This is understandable. As businesspeople, we work hard to capture our message; it’s valuable work that can only be done by internal employees who know our culture, our co-workers and our CEO. But the very insider nature of our mission statements and corporate copy can sound exclusive and clique-y to our customers.
They often don’t get the inside jokes, the clever language, the puns, metaphors or similes that we worked so hard on – for so long. If customers don’t get your copy, if it doesn’t speak in their language, you might as well not write it. And copy that only works for you simply doesn’t work!

The trick is to seek comfort where you’re not comfortable, which is usually in your target audience’s shoes. Let’s say you’ve never knitted a day in your life, secretly make fun of knitters behind their backs, talk down to them in their presence and generally just “don’t get this whole knitting thing,” but are suddenly put in charge of producing a new line of do-it-yourself manuals for, of all things, knitters.

Well, unless you get out of your knitter-doubting comfort zone but quick, your future customers will pick up on your thin knitter knowledge – but quick. The best way to do this is to switch off the comfort and welcome the uncomfortable. Immerse yourself in the world of knitting to the point that you are absolutely obnoxious about it. But you can’t just fake it; you have to open yourself up to it.

This is literally the biggest step one can take in measuring the distance between you and your audience. This is your straight line to the audience you’re targeting – and if you can’t feel comfortable in this niche, they’ll never feel comfortable buying it.

Go here to learn more and sign up!!

http://buzzsquared.com/social-media-makeover-giveaway/

So I am doing my morning run and listening to Mute Math’s Typical on my ipod. I had heard the lyrics many times, but never really HEARD them, if you know what I mean. There is a line in the song where he says  ”Can I break the spell of the typical?” I found myself pondering that line for several minutes after the song was over. As I look around the world today and listen to the news (which is rarely), I can’t help but feel that most of us are under the spell of the typical. Typical attitudes, typical view on life, typical responses, typical fears, etc.

But maybe, just maybe, the sky isn’t falling. Maybe we are all going to be ok. Maybe there is another side to the story. And it might even be possible that ‘the economy’ is not to blame for your problems and concerns. Is it typical to believe so? Yep, sure is. Especially when you are hearing it screamed at you 24 hours a day. It’s easy to start believing it. 

Now I am not denying that there are some economic issues going on in the world today. That is a fact. But it is also true that there have always been some economic issues somewhere at some point. 

For me, I am making a commitment to try and break the spell of the typical. I am turning off the radio and television news, and filling my mind with positive news, and things that will help me grow my business, encourage my family, and make a difference in the world. Why not join me?

I leave you with this one last thought…

 Foxy Loxy:   “How do you know the sky is falling?”

Chicken Little:   “I saw it with  my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, and part of it fell on my head!”

Foxy Loxy:    “I see.  Well then, follow me, and I’ll show you the way to the king.”

Narrator:    So Foxy Loxy led Chicken Little, Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and Turkey Lurkey across a field and through the woods.  He led them straight to his den, and they never saw the king to tell him that  the sky is falling.