The curse of knowledge

If we both stood by a table, and I asked you to tap out a well-known tune…

…What are the odds that I’d be able to identify your melody?

30 years ago, scientists at Stanford University put it to the test…

They gave a group of “tappers” 25 tunes like “Happy birthday” to communicate, just by knocking on the table.

The “tappers” estimated that the “listeners” would be able to guess correctly at least 50% of the time.

In reality…?

The listeners identified just 3 of the 120 songs tapped out.

So why did the tappers think they were getting their message across 1 time in 2 - when they were actually getting their message across just one time in 40?

It’s simple. They could hear the tune they were tapping out in their head - so they thought it was obvious.

They couldn’t imagine what it was like for the listeners not to have that context.

Chip and Dan Heath, who relate this story in their book Made to Stick, call this “The curse of knowledge”.

It’s when you know so much that it’s difficult to relate to people who know less…

…And you can’t communicate to them in a way they can understand.

Now, we’re not used to thinking of knowledge as a curse or a burden.  

But it can be both, when you’re trying to market your aesthetic clinic or medspa.

You see, you know your treatments inside out - including lots of very detailed, technical knowledge.

You know exactly how each one of your devices works.

You know the key ingredients of every cream and serum…

You can precisely describe the impact of your treatments on the body (using all the correct scientific terminology).

If you’re a doctor or a nurse, you understand facial anatomy and stay up-to-date with the latest research relating to aesthetics.

As a professional, you need that knowledge to do your best work. In fact, the more knowledge you accumulate, the better you get!

And your staff - including the team members handling your marketing - are also very knowledgeable about all your treatments.

The problem is, all this knowledge can make you a very bad marketer.

It’s too easy to focus on information that’s important to you, and that makes sense to you….

…rather than on the information that’s important to your leads.

Here are a few examples…

I recently received an email from an American clinic giving patients the chance to win “20 units of Botox”. What does that mean to someone in their 40s who’s never had Botox before? Probably not much.

Or what about the following offer, which popped into my Inbox recently: “Purchase 3 TCA peels and receive a complimentary custom D.O.S.E”?

It’s gobbledygook to everyone but die-hard patients.

But the curse of knowledge is about so much more than jargon.

It’s also about the kind of information you’re sharing…. How much you’re sharing… And also what you’re leaving out!

Take a look at this threadlift promotion I received last week from a clinic in Australia:

Just look at all that dense information about “polydioxanone”, “Monofilament threads” and “biocompatible products”….

…And that long paragraph about the different types of threads.

It’s the exact kind of stuff you’ll want to know when you’re weighing up whether or not to offer PDO threads in your clinic.

And I’m sure that the clinic was eager to provide useful, detailed information to their readers.

Successful marketing is all about getting into the heads of your patients, leads and prospects, and figuring out how to talk about your treatments in a way that they understand…

…And which makes your treatments appealing to them.

But now imagine yourself as a teacher… or office manager… or lawyer, opening this email at the end of your day, and trying to wade through all this technical detail.

Will any of it make any sense to you? Nope.

Will any of it interest you? Nope.

Most importantly from the clinic’s point of view - will this email make these readers sit up and think, “You know what, I could really use a thread lift. I really MUST book a consultation to discuss it right now”?

It’s really unlikely. Actually, it would probably put them off.

That’s why, when you market your treatments, you have to release yourself from the Curse of Knowledge.

Successful marketing is all about getting into the heads of your patients, leads and prospects, and figuring out how to talk about your treatments in a way that they understand…

…And which makes your treatments appealing to them.

That shift in perspective is actually not that easy to do, which is why so many clinics struggle with marketing that truly resonates.

But that’s what we create day in, day out for our aesthetic clients.

Looking for powerful marketing for your own clinic?

Drop me a line today.

Miriam Shaviv is creator of Inbox Express, the library of marketing emails for aesthetic clinics and med spas, designed to make your marketing effective and easy - and send the right messages to your patients as you re-open after Coronavirus! Find out more here.

She is Director of Content at Brainstorm Digital, which helps aesthetic clinics and med spas get patients through their doors again and again – without the headache of costly online advertising.