It’s Not Just Words: The Importance of Empowering Your Audience
The U.S Presidential election is something I’ve followed quite closely in the past few months. Politics is a thrilling topic for me because I’m fascinated with how politicians play the game of power.
It’s kinda like reality TV. Serious individuals deal with real life issues while competing aggressively against each other to win your vote. You have all the power in this battle of wits.
They’re all putting on a show, trying to push your buttons and trigger those emotions deep down inside. They want you on their side, because you legitimate them.
The battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is electrifying. Clinton has asserted that Obama is running a campaign ‘on just words’ and his empty rhetoric eschews discussion on policy issues that matter. The Clinton campaign has made this a main point of attack, apart from claims of Obama’s inexperience.
Clinton’s suggestion is strange because electioneering is simply a game of persuasion. Each candidate’s stance on the various issues, along with their senate voting record is available for public consumption but not all seek it out. We want to solicited by the candidates themselves, through rallies and television.
We want to test them with live questions and see how they behave in public. We want to hear it all directly from their mouths. Speeches are an essential method of presenting ideas and they have been used since time immemorial in lectures, courtrooms and political rallies. Rhetoric is a necessary function for social interaction.
This is what Obama said in reply to Clinton’s accusations that his candidacy is just based upon “words and hopeful ideas“:
One should note that Obama’s campaign slogan is Change We Can Believe In and and his official website offers this message: “I’m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington… I’m asking you to believe in yours”
Alec Baldwin (yes, the actor) isn’t a political journalist by any long shot but I think his recent commentary on the Presidential elections offers a nugget of insight:
Hillary Clinton would make a fine president and I think all reasonable people know that… Her problem is that Americans, in any given election cycle, can become inflamed with a true passion for change that can only exist in a country like ours. She does not represent that change as well as Mr. Obama does.
This is interesting because this suggests that mirroring your audience’s wishes is a pathway to gain their acceptance or support. According to Baldwin, Obama has seen success because his background and personality effectively embodies the very notion of ‘change’ itself.
Obama’s speeches are emotionally engaging and are skillfully delivered to nurture his audience’s belief in themselves. All politicians do this. But Obama has exceptional oratorical skills and his opponents recognize that.
I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty bits about Clinton or Obama’s virtues/defects because this article is not meant to endorse either candidate. This isn’t an article about politics but rather, persuasion and the value of words.
The Ultimate Form of Marketing: Shared Goals and Audience Empowerment
Image Credit: moty66
Words are important because they convey messages. They are vessels for ideas. On top of serving as a communicative tool, words can be used to influence the way an individual thinks, feels or acts. They are especially potent when they empower individuals and unite them towards a collective dream or goal.
This is how revolutions are started. Because someone wrote a manifesto, made a speech and the message resonated with another. More words are written, more words are spoken and the dream grows larger day by day. The same applies for any business or website: the more people talk about your message, the more you grow.
Empower your audience with the task of fulfilling a common dream, one that can and must be achieved through your blog, tool, service, product or brand. You must develop shared objectives and encourage your audience to achieve them with and through you. You must represent what they love, trust and believe in.
When people purchase Body Shop products, they believe that they encouraging community trade with Third-world nations. They believe that they are avoiding animal cruelty and fostering the growth of environmental awareness. Their slogans clearly identify and promote a collective vision of the world: “Support Community Trade, Activate Self Esteem, Defend Human Rights, and Protect Our Planet”
This is the ultimate form of marketing. Why? Because when you become so deeply associated with a vision, you move beyond selling. You have become an essential component of your audience’s lives. And one that is meaningful beyond words.
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As usual, a great post. I agree wholeheartedly that “rhetoric is a necessary function for social interaction.” You points about the power of rhetoric are right on. I would say though, that it is funny to see any politician saying that another politician is “just words.” Bit like the pot calling the kettle black don’t you think?
Definitely funny to hear a politician claim that. Words have a lot of power. Any marketer who has even a little bit of success knows that. Sometimes even the smallest change makes a big difference in the success of a campaign.
My question is this: how do you go about determining and then developing a shared objective? I think you have to do more than just ask your audience and have a feel for where they are at. What do you think?
In the blogosphere, this will work exceptionally well - but in my experience, a large chunk of the American population doesn’t believe they hold any kind of power. They have no true ambition outside of paying off their credit card and buying that gadget they don’t need.
However, it is for this fact I like Obama. Maybe, just maybe, he can get people to wake up to the power inside them.
Great post and so valid. Ever since caveman first grunted, groaned and dragged his cave-woman off for wild times - the world, your world has evolved from the words chosen then used. Words have started wars, ended wars, killed people, made people fall in love, get divorced and anything else you can imagine.
