“Life is not a dress rehearsal.”

It might be cliche, but it’s some of the most powerful life advice I’ve ever gotten.

Anyway, as great as that advice is, it’s easy to forget to apply it some times. Especially when you’re marketing online.

You get into a groove and start taking people for granted. This usually happens on an unconscious level. You already “have” the visitor, prospect, or customer… in your mind at least. The pressure to keep impressing them goes away.

The other night, I watched a season finale of a TV show with my wife…

And in this show (which just so happens to be super girly and embarrassing to admit I watch!), the finale fell flat. Instead of delivering on some HUGE expectations they built up over the season, it just… fizzled.

Why?

I think a big part of it: the show had just been renewed for two more seasons.

The show creators thought they “had” viewers locked in, but they probably ended up losing a good chunk of them because they didn’t deliver with their best stuff.

What’s this have to do with you?

I wanted to share a perspective I’ve been kicking around lately. I’m hopeful it’ll help you transform your business:

What if you treated EVERY communication with your audience like a “season finale” that had to deliver?

Imagine how much treating every message like it were your list could change your business!

It doesn’t matter if you’re on a shoestring budget or swimming in gold like Scrooge McDuck. It doesn’t make money; it takes attitude. Anyone can embrace this.

This goes beyond the “nuts and bolts” of copywriting like headlines and bullet points. Those are important, but this mindset transcends them. It bleeds into everything you do… whether it’s a sales page, video, or customer support email.

Every interaction with your audience is another opportunity to wow them and make them feel valued…

Or take them for granted.

And it’s 100% up to you!

This could be your “secret sauce” that makes you stand above bigger, well-funded competitors… people who hide behind big budgets and stock photos.

Does your copy have any “dress rehearsal” moments?

Any messages where you’re mailing it in?

Every interaction counts.

It’s time to go through them with a fine-toothed comb because it’s season finale time, baby.

Go here if you need help.

So, there’s this cat that lives across the street.

I use the term “lives” loosely. This bundle of sass and orange fur spends about 75% of her time chilling in my yard. Or sunning on my doorstep.

(Not a bad life I say. But I digress…)

Anyway, the way this cat behaves–let’s just say it makes it abundantly clear why I am a dog person.

Every time I try to be too nice to this cat (her name’s “Monkey” – makes things confusing), she glares at me and slips away to my neighbor’s house.

But when I ignore her–when I step over as I walk up the stairs without even batting an eye?

She EATS it up.

The people you want to become your customers are like this. They’re kittens. Not puppies.

Puppies are happy all the time. Forever loyal. Alway ready to play.

But kittens are fickle. Come on too strong, and they’re out of there.

I’m not saying you should IGNORE your potential customers…

But you can’t NEED them.

The difference between wanting someone and needing them is the difference between a happy marriage and counseling sessions for codependency.

This neediness might be shining through in your marketing messages.

Standard copywriting advice: show your enthusiasm! Get excited!

That’s important. No one wants to buy from a robot. But it’s easy to take it TOO FAR…

You end up trying to convince anyone and everyone that your product is “right for them.” It doesn’t work. You’re bathing yourself in the putrid cologne of Desperation.

So take a second to go through your copy:

Is anything coming off as too “try hard?”

Don’t be afraid to piss some people off.

Don’t’ be afraid to put up some velvet ropes.

You aren’t trying to sell to everyone.

It’s a balance game. Want them (but don’t need them) and you’ll have those kittens purring on your lap in no time.

Go here for help.

I’m working my way through Stephen King’s Dark Tower series.

It’s 50% western, 50% fantasy… and 100% weird.

Highly recommended.

Anyways, one of the main characters in the series got me thinking about split personalities.

She’s one person with two completely different women trapped inside her…

“Odetta Holmes” is a highly educated, refined woman concerned with civil rights activism in the 1960s.

“Detta Walker,” on the other hand, is a shoplifter and scammer. She’s a racist and a complete sociopath.

We never know which woman we’re going to get. The schizophrenic personalities fight for dominance in her mind, nearly pulling her apart.

I won’t give away any more details because I don’t want to spoil the books.

But Odetta/Detta reminds me a lot of the way people are running their businesses online.

Way too many people are classifying different parts of their business into silos. Cordoning them off with imaginary ropes in their minds.

“Marketing” is something entirely different than “product development” or “customer service.”

And so on.

Despite how people are interacting online is bringing all of those things closer together.

That confuses some business owners who are comfortable separating their activities into separate boxes… but only because they’re unwilling to question their assumptions.

