While communicating, it is important that an organisation is careful not to do the following:
a. Overcommunicate, or what is called information overload.
b. Redundancy or repetition.
Unfortunately, many organisations are not keen enough not to cross these lines. On the contrary, they think that the more information they push out to their customers, the more they connect with them. They keep repeating the same thing over and over again with the hope that it sticks in the minds of their customers and keeps them on top of the customers’ minds. An example of such communication is promotional messages sent by companies to our phones.
Just because a customer interacted with your product or service does not mean that they should be added to a mailing/texting list. It unfair to them because they neither signed up to it nor were they consulted before being added to it. What these organisations do not understand is that in mind of the customers, these messages are persistently irritating. When something is irritating, one automatically tries their best to avoid it. That is why we believe that promotional messages work against brands, and for the following reasons:
- Noise – In the world we live in, noise has become a huge distraction in our lives. There are numerous attempts to reduce screen time, kill notifications, have a set time to check your phone etc. All these are aimed at increasing ones attention span in an increasingly distractive space. Therefore when a notification from a promotional message appears, it adds to the noise that your customers are vehemently trying to block.
- Resentment – In business, there nothing as catastrophic as when customers begin to resent your product/service. One of the reasons why customers would end up resenting what you offer is when you consistently send them messages that have no value to their busy lives. This resentment begins to happen subconsciously and it becomes so ingrained in the mind that the customer that they deliberately choose not to associate with your brand anymore. Consumers are won when you appeal to their self-interests. Promotional messages don’t appeal to their self-interest. They actually work against the self-interest of time preservation.
- Loss of customers – After resentment in comes withdrawal. Your customers begin to pull away from your annoyance, and immediately flag down anything that reminds them of it. They end up looking for alternatives in an attempt to get a similar service with fewer irritations.
- Profit loss – Anyone in business knows that customers are a very important asset to any business. If you lose them, you lose revenue. When you lose revenue, you shut down. When customers no longer find your company ethical, then they don’t see the need for promoting your business.
It’s important that products and services adapt to the spirit of being rare while still being alive in the minds of their consumers. It’s a tricky balance but it is achievable. Instead of bombarding customers with messages, organisations could try creating experiences that last. Find ways to entrench memorable experiences or stories in your client’s hearts and minds.
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