There was an outcast. He didn't fit in. Someone took an interest in him and gave him a chance. He became a hero. Celebrations followed.

                          The End

That's how the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer would have sounded if we just focused on the "What" part of that story. Sure, we covered all of the details, but no one cares. There is no emotion, no imagery, no hope, yearning, struggles or victory for us to celebrate in that version of the story.

Compare your yawn from the first version with the success of the longest running holiday special in television history . Now think about HOW that story was told. Picture Rudolph as the poor outcast. He made us all root for the under-reindeer. He found an island of shared outcasts and he saved the day. It became a television special.

Now think about your website.

Does the copy on your homepage sound more like the list of facts at the top of this post or does it evoke emotion, make your clients yearn for your services, evoke a smell of cookies fresh from the oven (well we can dream, can't we??). Your story and HOW you tell it can build a connection with your audience in ways that no list of facts ever will.  But you have to tell your story, not recite a list of bullet points.

No go watch that Rudolph rerun. And light the way for your clients who are searching for your unique services.
 


Comments

Nancy Smith link
12/16/2009 21:37

This is EXACTLY why I chose you as my guru! Homework is due on Friday and this is a perfect example of your amazing direction in marketing. Bringing it to the level of Rudolph, yet sharing the message of how to see things from different sides. Thank you Guru Geni :-)

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Ed Kless link
12/17/2009 22:16

Sorry, Geni, I disagree with you on this one. The idea (what) is more valuable than the implementation (how) for a few reasons.

1. Without the idea you have nothing to implement.
2. There is no good way to implement a bad idea. For example, communism.

The question is easily seen when you pose it this way - If you had a brain tumor (God forbid) would you want an effective surgeon (what) or an efficient one (how)?

Now the idea of Rudolph could be poorly implemented, but that does not make the idea less valuable.

In any case, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

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Nancy Smith
12/18/2009 09:30

Hello Ed. I must say I disagree with you very much. We are talking about marketing your website, not communism. While an idea might be great, how you communicate it is essential to its success. That's what I heard Geni explain following "Now think about your website". You might have a good product, or even a bad one, but if you don't present it well, give enticing examples of its use, and how it can benefit you, it won’t be successful.

The first description of Rudolph reminded me of what it’s like talking to engineers and programmers about their product. If they just designed a program that links the inventory systems to the accounting department so that changes in inventory are automatically updated in the accounting records using C+ and C++ for compatibility and Java for online functionality (a direct quote BTW), that’s a great idea! Could you sell it like that? HECK no! How is the Accounts Payable Manager interested in C+ and functionality? They want to know the direct benefits in using it. Don’t describe it in a dry, technically functioning way, tell them…show them…entice them to learn more about how it will benefit their day…their life as an Accounts Payable Manager. “This solution can do for you what you’ve spent hours trying to achieve! Just type in the product number or even description, and BAM there’s all the information you need to complete your reports and projects…with perfect timing!”

Oh, and as far as your comparison to brain surgery…bad example. Been there, done that, and “what” vs. “how” had nothing to do with who I chose as a surgeon. I got the best in HOW he does WHAT he does, and was 100% successful as a result. The idea of brain surgery was brilliant as my solution, but if he didn’t know HOW to do it right I’d be a vegetable! Where does that fit in with the Rudolph story?

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