On my recent trip to California I was entering a char-broiler burger restaurant, what the folks on the East Coast would call a diner. Their menu is as varied as any diner and I want to assure you I was dashing in for a salad, nothing more… really!
Located in a strip-mall, the eatery is next door to an exercise studio. As I opened the door a sign in their neighbor’s window caught my eye. The studio’s brash marketing technique was a poster that stated “Don’t Eat Out! Workout!!” Of course I had to take a photo with my iPhone.
This in-your-face message made me cringe—not that burger and fries inspired guilt, but out of disgust for how “un-neighborly” it felt. The questions that whirled through my mind sabotaged the messaged they probably thought was quite clear. I was left wondering if there was a lingering dispute between these mini-mall neighbors, or if the fitness business was trying to sabotage another business. Ouch. It just felt ugly.
People will remember negative messages. I had seen this studio before and had thought that it would be fun to go spinning there on my next trip to Southern California. However, their sign will stick with me. I’ll remember it and now I’m less likely to think that it would be fun to exercise there— if they affront their neighbors in that manner, then how would they treat me?
Catchy at a cost. The simple sign posted at the studio was very clever. Someone was a terrific word-smith to come up with the phrasing, however they lost me as a customer. If I was turned off, are they losing other potential or established customers? Are they losing goodwill with their next door neighbor? A television commercial for a top credit card would say what they are losing is “priceless.”
Lesson Learned. At Mac and Cheese Web Marketing, we recommend that clients when blog writing they keep their messages upbeat. The poster hanging in the window makes this point more eloquently. Keeping your message upbeat and positive builds valuable rapport with your readers, aligned businesses, and even your competitors. And hopefully, people who feel good after reading your posts, will come back to read more or purchase goods and services in the future. Ultimately – that’s the goal.
