Fabula Interruptus

Okay, I admit it.

I'm helplessly hooked on The Walking Dead.

If there's one storytelling technique the series' producers have mastered, it's the cliffhanger.

Why are cliffhangers so seductive?

The Zeigarnik Effect.

Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik in the late 1920s discovered that people are twice as likely to remember something that's been interrupted.

So if you want to seduce people with your storytelling, leave a few untied ends.

Your audience will naturally remember—and crave—more.

And if you really want your audience to pay close attention to your message, there are four other things you should do.

To be continued...

Are You a Challenger?

I've been following with interest a series of blog posts by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson, authors of the forthcoming book The Challenger Sale.

They make a compelling case in favor of a "type" of salesperson they call the "Challenger."

The Challenger is a "teacher," a naturally studious individual who likes to question the status quo.

"Challengers use their deep understanding of their customers' business to push their thinking and take control of the sales conversation," they write. "They're not afraid to share even potentially controversial views and are assertive—with both their customers and bosses."

Dixon and Adamson contrast the Challenger to the "Relationship Builder," who labors to create strong personal ties to customers and "resolve tensions in the commercial relationship."

Measured by results, Challengers are 13 times more effective than their relationship-loving counterparts.

The bottom line: Challengers, si; Relationship Builders, no.

"There's only one way to be a star," Dixon and Adamson write.  You gotta be a Challenger.

"Challengers win by pushing customers to think differently, using insight to create constructive tension in the sale. Relationship Builders, on the other hand, focus on relieving tension by giving in to the customer's every demand."

Their argument makes sense to me.

What doesn't is the shrillness of most readers' comments.

If the backlash Dixon and Adamson receive is representative, then, clearly, most salespeople like to please. They don't like to challenge.

How about you?

The Importance of Good Copy

How important is good copy to the overall success of a campaign?

I was asked that question in a recent interview with Gordon Nary, editor of AboutFace, published by Trade Show Exhibitors Association.

My answer: good copy is the only way to rise above the sea of competitors and their parity products.

You can read the full interview here.

Just Conversing Won't Convert

On B2C, Web marketer Chad Pollitt busts a Twitter myth in "The Uncomfortable Truth about Social Media Marketing."

Twitter is no "magic pill” and "will probably fizzle out over time" unless integrated into more robust social media marketing efforts, Pollitt writes.

That's because, at its core, Twitter is just another way to push out content.

And as marketers know, success isn't bred by pushing out content.

Success is bred by creating excitement.

Excitement, and only excitement, "determines whether or not someone converts or is compelled to take action," Pollitt says.

Do your Tweets solve customers' problems? Do they entertain customers? Or do they just try to promote online conversations?

If the latter, they won't help you. They're just not exciting enough.

To excite customers, your social media program needs to deliver useful, entertaining and original content through blog posts, video, audio, photos, graphics, white papers, e-books, guides, case studies and Webinars.

"High quality content," Pollitt says, "provides the best chance to capture leads, gain new customers, and grow revenue."

To assure that your content converts leads, you need to supplement it with other Web platforms, including your Website, blog and landing pages.

Metaphorically Speaking

On BNET, angel investor John Warrillow tips his hat to the "strategic metaphor."

A strategic metaphor is powerful not because it's apt, but because it's handy. 

Swamped by inbound messages, consumers need a convenient hook to hang yours on.

Provide that hook, and they're more likely to listen to you.  

"A strategic metaphor gives people a cheat sheet for understanding what you do," Warrillow says.

He cites as examples:

• A start-up that offers a "deal of the day" on chiropractors, massage therapists and acupuncturists is "the Groupon of alternative medicine.”
• A classy car dealership is “the Ritz-Carlton of Ford dealers.”
• A manufacturer of sexy sportswear is “the Victoria’s Secret of cycling apparel.”
• A retailer of furniture for the corner office is "the Mercedes-Benz of office furniture.”

It's easy to find your strategic metaphor, Warrillow says.  Decide what you want your brand to stand for; go to Interbrand’s list of the top 100 brands; and choose one that represents your aspiration.

So, within your niche, if you want to represent "the most reliable," you're FedEx; "the speediest," McDonald’s; "the most rigorous," McKinsey; "the most upscale," Rolex.  And so forth.  

Find your strategic metaphor, Warrillow urges, "because the faster you can describe your business to new customers, investors, and employees, the better your chance of holding their attention long enough for them to buy what you’re selling."

My strategic metaphor?

I'm "the Jaguar of copywriters."  

What's yours?