Why your brand voice is likely hurting your sales

(and what you can do about it)

There’s a good chance your brand voice has been corrupted.

Like when your aunt was visiting that one time, and she clicked on the big red button that said she won a free cruise (while she was using your laptop, of course,) and now you’re left with the blue screen of death. 

But this virus is far more insidious, and there’s no blue screen of death to even alert you to anything being wrong!

Except maybe your conversion rate isn’t great. 

And your marketing efforts aren’t paying off.

So, what is this virus? 

You may have already heard of something called the “curse of knowledge,” which is defined as:

“A cognitive bias that occurs when an individual, communicating with other individuals, unknowingly assumes that others have the background to understand.”

Well, it’s sort of like that, except worse.

Think about it.

You have a toolkit of unique phrases and terms that you use freely in your online courses.

It’s an insider language that makes sense to your students and clients because they have the background and context to understand. 

I’m talking about clever and fun phrases like…

Transform from “Nervous Nelly” to “Boss Babe Betty.”

But here’s the thing, without even knowing it, these terms and phrases slip into your brand voice and ALL of your sales messaging.

That means you’re moving further away from language that’s clear and relatable to your target audience. 

We need to use THEIR words to grab their attention and to persuade them to take action.

How would your ideal prospects express their wants and needs? What about their problems? 

They’re probably not thinking to themselves, “I really wish I could transform from Nervous Nelly to Boss Babe Betty.”

It seems like such a simple principle, doesn’t it? But it’s not. And it’s not your fault that ‘insider language’ is creeping into your marketing copy.

After all, this is language you use ALL the time. It’s second nature.

But now that you’re aware of the “Curse of Knowledge 2.0”, you can use these tips right away to make sure you’re using clear and relatable language from here on out:

• Get a fresh set of eyes on your copy from someone who doesn’t know the ins and outs of your offer and product.
• Check out forums and groups where your target market hangs out. Keep track of words they use and how they express their wants and problems.
• Keep a list of “insider” language as a way to remind yourself NOT to use these words and phrases when speaking to an audience that doesn’t know you yet.

Have you noticed any brands that use ‘insider’ language?
Lemme know.

Xx Sammy