Have you ever thought about how a coffee machine works?
Have you ever noticed how machine-made coffee is so much better (and consistent) than the instant kind?
It takes longer, but it’s definitely worth the wait. See where I’m going with this?
So often we (especially us entrepreneurs) leave our patience at home and try to rush things.
Coffee machines drip slowly so that the flavor is properly absorbed into the water. We should start doing the same with our marketing.
Don’t worry, I’m especially guilty of being impatient. I jump around from idea to idea like a caffeine-infused spider monkey in the jungle.
Wouldn’t we do better to commit to an idea and let it sink in first?
Why Idea ADD is Bad for Marketing Your Business
You see, when we keep jumping around with our marketing methods, we start to confuse our audience; that, my friends, is the enemy of success.
I call this the side effects of confusion Toothpaste Effect. Let me explain.
Back in the day there was Colgate toothpaste and Crest.
When a housewife told her husband to pick up toothpaste he knew he had to get Colgate (red) versus Crest (blue). Easy enough to distinguish.
Fast forward to today. Have you passed through the toothpaste aisle lately? Holy cow!
Each major brand has a gazillion varieties of toothpaste. How the hell do you know which one to buy, and who the hell has time to look for it on the shelf?
Choice Paralysis
Ultimately, confusion leads to choice paralysis. You don’t know which particular variety of toothpaste you’re supposed to buy so you consider them all, including brands other than Colgate.
Marketing ADD = The Toothpaste Effect
Idea ADD in marketing has the same effect in a way.
When you have too many different marketing strategies going on, your audience experiences choice paralysis.
What happens is they don’t know which idea to buy into. That’s when your buyer will start looking at your competitor to compare their approach.
Drip Your Idea
Back to our coffee maker (there’s that idea ADD), if you drip your ideas a little at a time (and one at a time), you give your audience a chance to buy in.
Consistent, slow drip marketing is truly effective because it encourages your audience to believe in your brand.
Drip marketing shows your audience that YOU believe enough in an idea to stick with it. It makes your brand more authentic and trustworthy.
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