Boring is a choice, and it’s time to write boring a “Dear John” letter. Boring says to audiences: We don’t care as much as we could about your needs. Great communication is always in service of your audience: their learning, entertainment, inspiration, and optimism. The burden of clarity is always on you—shifting that tax to your audience is off-putting. (highlight to tweet) Boring happens because we don’t take on the burden of slashing content, doing less, finding the best way to present great information, and experimenting with new ideas. We fall back on old ways that don’t tax our creativity and habits because we don’t want to work too hard or risk too much. It’s time for us to bear the tax, not audiences. Make and tell stories focused on making people’s lives better. Imagine the fun and relevant content to come out from that approach! Every touch can be an experience that makes people smile.
Audiences are desperately saying, “Stop Boring Me!”—so much so that I chose it for the title of my latest book, published in October of 2016.
Boring your audience is not just a mere marketing inconvenience. Sure, we all want to rock presentations, talks, and marketing and have people riveted. We’re told, “Don’t be boring,” and yet there is a ton of boring stuff out there. (I am looking at you, B2B.)
How can any company engage an audience if their content isn’t engaging?
The good news is this: It’s fixable. You decide. Boring is a choice, and it’s time to write boring a “Dear John” letter. For good.
The “Boring” Tax
Boring is more than a minor thing. There is a premium to be paid: an insidious, high-priced boredom tax. Boring says to audiences:
- We don’t care as much as we could about your needs.
- We aren’t willing to try new things to reach you, so we’re falling back on what’s comfortable and easy.
- Our time is valuable, so you must bear the burden of creating meaning and relevance from what we put out.
Audiences aren’t buying it, and they shouldn’t have to. It’s time to break the habit. Today, all communicators are like contestants on Survivor, and your inability to adapt gets your butt thrown off the island of customer relevance. Customers are voting.
And I know from experience that, yes, there are boring industries and products. But boring is still a choice, regardless of whether you are a bank, a sheet fitter manufacturer, or other “scintillating” service or product provider. There is always a way to take what you do and present it in a way that is un-boring, and everyone can do it!
The Transaction-Based Mindset Needs a Reset
“Boring” is shifting the burden of messaging clarity to the audience. Most audiences simply won’t—and shouldn’t—pay that tax. They have too much vying for attention. If we’re not willing to work harder, be better, and engage in a more meaningful way, than we will be filtered, as we should be. The bar has gone up, which, I think, is good news. The worst thing to happen to marketing today is, well, marketing!
Great communication is always in service of your audience: their learning, entertainment, inspiration, and optimism. The burden of clarity is always on you—shifting that tax to your audience is off-putting. When you lose your audience, you often don’t get them back. (highlight to tweet)
Boring happens because…
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