I've seen things...

Blade Runner fan or not - Rutger Hauer's soliloquy was an incredibly poignant moment that glorified the sanctity of life. What many people don't know is that it was also authentic: Hauer improvised the words off script. While that may be pure coincidence, I choose to believe that it's a testament to how authenticity takes things from good to great (or, in this case, epic!)

I've seen innumerable permutations of the opposite end of the spectrum. Beyond the common practice of ghost writing for corporate executives, there remains a (stodgy?) belief & practice that highly polished carefully worded messaging is "more professional" than candidly sharing one's thoughts in a less formal (maybe even grammatically incorrect or with spelling errors!) manner. Oh contraire, mon frère!

Aligned with that same (misguided) premise for polished messaging sits the equally challenged practice of marketing your company as if it were a person. We see examples of this all day, every day! "We at <xyz company> believe in the power of diversity..." or "Here at <abc company>, we invest in our communities..." Who, I ask, actually believes these virtue posts any more? Or even reads them? You know what I read (if anything) on these kinds of posts? The comments. THOSE are from human beings (usually), and by their very nature - authentic.

It's human nature for people to want to connect with other people. It's WHY the focus on AI & Machine Learning & chat bots, etc. are all evolving to emulate human interaction.

When was the last time you called a customer service line & when the automated VRU/IVR answered & started asking you to push 3 then 2 then state your reason for calling, that prompted you to say to yourself "Wow - this is SOOO much nicer than having to talk to an actual human!"?

So why do we continue to exercise the strategies & methodology to make our messaging sound like a team of lawyers, HR professionals, Risk officers, and our aunt who taught English to 8th graders for 30+ years all spent significant time word-smithing and editing and polishing it to their collective version of "perfect"? THAT version is almost invariably dumbed down to the extent that it loses most of its meaning, fails to accomplish the goals of the message, and - quite frankly - dramatically boosts the likelihood that it will be summarily ignored.

I 've seen this play out hundreds of times in email, where a CEO or executive leader sends a "personal note" broadcast to all employees. Readership is abysmal for this type of messaging! Worse, human beings currently have truly abysmal levels of trust for "voices of authority", as evidenced by a recent study Edelman conducted where perceived elitism rules the day.

If you want your messages & marketing to get actual traction, it's time to start communicating without the training wheels! Here are three fundamental elements to include:

1. Be authentic (duh!). That means delivering your corporate messaging via actual employees - or, at a minimum, amplifying that messaging leveraging those same human beings.
2. Interact. That means MORE than allowing commenting/reactions... you need to REPLY and engage in the ensuing conversation! Communication is bi-directional!
3. Make a human (emotional) connection. For example - don't just claim you're dedicated to community support and share how much you've contributed, but pursue the personal angle & associated stories with FEELINGS from actual human beings.

What are some additional fundamental strategies for effective messaging you have seen? And - what are some of the "less effective" strategies in your experience?