Today I want to share a modern fable.
It’s a fable that reminds us of the fact that it’s HOW you communicate your ideas in your content marketing or copy that will make all the difference in the effectiveness of your marketing.
Here’s the fable…
The Fable of the Old Blind Man & The Young Ad Writer
Once an old blind man was sitting at a busy street corner in the middle of rush-hour and begging for money. He had a cardboard sign and an empty tin cup.
On the sign, he’d written: “Blind – Please help.”
But no one was giving him any money.
That is until someone special came by.
You see, a young ad writer walked past the blind man and saw him with his sign and empty cup. He also saw all the people passing by without giving any money.
And that gave the young man an idea.
The ad writer took a thick marker from his pocket. He turned the cardboard sheet over and re-wrote the sign. He put it back next to the tin cup and then he was gone.
Immediately, things changed.
People began putting money into the tin cup.
After a while, when the cup was overflowing, the blind man couldn’t understand what had happened. He finally asked a stranger to tell him what the sign now said.
The stranger told him, “Your sign says, ‘It’s a beautiful day. You can see it. I cannot.’”
The Moral of the Story: Words Matter
The moral of the story is that words matter.
It’s not just WHAT you say that influences how people respond to whatever you’re offering. It also has to do with HOW you say it.
This is true for content marketers and direct response marketers.
The content you create and the copy you write will succeed or fail based on HOW you present or say the information.
Check out these two quotes from advertising legends and you’ll see that what I am saying is not just my opinion…
“What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form.”
– David Ogilvy
– Leo Burnett
“I have learned that any fool can write a bad ad, but that it takes a real genius to keep his hands off a good one.”
Whenever I am creating content or any other persuasive words, I always spend the majority of my time trying to figure out HOW I am going to express my ideas in the most intriguing and interesting way.
Today, I want to challenge you with this.
As you are working on your content or copy, remember this fable and let it inspire you to really take time to think about HOW you’re going to express your ideas.
And if you have been having a problem getting customers, clients, or patients, then take a look at your content and/or copy and see if you can improve how you’re expressing your ideas. Then see if that brings you better results!
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