Is the best marketing message a great offer or a great question ? (Ask Me About LinkedIn) Q#49
Paul Ashley Jensen DTM
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Surely the best marketing message is a great offer rather than a question ? Perhaps it depends on what outcome you are looking for from your audience ... ?
For marketing messages here we are talking about
- some of the posts that you may make on LinkedIn
- and also some of the messages (Direct Messages on LinkedIn) that you may send
What happens if you offer a solution first
What happens if you offer a solution before you get to know someone ? Here are some examples:
- asking a girl to marry you after the first drink on the first date (and she is probably thinking that is odd ... "I didn’t know I was looking for a husband tonight ...")
- or standing on the train station platform at 7 am on a week day and offering random commuters the best steak in the city ... you may find one or two really hungry people ... you may even find one or two who are polite and reply “maybe later” but most commuters will probably ignore you (and your tempting offer)
Regardless of your abilities you may struggle more than just a little to provide a solution to a problem someone doesn’t think they have
Why is a question better ?
(1) If I ask you a question then that doesn't presume that
- I know you
- you have a problem
- or that my solution would be of interest or value to you
(2) A question (rather than an offer) is more likely to start a conversation and if I can start a conversation with you then that will allow me to:
- get to know you
- your current situation
- your goals
- your current challenges etc
- and build some trust (rapport)
(3) If I ask a question then there is a greater chance that if you aren’t interested in that topic that you may suggest someone who is
(4) Also questions can usually be made shorter - and shorter messages are always better than longer ones. A sentence or two is more likely to be read than a screen or two (espcially on a mobile screen)
Side note 1: Some examples of questions that may be useful: (1) Would increasing your public speaking skills improve your career opportunities ? (2) Do you know anyone who would like to increase their opportunities on Facebook ?
Take action: (1) think about the challenges that your audience are facing (2) consider questions that may help to start conversations with your audience around those challenges (3) then see where you can take the conversation ...
Side note 2: Are open questions better than closed questions ? All depends on the nature of the questions and the audience ... the more important perspective is do your question start a conversation with your audience ?
The essence of LinkedIn is effectively sharing your own high value content targeted to a specific audience to encourage mutually beneficial conversations that create the opportunity of converting your audience into your customers/connections
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Side note 3: This is an example of a message on LinkedIn which ran over several screens on a mobile device ... not sure if they got the response they wanted to this message:
"Hi (your name) Thanks for your message. I hope you are keeping well during these uncertain times. I have thought very carefully about what I can offer you and your team in terms of building confidence and morale at this time.
I believe that we can all learn valuable lessons from history during this crucial period. As a result, we have designed a live online presentation exploring lessons from the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic that I hope you can use. We will examine the current situation and make comparisons with what has happened before in terms of economic, social and national implications. Alongside (More names of more people I don’t know), I will deliver a fully interactive presentation to your group via Zoom for a time and group size that suits your needs. All technical assistance for the talk will also be managed by us at no extra cost.
We have had a tremendous response to the online talks we have already delivered and I would be delighted to discuss your own particular requirements.
Please reply to me here or contact (name) via email at (Email address) for more details.
We hope we can be of help at this difficult time.
Stay well and best wishes,
(senders name)"
Nobody likes to be sold to, but everyone loves to buy
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4 年OK so I stopped reading the last example after being addressed too personally...... How do they know my team does not have morale! I didn't like the post and it would not have engaged me, the shorter ones were much more appealing. As for is it good to start a conversation/message with a question, I think it depends on your audience. As a mum by the end of the day I don't want to hear any more questions, I just want easy to understand, direct statements, but early in the day, before the kids have worn out my brain I would be more receptive so it may also depend on the time of day for some people? It would depend on your demographic, and when you post possibly
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4 年I love the way your article is engaging throughout with the questions. I feel this in itself makes the whole point you're making... it's own example of your point. Great and inspiring writing Paul!