Judging covers.

"Never judge a book by its cover.”?

As the old saying goes. A great rule of thumb when it comes to meeting new people in person for the first time. That’s because surface-level impressions are just that: surface-level. They don’t take into consideration the deeper attributes that we can’t see like: he’s got a great sense of humor or he’s poor. Thank God my wife followed this rule when she met me.?

You never get a second chance to make a first impression ~ Oscar Wilde?(maybe)

In the world of B2B, that saying is completely meaningless. Covers are how we judge everything. Whether it’s your homepage, landing page, sales sheet, or hook to a social post, these are the split-second judgements we make when deciding whether these messages or visuals are applicable to us. Our attention spans are that of a distracted Irish Setter, so the information we see on these covers needs to do their job, fast. And that is, tell me?(the?prospect) what’s in it for ME. And quickly.

Getting judged by the right people at the right time in the right context.

Your ideal prospects are being bombarded by information. All. The. Damn. Time. So, that initial?“cover”?or first impression is your chance to stand out and get their?attention. And to get those prospects to judge you as relevant, clear, and worthy of a closer look. Whether they decide to click, explore further, or bounce depends on whether your message passed the cover test.

The job of your?"cover"

Your cover, or first impression has one job to do: get judged—and get judged?well—by the right people, at the right time. For that to happen, you need to focus on three things:

1. Relevance:?Does your message speak to your prospects problems? Will they immediately say,?“Holy?sh*t, this is about me and my problem”?
2. Confidence:?Does it give the impression that you’re the expert, the one they've been searching for??
3. Curiosity:?Is there a spark or perspective that makes them want to read more? Does the aha moment of the message want them to learn more?

Think of your?“cover”?as the first step in a funnel—it should filter out the prospects who aren’t ideal and attract?the ones who are. First impressions matter.?

B2B marketing is a series of judgment calls. Getting judged by the right people in the right way means you’re cutting through the noise and showing up as the right (or only) option.

So, make sure your B2B covers are laser-focused on the problems you solve.?

Sláinte, ???

Eric

Marjoram

Two ways I can help:

1. As a strategic advisor on B2B brand marketing & messaging strategy
2. As an external team, helping support how that message gets applied and amplified

Talk is cheap:?Book a free consultation with me to see if there's any way I can help.