The first Candidate which answers this question to the best of their ability will become the next President.
“Why should I choose you to become the next US president over and above every other candidate?”
Words are so powerful and when used properly can inspire people to accomplish the impossible. Hilary and Barack are using words so carefully during the election because they don’t want to destroy each other and leave the election to John McCain. Neither Hilary or Barack have inspired much change as Senators so far but they believe they can change American politics if they get elected President. Whoever wins the election will have their hands full convincing the House and Senate to work together to solve our problems.
I saw an interesting poll the other day about who they thought the best US President was. Out of 10 responses listed in the newspaper, 9 said John F. Kennedy was the best US President ever. They all thought he was courageous, powerful, intelligent and a great leader. He left a lasting impression on everyone even though he was president less than 3 years. I bet at least 5 of the people quoted in the poll weren’t even born when JFK was president but they still admired him.
JFK was well spoken and used words to inspire everyone. His speech where he said “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” united our country and inspired us to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade, just as JFK wanted. His words brought everyone together on a united mission to accomplish this seemingly impossible task. When he made the request we had just sent our first man into space. Words are so powerful so use them carefully!
Thought provoking stuff - and a great video clip.
Picking up on Chris’s point #3, maybe something like this?
It’s not just words - because there needs to be something behind it - the hope, the belief and the vision.
Which means you’re not mirroring your audience - but they can see something of themselves reflected in you, your words (and deeds and actions) touch something that had become buried, lost or dispirited in them.
Joanna
Thank you, Joanna, that was a great reply to my question!
And ToeCracker… you’re saying that the candidates should have their own USP… I love it!!
Hey Chris, yes, regardless of what you sell or offer, you always need a USP. The candidates are no different. They needs to hit the emotional triggers of the hungry crowd of voters they all seek.
This is an extraordinary article. Aren’t we all tired of superficial nicey nice sales pitches. They don’t treat me as a person, not to mention intend to be part of my life.
I’d rather work with select clients who really believe in what I have to offer and the value my services represent. Needless to say, I strive to build a long-term relationship with them, and that’s where blogs come in so well — it is an ongoing communication, not a one-time sales pitch.
Thank you as always for your great insights.
I am a recent subscriber to DoshDosh and I thank you all for the this conversation. May conversations like this one happen all over America and the world as I believe they call us to be our best selves. As I read and thought about the power of words I went to my “inspiration” file and pulled these “words” to share.
Do what you can where you are with what you have. Theodore Roosevelt
You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.
–Woodrow Wilson
Or these “words” from friend and author Glenna Gerard, “We hold the present and future of our world within our circle of conversation.”
Thank you all.
I like you comments LaDonna Coy. Words are so powerful. Your post reminds me of when I was speaking at a seminar in Dallas, TX in May 2005 on ‘copywriting and advertising’ and my words moved a man so much in the audience - he proposed to his girlfriend in front of everyone. The whole place erupted when he did that and she said ‘yes’. It’s a moment which will stay with me forever as a true magical experience - all down to words and triggering an emotion.
I have to say: your blog is in and of itself a lesson in how to blog effectively (and I myself should be taking the lessons I’ve learned in your blog). Your blog is one of the few that I ALWAYS check for new posts (and I subscribe to a LOT of blogs) and it’s because you never post crap (something I’m very guilty of doing) and never sink to gimmicks. You always post substance and this post is proof of that. Your post ignited my emotions because what you’re saying is something that I know, but the way you are presenting the information is so exciting that I find myself “unlearning what I have learned” (thank you, Yoda).
Anyway, I just was very impressed by your post. It’s timely, but it’s also chock full of substance and hits on everything people come to your blog for. I’m not usually a person to gush in comments, but seriously: your posts always impress me, but this one majorly so.
I have nothing to say really but this is a pure gold post.
And on Obama:
“Change is the only constant”
He clearly represents that statement.
Some great thoughts there, Maki. I guess when you hit the sweet spot your target audience members say I would like to have said that, but you do it so much better.
Hillary Clinton ws Barack Obama
It`s a great battle. But we need facts! Not just words!
I have always found American politics fascinating as well (I am a Canadian). I admire how you used the current Democratic leadership campaign as a compelling analogy for empowering readers.
I have been thinking a lot lately (thanks in part to your posts, Maki) about how to apply this to marketing and it seems to me that as a marketer, I want to truly engage the reader so that I would earn their trust.
Further, for me, I think the way to do this, to differentiate myself, is to take some risks and share with readers my innermost feelings about marketing, motivation, and making money.
Femina your comment: “It`s a great battle. But we need facts! Not just words!” I agree with and disagree. Yes, you do need facts and they come from the correct words. When anyone B.S.’s it’s still words, either written or verbal.
