One day back in college, I persuaded a random person to “steal” our garbage.
The theft required just 12 words.
I didn’t even have to speak them -- just wrote the words on a piece of paper.
And within minutes, the garbage was gone.
Here’s the story:
At the time, I was living in a two-bedroom apartment just off the campus of Arizona State University. It was me, my twin brother and two long-time friends we grew up with in Michigan.
Since we’re all huge sports fans, we always had some type of game playing on the TV -- even just for background noise.
In fact, we used the TV so much that it eventually died …
Wouldn’t even turn on anymore.
The problem was, we didn’t know how to get rid of it. Keep in mind, this was well before flatscreens -- so the TV was big and bulky.
Eventually, I came up with an idea …
I grabbed a pen and piece of paper as we carried the TV out to the parking lot.
We then placed the TV on a curb near one of the apartment complex’s entrances. That way lots of people would drive by and see it.
Before we walked back to the apartment, I scribbled a note on the paper and taped it to the TV. It read:
“Please do not take my TV -- will be back in 10 minutes.”
Within just a few minutes, the TV was gone …
And we were giggling like little school girls.
Nearly 25 years later, I still love this story because it demonstrates the power of messaging. (Of course, I also love imagining the thief plugging in that TV and seeing a blank screen.)
Think someone would have grabbed the TV if it didn’t have the note taped to it?
No way!
Proper messaging causes people to take fast action.
Even if the note just read “free,” no one would have likely taken the TV. After all, they would have wondered if there was something wrong with it.
So if you’re not seeing the results you want from your marketing, take a hard look at your messaging and ask yourself:
How can you make what you offer even more appealing to your target audience?
Talk soon,
Tom Trush
Direct-Response Copywriter/Marketing Strategist
P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are a couple ways I can help you:
1. Work one-on-one with you.
If you'd like to work directly with me to develop some marketing initiatives for your business, you have a few options. Just reply back and tell me a little about your business and what you'd like to work on together. I'll follow up with additional details.
2. Join my Marketing Multiplier case study group.
During this case study program, we go after specific marketing goals in your business over a 90-day period. We work together to implement strategies and test concepts to reach these goals. Along the way, we also look to uncover overlooked revenue within your existing outreach.