Whether you’re sending traffic to a squeeze-page or straight to a long-form or video sales letter, you must prevent prospects from immediately checking-out mentally when seeing your headline. We call it “preventing mental opt-out”. And it’s what ensures prospects don’t come to your page, immediately say, “Ahhh, I’ve seen this before”, and then bolt off to somewhere else on the web.
If the idea behind your headline and copy (video salesletters included) doesn’t immediately strike prospects as something new, fresh, and different… they will mentally disengage from your message… believing they’ve heard it before and it’s of no new value to them.
This is why…. in many markets… especially more sophisticated markets… going with a straight benefit or big promise headline is usually not adequate. Because, in many markets, they’ve seen almost every believable promise or big benefit that can be made. And, if they see it from you, it becomes just another “me-too” promotion that leads to immediate “mental opt-out”.
To prevent this “mental opt-out” your marketing message needs to be built on a big idea. An idea that is new, fresh, and different. An idea that peaks prospects’ curiosity. An idea that promises an exciting benefit from a unique mechanism, source, or event. An idea that immediately strikes the prospect as something they haven’t heard or seen before. And, therefore, an idea that is like news to them.
Now don’t be fooled… coming up with a big idea is no easy task. It takes time. It takes a curious mind. And it takes being open to atypical connections between your product/service and things/events going on in the world.
At the same time, the investment of time spent thinking to come up with a big idea for your marketing is one of the most valuable things you can do for your business. Because it’s your big idea that cuts through all the clutter in your marketplace, grabs your prospects attention, peaks their interest, and gets them to consume your marketing and sales message.
Question: Got an example of a big idea from your market or one you’ve used in your own marketing? Share it. Leave a comment by clicking here.