The correct words which outline the facts will answer the question I outlined in my original post, will give you and all voters the facts you seek.
@ Matthew Peters
Exactly… it is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Hillary uses a lot of the same rhetoric in her speeches as well. Politicians will often seek to defuse the favor shown to their opponent’s arguments by claiming that the message behind it is vague, unrealistic or empty. It’s an age-old strategy based on the negation of value through the use of fallacies.
@ Chris O’Bryne
Take a look at Body Shop. They are an excellent example of how shared objectives and a common vision is created and used to not only make their products attractive but induce customer loyalty. How you create a shared vision depends a lot on your business and monetization model. If you are selling products, you need to focus more on brand meaning… for example Apple doesn’t just sell gadgets but an entire lifestyle with a strong focus on design and minimalism.
If you are working online, a shared vision can easily be made visible through the use of the right slogan/tagline, which is extremely important because all people see are graphics and text on the web. The objective you choose should probably be one that is relevant to the online content or service you are offering. For example, if you’re writing about productivity, a shared objective can be integrated into your site in the form of long article series which represent a specific goal…. while leading visitors to achieve it. This is a form of a mini-goal, one which supports the overall direction of your site.
An example is 43 Folder’s Inbox Zero. It’s a subset of the productivity theme and one that resonates with many users. Most people want to manage their inbox effectively and clear all their daily emails. Merlin Mann knows this and he highlights this problem/goal prominently on his website (you can easily see it in the footer). A collection of mini-goals based on real world problems can each contribute towards a shared objective, one that may be more vague and emotionally engaging (Towards a Clutter Free Life etc.).
I shall write more on this topic, hopefully sometime next week.
@ Ted Prodromou
I think the emphasis on rhetoric has really accelerated since the television started to dominate public discourse in the first half of the 20th century. Some scholars have suggested that JFK beat Nixon in the elections because of the television. Kennedy’s speeches combined with his handsome appearance was a stark contrast against Nixon, who often appeared haggard and uncomfortable on TV. Words are increasingly important in today’s world because they have been given so much weight by mass mediums like the television or the internet.
@ Joanna
That’s a great way to develop a shared objective!
@ Akemi
You’re welcome!
@ LaDonna Coy
Welcome to Dosh Dosh! Nice to see you commenting. I haven’t seen the quotes you offered and they are fantastic. I particular like the Wilson one…. the idea of having a duty to enrich the world is quite important and one that we would all do well to remember. It would certainly make the world a much better place.
@ Kelly
Thanks for all the kind words! I’m really happy to see you enjoying the stuff I put out… it makes the whole process ever more fulfilling.
@ Femina
I think we need to understand that the electioneering process necessarily involves the use of rhetoric. It’s a game of who woos the most voters to their side by either putting out a great speech or slamming an opponent. Facts can also be used as weapons of deceit…for instance, in straw man or slippery slope fallacies. It’s an inevitable part of the political process.
@ ToeCracker
Cheers for all the comments, you’ve been very active here!
@ Everyone
Thanks for all your comments…I appreciate it!
While I usually don’t follow politics that closely, Twitter has made it quite enjoyable for me, with minimal effort. While still not as into it as you appear to be, it’s becoming more interesting every day. Great post.
Twitter @thattalldude
I don’t agree with your posty at all~
words and talk are great and all and every good bullshitter can do this~ It’s called a CON. When it comes to walkin the walk can Obama deliver?
I donot trust the guy for one, his bragging style on doing cocaine and buying it whenever he had the chance! WTF? and he shouldn’t be held accountable for his actions?
This alone should be a huge RED flag about his charactor and ethics. People want somoeone they can up look to and believe in, to get the job done, not a song and dance around a ring man.
what example does this send to kids “Do cocaine and you too can become President, yeah”
Hopefully the people will see thru this facade. Obama is a hypocrite, and misleading to the People in my American eyes~
ta
hb~
Wow. Lots to digest here, Maki. I like how you wove the ideas of the campaign into things that matter to us as blog owners — it’s all the same thing really, isn’t it. Words, pictures, and creating a compelling vision. Yes, Body Shop does a good job of it and so does Aveda actually. When I buy, I feel like I am really a part of something bigger than me — like I too am saving the rain forest or helping in ways I dream of but don’t have the time or energy to tackle alone. As for the candidates, I think one challenge Hillary has is that she is not the new kid on the block. So even if she can implement an awesome health care plan, she doesn’t represent change as much as Obama does — we’ve seen her around, our reticular activating systems in our brains don’t see as her as fresh and new, and we head for the new. I’m not saying that’s the only reason many will equate change with Obama, I’m just saying that, like on our blogs, websites, storefronts, keeping that vision fresh and new goes a long way. Lots for me to apply to my own ventures, thank you.
