I’ve been thinking about Signaling Theory lately. How we say something is much more important than what we say. Is our message believable? Is it relevant? Is it important?
The reason why most of us still send printed holiday cards instead of an emailed message is because it not only conveys the importance of the message, but also the importance of the occasion and the value of the person who is receiving it in the eyes of the sender.
I was recently picked up from the airport and instead of waiting curbside in the cold, my friend got their early, parked, and was waiting inside. This told me that my visit was important, I was important.
All of our messages send messages beyond the message itself. And we can make a difference in how it is received or possibly not received at all. This isn’t to say we have control over how someone perceives what we have to say or the lens they see it through; life is just too nuanced for that. But we can be thoughtful and purposeful. Yes, sometimes a swing in the dark will land on the target and sometimes it’s worth the shot. But more often than not, we should give it some thought.
Your marketing messages are important to us! Let’s discuss the signals we want to send in 2021. Your email is important to me, your text is slightly more urgent, and a phone call tells me you really want to talk (or slightly more likely, you’re just driving).
