Let loose the lion of truth

Saint Augustine once said. . “the truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.”

In these days of misinformation and fake news, some people find this hard to believe, but nonetheless, it’s true. A more succinct way of saying it is “truth will out.”

This precept is the best argument for free speech, whether it be constitutionally or corporately protected. The truth will triumph over lies and falsehoods in the marketplace of ideas when people enjoy freedom of speech, religion, and thought.

It's also the best argument for truth in advertising in a marketplace of goods and services blessed by freedom. Marketing communications and advertising suffer from a reputation for honoring this principle in the breach. Consumers indeed have been lied to, and as a result have become skeptical. Hyperbole, platitudes, and hackneyed business speak are all too prevalent.

That kind of writing, the result of lazy, facile craftwork, isn’t worth reading. Terryfic Writing strives to live up to its motto: writing worth reading.

That requires drilling down to the actual needs the product or services you’re promoting satisfies.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a useful framework. Basic needs must be satisfied before higher needs. At the base of the hierarchy are the basic things we need to survive—food, water, shelter. At the top is self-actualization. Writing worth reading must address where the product or service is positioned on this hierarchy.

Peter Drucker once said “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole. In fact, you can take it to the next level. No one really wants a quarter-inch hole—the hole itself is a means to an end, to view through a wall, to insert a round peg. Establish what the customer’s real need is and the path to writing worth reading becomes clear.

It may sound like writing is an exercise in psychology, That’s because it is. You must put yourself in the mind of the prospect, understand their needs, how their mind works when going through the stages of purchasing, and craft copy accordingly.

Obviously, deceit is anathema to writing worth reading. Good marketing communications create durable customer relationships with high lifetime value. A false value proposition can generate trials but not repeat business. One and done customers are antithetical to the kind of customers successful marketers crave.

Trust is the most important asset. Brand reputation and credibility are hard-won and easily lost. Your premise must be your promise, and your promises must be kept.

For a no-obligation consultation on how to create writing worth reading and customers worth keeping, contact Terry Nugent InMail, mobile @ 708.334.8414, or by email ([email protected]).

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