Now, these activities are “flavoring” each other in how people perceive your brand. It’s more obvious than ever before.

And that doesn’t have to be a bad thing!

My philosophy: everything you do is marketing. Whether it’s good marketing or bad marketing is up to you.

There’s no reason to separate these things mentally. There’s no need to wear different hats in product development, marketing, and customer service.

It’s all about building and strengthening relationships.

Studying copywriting can help you write more compelling blog posts.

Writing compelling blog posts can generate the feedback you need to create new products.

Etc.

So get quality content out there, and do it consistently.

Stop worrying about “marketing,” “customer service,” and other meaningless distinctions.

Focus on what you can do today to build the best relationships you can with your customers.

The rest will fall into place.

One of the most compelling parts of storytelling is the ritual.

It doesn’t matter if you’re reading a business website, watching a movie, or just listening to a friend at lunch.

There’s a song and dance that goes on.

The scene is set.

Major players are introduced.

Those players run into problems.

The tension ratchets up until you just can’t take it anymore…

And then: BOOM!

There’s a climax, and a resolution.

This goes for every type of story. It doesn’t matter if it’s a engaging web copy or Hollywood’s latest romantic comedy.

We all know how the basic pattern goes. We’ve been exposed to it since we were little kids.

The ritual is part of what makes storytelling so powerful.

With all the changing trends and technology out there, it’s nice to have something you can rely on.

Something familiar.

Something comfortable.

Everyone’s worried about the latest, greatest traffic generation strategy. Or the new split-testing tool that could increase opt-ins by up to 3%.

I’m not saying that stuff can’t make a difference. It can (and certainly does)…

But it’s more like the proverbial “icing on the cake” than the main course.

The best content marketers focus on the essentials: telling irresistible stories.

They weave spells with their words that build relationships and drive sales.

They tap into the full potential of ritual to win people over.

Their content is good, but it’s also consistent.

People come to expect it – like a morning cup of coffee.

Is that what you’re giving them?

Or are you letting visitors lose steam ad motivation to buy from you?

In a world of chaos and endless distractions, wouldn’t it be nice to give your visitors something they can count on?

You can do that for them.

You can get more people to know, like, and trust you if you’re willing to be consistent with your content.

This can be your “secret sauce.” It can trump a lack of resources or experience or other shortcomings that put you at a disadvantage to your competitors.

And the more often you tell stories, the better they’ll get.

You can see what works and refine your message. You can set expectations – and over-deliver on them – while your competitors’ inconsistent efforts turn them into strangers in their visitors’ minds…

But only if you get started right away.

I don’t have to tell you we’re drowning in information.

With a few keystrokes, you can tap into an ever-expanding repository of statistics, opinions, and advice that makes the Library of Congress look like a neighborhood newsstand.

There’s no shortage of online business advice available.

Gurus have made millions peddling hope, instant results, and get-rich-quick schemes.

So access to information is at an all-time high…

But most of it is toxic.

99% of it is about as useful as a piece of chewing gum you stepped on in a parking lot.

“Listicles,” social media feeds, and celebrity gossip make up most of the average user’s online diet.

They offer a quick hit of pleasure, but nothing substantial for a discerning business owner like yourself.

They’re empty calories for your brain.

It’s easy to waste a lot of time on this stuff. It happens to me if I’m not careful.

What we put into our heads shapes the quality of thought that comes out of them.

You wouldn’t expect to get a six pack eating pizza every day…

But many forget this principle when it comes to their information diet. They chow down on empty words and sound bytes. Then they wonder why they’re struggling to grow their business.

If you want to have a better understanding of what it takes to run a successful business, maybe it’s time to consume better information.

Ray Bradbury, one of my favorite authors of all time, urged aspiring writers to “feed the muse.”

He encouraged them to fill their minds with short stories, essays, and poetry. To draw information from a variety of quality sources so it could rattle around inside their heads. Bradbury credited much of his creativity to practicing this throughout his career.

I think it can also work for businesses.

That’s why I’m on a mission to consciously improve the quality of my information sources.

We can’t absorb all of the stuff out there, and because most of it’s garbage, we don’t need to.

It’s time to go deeper instead of broader.

Less clickbait and tweets.

More books.

If you’re low on ideas and struggling to improve, take a look at what you’re letting into your mind.

Is your marketing muse a sedentary, overweight fast-food junkie?

Or is she a healthy, happy, organic-food loving inspiration?

The choice, as always, is up to you.