Twitter @EricaRKrieger
“Because when you become so deeply associated with a vision, you move beyond selling. You have become an essential component of your audience’s lives.”
That’s perhaps the key to going from an average blogger to a top blogger–really believing in your message and expressing it passionately and consistently.
If your audience sees and feels that you truly do have a lot invested in your chosen theme(s), they’re much more likely to respond favorably and with sustained interest.
This is a great post that I whole heartedly agree with. I think the Obama example is perhaps even more profound than is understood by modern media. In fact I think today’s reports are the media trying to interpret what’s happening, but it hasn’t been seen is so long so no knows how to describe what they are seeing and hearing. Obama has the power to enliven the audience and convert them to his movement. It’s amazing, check out more analysis on Obama here
http://managedq.com/search.php?q=Obama+moves+crowd
Me personally I was voting for Ron Paul
. Neither Clinton or Obama would have gotten my vote.
It is great that you have really touched on a powerful concept that is pretty astounding. When you ask someone else what you can do for them, and do it, and support their project, more often than not you foster more loyalty and they offer to reciprocate. It is a skill worth mastering and reminded me earlier today of the writings of Thomas Merton in which he tries to determine how to truly be unselfish while knowing that the greatest blessing comes back to you when you don’t expect it in return. Very well written article Maki!
One only has to look back to Jimmy Carter to see a president that wanted “change”, with no practical experience on how to change. You can’t wish away all the world’s evils as Obama would like. Carter was a good man, he got nothing done.
Better is always different, but different isn’t always better.
Change for change’s sake is dangerous and though it appears in a nice package with flowing words and fainting women, change in the wrong direction can be devastating.
Is there a candidate that Torontonians want to win? Or are they split just like those in the US?
Words are among the few tools we as humans can use to communicate with one another. It’s kind of…insane… to state that words lack weight. That is, until we become floating brains and can unleash a barrage of telepathy upon one another. Hmmm…
I own a Video site and as soon as these elections started nearing their height I started getting comments on non political videos that are just crazy all to do with hillary or obama . The video that was commented on was an animal video , somehow they managed to relate the struggle in the animal world to the political struggle that is ensuing(Very inventive) .Heres the actual comments , scroll to bottom to see them.Just amazing. omgvids.com/wild.php
The obamanator has schooled you well, he has.
“All politicians do this. But Obama has exceptional oratorical skills and his opponents recognize that.”
You are very correct.
“Words are important because they convey messages. They are vessels for ideas.”
Yes, except the obamanator’s words lack substance or depth. No facts and no tactics. Cotton candy for sheep. That is exactly at the core of the obamanator’s message - nothing. But he says it well.
This is the smoke & mirrors of late night infomercial hucksters and their ‘turn-key-quick-wealth-on-easy-street’ carnival barker pitch. This is the rhetoric of the imagination - a wish in one hand and s**t in the other. This demagogue illusion is most potent when ignorance and dependence is expertly exploited. And people let him - no! swoon for him - to do so.
“This is how revolutions are started.”
Yes. And the twentieth century paid for it bloody world wars.
Politicians, or products, or ideas. Ethics, conscience & morality matter. Choose wisely, and remember, you’ll always get more of what you pay for…
Great article. But isn’t the converse also true here? While Senator Obama has positioned himself as working with his supporters, hasn’t Senator Clinton removed herself to an extent. As opposed to Senator Obama’s catchprhase of “Yes, we can,” Senator Clinton many times comes across as saying “I can, if you let me”
It really is like watching a reality show. I have NEVER been in to politics but this year has been pretty entertaining to keep up with the debate footage to say the least.
This is exactly why I’ve dubbed my website “A daily reminder why we like it here”.
and also why you’ve dubbed yours “helping you make money online”.
When you put words together just right and and hold’em while keeping a pure aim, words really have ways of getting points across, and matched cross-points really have a way of making hubs! Too bad so many people use marketing for evil, because I really believe marketing could be used to make a better world! Only that shouldn’t be called marketing, it would be more like “wakening”.
Going back, I belive words were how Presidents like Lincoln, JFK, and FDR kept this nation going in the difficult times. I mean look at what the words, “before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth” accomplished.
Words opens ones ears to listen. The meaning of those words is what resonates to your heart. Obama has skillfully empowered everyone listening that they all belong in his bid to become President. Listen to his words, listen to how many times he uses “we”, “us” or “you”. This is how you engage people to feel they belong to a cause. Classic Dale Carnegie stuff.
Great post!
Well written and some great points especially this one:
“According to Baldwin, Obama has seen success because his background and personality effectively embodies the very notion of ‘change’ itself.”
Keep it up.