What is industrial marketing hyperbole and why not to use it
The definition of hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally. Now, I realize that many people believe that is precisely what marketing people use. However, that’s not true. In fact, B2B marketing people do want you to take their slaved-over copy seriously. That is not going to happen f you engage in industrial marketing hyperbole .
Identifying industrial marketing hyperbole
“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse” or “He’s as fast as the wind” – those are examples of everyday hyperbole. While you might not be using that outlandish of a claim, you could still have hidden hyperbole. When considering industrial marketing hyperbole, it is a claim about your products or services that can’t be proven or quantified. When your lead generation or sales material promotes you as the industry leader, what areas are you leading? If your product is the most efficient on the market, do you base that statement on energy consumption, uptime, or maintenance? As you can see, it’s a slippery slope when you state benefits without qualification.
Avoiding hyperbole in industrial marketing
Despite the inherent issues with industrial marketing hyperbole, you still have to promote your company. In fact, that is the heart of marketing. But there are common mistakes to avoid exaggerating your advantages. Often, I have clients that want to use “ensure” when I use “assure” in the copy – until I explain the difference. To assure means, you make someone confident. Ensuring something is to guarantee it will happen. When you insure, it’s covered by an insurance policy. I’m sure you see why you need to choose wisely. Since we mentioned “guarantee,” be sure you only use it if you offer an actual guarantee or warranty.
Proper messaging versus hyperbole
Prospects are savvier than you might think. Everyone is bombarded with advertising every day and have been for most of their lives. By the time they reach a decision-making position in business, they’ve learned to weed through the marketing chafe. Nevertheless, you must promote your strengths. That’s fine as long as you can back up or explain your marketing messages. To that end, here are some ways to validate your messages, so they aren’t seen as industrial marketing hyperbole :
1. Every advantage should have proof statements that explain and verify
2. Feature & Benefit messages should always present the feature AND the benefit it provides
3. Customer testimonials offer undeniable truths about your company’s capabilities
4. Case studies illustrate your services or products ability to meet challenges
5. When creating marketing messages stick to the facts that demonstrate your benefits
6. While you can tell about your exceptional product or outstanding service, explain the statements
To summarize, here is the best rule of thumb to avoid hyperbole in industrial marketing – don’t say it if you can’t defend it.
About the Author
Paul Kowalski (or Pappy as he is called around the office) spent over two decades working at other agencies before opening Conach Marketing Group in 2008. The early part of his career was working with Fortune 500 clients at different agencies. However, working with smaller clients was his preference. This choice was because of the impact on a client’s business growth and forming closer, personal relationships.
About Conach
When he was creating Conach, his goal was to bring those Fortune 500 strategies along with years of B2B marketing experience to small business marketing clients. As a result of focusing on business to business marketing, Conach specializes in construction marketing, financial marketing, and industrial marketing. Even though we are in Mid-Michigan, Conach provides marketing services to clients across the country.
For more information, visit conachmarketing.com or contact us or call 989.401.3202.