by Peter Knight - Tuesday, 4th September 2007 -

When was the last time you smelled or tasted something that took you back to a special place and time?
 
The same can apply to words. It’s amazing how words can unlock all the senses – causing you to feel, as well as to smell, hear and see.

However, in so many advertisements and other communications, it seems that all the time and effort is invested solely in the pictures. The words (with the exception perhaps of the headline) appear to have come as an afterthought.

Pick up your company brochure or most recent sales literature. Have a look at the “copy” on your website. Dig out your last half dozen sales letters and print your last five emails. How well are you using one of the most powerful sales tools in the world: the written word?

Carl W Buechner understood how to use words. Among his many quotable quotes, my favourite is: “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

Write in a way that causes your audience to access their own memories and feelings; this is much more powerful than asking them to imagine something new.

Always create an emotional engagement, as this will cause a more powerful reaction. Talk in pictures, sounds and smells and you’ll ignite feelings that will have a far greater impact.

I sat next to the author Mark Victor Hansen at a dinner last month and was amazed to learn that, to date, over 80 million copies of Chicken Soup for the Soul have been sold, in 37 languages. I bet every one of us has read at least one of these stories – they seem to be the sole source of those emotive chain emails that are doing the rounds.

And that’s the point: stories cause us to stop and think far more than straight facts and figures do. They get us talking and, more importantly, feeling.

Media publishers know better than most that a story of a stranded family (or, especially, a stranded cat!) in the summer floods creates a much bigger reaction than a record of the damage to property and business.

You know it works in real life, so why aren’t you telling stories in your business communications?

One of my favourite advertising campaigns (and yes, I confess I love the products, so call me biased if you will) is for Patek Philippe. You might recall the image of an extremely flustered young boy with his almost equally flummoxed father poring
over what is obviously baffling homework.

The father is wearing a Patek, although the watch face isn’t visible; just the side casing and strap are. And then there’s the superb headline, “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.”

Bingo: permission to purchase a £10,000 watch as, after all, it’s not just for you!

A brilliant proposition. Your purchase is no longer a self-indulgence (with implied guilt or regret); it’s the beginning of a family tradition, the handing down of an heirloom.

Every business has a story to tell, even those companies that believe they have the dullest products or services.

I’ve seen copywriters make insurance, even disaster-recovery insurance, seem genuinely interesting – by using emotion. I’ve also been excited about a new method of transporting concrete and found myself feeling sorry for estate agents – all thanks to the power of words.

Your business will have many tales that can be told compellingly. And remember that your audience is already interested, otherwise they wouldn’t have engaged with you in the first place – now excite them as well.

It’s simple: put more heart into your headlines, letters and emails; have your brochures and website tell stories. You’ll be amazed by the results.