 1992. “Back then” America’s attention span and tolerance for things not DIRECTLY interesting and entertaining to them was MUCH MUCH higher than it is now. Infinitely higher.
Remember those days? When we watched (vs. fast forwarding through) commercials? When we communicated via (what would only be considered “extended”) live phone conversations by today’s standards? When teenagers actually HAND wrote notes to each other in school? When we took “selfies” and actually waited for those pictures to be developed before we figured out if we liked them or not? When boys asked girls out on actual dates, met their parents, and dealt with issues of curfew? When parents allowed their children to leave the house untethered by digital tracking devices like iPhones?
Yes. Things have changed dramatically and the market’s DEMAND for near constant entertainment is unprecedented. Your market is no different.
So, with EVERYTHING you do in business…. your blogging, your facebook-ing, your newsletter writing, your twittering, your instagram-ing, your sales letters, your print products, EVERYTHING… heed the wise words of Claude Hopkins,
People will not be bored in print.
(btw, if you don’t know who Claude Hopkins is…. well, look him up. He published Scientific Advertising in 1923. It’s a worthy read.) Anywho… People MAY sit through a bad movie because they didn’t drive there, or because they want to see what happens, or because they paid for it. BUT, people will NOT sit through boring marketing efforts. They simply will not. So, educate and entertain. Grab your market’s attention and keep it.
Being Boring IS the #1 sin in marketing and sales. So, if you’ve been guilty… no need for a priest or confession. JUST amp it up starting today.
