The Dirtiest Word In All Of Marketing

Dear Friend and Subscriber,

I’m no stranger to four-letter words. I’ve used my fair share of foul words in life and they’ve landed me in more hot water than I care to admit. But when it comes to the workplace, there’s a word so dirty, so vile, and so foul that people will treat you as if you’ve spoken an epithet.?

But it isn’t just saying the word that gets you in trouble. It’s believing it when you say it. It’s the implementation of this word that causes people to rebel against you as hard as they can.?

Seriously, if you have the gall to go to your place of work and use this word, it’s only a matter of time before the lazy idiots around you start plotting mutiny.?

And that word is none other than “accountability.”?

Now, maybe you’re one of the fortunate ones. Maybe you’re one of the lucky few with a system of accountability in place that people respect. But if my experience and the experience of so many others is any indication, that’s not you.?

And it makes sense. People are lazy by nature. People want to give the least while getting the most. This isn’t new. It’s been this way since the dawn of time. But even if you understand this, it doesn’t get any easier.?

While some of this is understandable (corporate greed is a real thing), even modest expectations have a tendency to stir the pot.

People also hate change. Especially when that change means a tighter ship and performance standards. Anytime you go where people are used to “easy mode” and start cranking up that difficulty, don’t expect a warm reception. And possibly expect to lose your job.?

And, surprisingly, this is how many business owners respond to me about their marketing. And this one is truly puzzling. Especially when you consider the current state of the economy.

If you’re a small business owner, you’re putting your own money on the line when you market your business. So imagine my confusion when I receive dismissive looks at the statement, “Anyone and their dog can use social media and it’s very difficult to track its effectiveness. Most of your energy should be spent on direct response channels.”?

I thought it was a fluke. But then I saw a survey saying 60% of small business owners use social media as their primary marketing tool.?

Now is probably a good time to mention another psychological phenomenon: cognitive dissonance. You see, people don’t like conflicting statements in their thinking. We like neat little boxes where everything is consistent and fits together.

Cognitive dissonance means we tend to dismiss ideas that conflict with our present beliefs.?

I’ll admit it took longer for me to figure it out than it should have. But if you’re not sold out to the degeneracy-promoting mirage called social media, you’re fighting an uphill battle when you talk to any marketing manager.?

But is it any surprise? Social media is easy, cheap, and popular with zero accountability (and no, vanity metrics don’t count). All the things humans love! So when you tell someone that something they’ve fallen in love with is bad for them, of course they’re not going to listen.?

Stockholm syndrome has its name for a reason.?

(By the way, I'm not talking about running legitimate ads on social media platforms. You can track how many people buy, cost per lead, etc.)

So if you try to put your business on a healthy dose of direct response marketing, you’ll likely be met with severe pushback unless you’re the owner.?

Sincerely,

Sean Ryan

P.S. Make sure you head over to www.seanryancopywriting.com to grab my free marketing guide for small business owners.