Little Annoying Noises

Filed in archive Business Tips on January 12, 2010

© BarelyFitz


Ever sit somewhere really quiet, like a doctor's office or a traffic court and some little noise keeps bothering you? I don't mean like someone's cell phone they forgot to turn off, but something smaller, like squeaky boots or someone's sniffles.

Ever notice how those obnoxious little sounds completely blot out your concentration? You think, "that is so annoying!" And then think you should stop thinking about it and concentrate and soon realize all you're thinking about is trying not to think about it—and on and on? It's the most irritating thing in the world, isn't it?

Now take a moment to consider your marketing. Are there harmless little noises getting in the way of your message? I'll use your website as an example. You have a beautiful flash site. It's sleek, informative and interactive. It's even user engrossing. But you've got one ad on the side that clashes with everything you're saying. Maybe it's a partner ad, or worse Google ads, but the user gets totally distracted and focuses in on that one detail completely forgetting the rest of your website.

Even more hard-hitting can be company reputation. You have great, market-savvy ads and commercials but some executive gets caught in an affair. It's not even your marketing that's the problem, but that little annoying noise blocks out everything else.

Sometimes we can control these noises and sometimes we can't. But the goal is to make our message crisp and clear. If your marketing looks great but doesn't seem to be working, be on the look-out for an obnoxious distraction. If you can't find it, talk to clients, consumers and even your competition. Sometimes it takes an outsider to point out the problem. Then, put all your effort into fixing what you can.

What do you do to stop that annoying little noise?