“If I post the same thing on LinkedIn that I shared in my newsletter…won’t people unfollow me?”
Nope!
“I already posted about XYZ, so we can’t post that again.”
Incorrect.
“I’ve repeated myself until I’m blue in the face. I think people are going to start tuning me out.”
Nuh-UH! (Well, unless you’re a monotone robot.)
You don’t sound like a broken record… your audience doesn’t remember what you said a week ago, let alone a month ago.
Repeating your message is the best way to get the point across. The old marketing rule of 7 states that you have to say something 7 times before someone remembers it. In today’s noisy world, it’s likely MUCH higher than that. (Like, astronomically higher.)
You have to say something at least 7 times before it sticks… are you giving up before you hit the magic number?
The problem is: we’re afraid of sounding like a broken record so we complicate our message.
As leaders, we live inside our own heads. We draft the strategy, review the copy, and stare at the project plan for hours. Because the message is on a loop in our minds, we assume everyone else is tracking it just as closely.
Buckaroo, they aren't. And reading minds wasn’t likely on the job description, so they aren’t doing that either.
This matters because you can’t expect anyone — the toddler in your life, your colleagues, collaborators, partners, customers — to remember what you said unless you repeat your message enough times that it sticks. And it also has to be repeated in the right way…If you start rudely repeat-yelling your frustration because they don’t remember what you said in last week’s meeting where it was smushed amidst 17 other items...then, you just sound like a jerk face. (Don’t do that.)
When your message is repeated until is sticks, you are that much closer to realizing your vision and goals because your people are on board.
So here’s the micro-lesson: Your ‘message’ is what you want to say. Your ‘copy’ is how you say it.
You need ONE laser-focused, clear message. Repeat that bad boy as many times as you can with easy-to-understand copy that is tailored to your audience. Repeat your message until it clicks!
For example, if you are managing a tight deadline and don’t want things to fall through, here’s how you can repeat the message without sounding like a jerk-o:
Subject line of email: For Review by Sept 10: Project Strategy Doc
Body of related email: “…here is a snapshot of upcoming project deadlines”
In meeting agenda: place an overview of the timeline at the top of the doc with a “we are here” note
During live meetings: “Before we wrap up, let’s review our upcoming project deadlines”
That’s 4 different ways to clearly get your point across, without a “UGH, not this again” response.
Put it into practice: Think of one message you feel like you've been repeating lately (a strategic pivot, a cultural core value, an upcoming milestone, where your team lunch is on Friday).
Write down the message in 10 words or less.
Identify 2 new places you can deliver that same message this week using different copy (such as, adding a 2-line intro in your next team meeting agenda and pinning the message at the top of a slack channel).
Clear, concise repetition can be your ally. Just remember: clear message first, tailored copy second. Don’t yell like a jerk face.
How’d it go? I’d love to hear all about your message and copy experiments! Shoot me an email and let me know what worked well (or didn’t). And if you need a partner in crime who can help you sharpen your message and tighten your copy, schedule a virtual chai latte chat with me. I’d absolutely love to help.
P.S. Random Things I’m Loving This Week
(These are not sponsors or affiliate links… just things I genuinely enjoy and want to share with you!)
Evernote — A client has been using Evernote for years, so it made sense for me to join and dig around her notes for our project. I’m excited to learn and experiment. Send any evernote tips and tricks my way, pretty please!
My Dino Bracelet — My kiddos are back to school and I’m mourning the end of summer and missing my babes somethin’ fierce. I bought my kindergartener this mommy/son dino bracelet so that he can think of me while we are apart. (Let’s be honest, I need it more than him!)
In Person Networking — Now that my kids are all in school, it’s much easier for me to meet with folks in person. I had the pleasure of attending an intimate networking lunch last week and it was lovely. I’d love to see you in person too, if you are in the Columbus area. Just hit reply and let’s schedule it!
Nature Being Cool — The craziest, most giant caterpillar I’ve ever seen was trying to crawl into my pool last week. We think it will turn into a luna moth (which is also huge)!
