Meet Ime - My Online Alter Ego
So when selling online, shouldn't we then be considering how the buyers of our
products react online - and is there a difference to their online and offline behaviour?Here are some of the factors to take into consideration about how people might behave online - for you to consider when approaching potential clients when making a sale:
Firstly, we tend to create a different persona when engaging online.... More often than not, your online space becomes 'your personal living room' that can be accessed from any computer screen anywhere you might find yourself. And in the same way you would shed your work-clothes when you step through your front door, so too you invisible inhibitions when accessing your online living space. The technical term for this is the 'disinhibition effect' creates the alter-ego 'iMe' character online and will involve some, if not all of the following:
1 - You Don't Know Me
The glorious anonymity of the internet means that when communicating on the
internet, most people can't tell who you are. For the most part, people only know what you tell them about yourself. This anonymity works wonders for the disinhibition effect.
What iMe does is almost separated from my real world / offline RealMe persona. I can say what I like, do what I like, buy things I wouldn't normally buy, and nobody in my real world will be any the wiser. There's almost a complete disassociation to their iMe behaviour - that can, should they so choose, be kept very private or conversely be made very public.
What does this mean in the world of sales? Remember to package your product in such a way that would seem more interesting than you would otherwise describe it in the 'real' world - if you can throw the spice of 'clandestine' into the mix, you'll probably have hooked them.
2 - You Can't See Me
Many of us would explore places online that we wouldn't otherwise feel comfortable going into in the real world. For example, a woman might feel really uncomfortable walking into Anne Summers in broad daylight on Oxford Street - but will happily browse around the Anne Summers website without any fear of being discovered. Invisibility gives people the courage to go places and do things that they otherwise wouldn't.
They say that 80% of communication is non-verbal... Seeing a frown, a shaking head, a sigh, a bored expression, and many other subtle and not so subtle signs of disapproval or indifference can slam the breaks on what people are willing to express in person. So optimising the 20% communication skills is where your iMe needs to thrive, bearing in mind that your reader's iMe persona will be doing the same.
3 - See You Later
The time it takes for people to interact with each other online via email, for example can take minutes, hours, days or even months to reply to something you say. Not having to deal with someone's immediate reaction is disinhibititng. It feels safe to simply put things 'out there' where it can be left behind...
In sales this is valuable: you can post something and have returns on that investment a long time after something has been posted. Meaning that you're able to have more ways of reaching your target demographic than you would otherwise have access to. Using facilities like Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Videos are all effective in get the message about your product across effectively.
4 - It's All in My Head
When reading things online - whether it is your words or those of somebody else - the words all become merged into one. Reading another person's message might be experienced as a voice within one's head, as if that person magically has been inserted or 'introjecting' into one's psyche.
As the character now becomes more elaborate and 'real' within our minds, we may start to think, perhaps without being fully aware of it, that the typed-text conversation is all taking place within our heads, as if it's a dialogue between us and this character in our imagination - even as if we are authors typing out a play or a novel. We may be subvocalising as we read, thereby projecting the sound of our voice into the other person's message.
Therefore, when selling, or creating a sales ad - remember to use very easy-to-read language, again, aimed at your target demographic of iMe's: language they would feel comfortable using. For example, don't go using 'Sloany English' when selling the latest set of trainers to you under-25 street-wise kids.
5 - We're Equals
In most cases, everyone on the internet has an equal opportunity to voice him or herself. Everyone - regardless of status, wealth, race, gender, etc. - starts off on a level playing field. Although one's status in the outside world ultimately may have some impact on one's powers in cyberspace, what mostly determines your influence on others is your skill in communicating (including writing skills), your persistence, the quality of your ideas, and your technical know-how.
Remember then too that your iMe Selling persona is on par with the owner of a company or head of department that you would otherwise not have access to. The words you write have as much weight as theirs would - and in cyber-space they've shaken hands with you and are standing (or sitting) listening to you with a rapt expression for the brief time it takes them to read what you've written. So use that time well.
So to Summarise
IMe online personas subconsciously put this hat on as soon as the computer screen flicks on - and wears these labels rather proudly on its front:
You Don't Know Me
You Can't See Me
See You Later
It's All in My Head
We're Equals
Keeping these five factors in the forefront of your mind when communicating your belief in the product you're selling will put you a few steps ahead of your competition, since it's a whole different world out there (or is in 'in here')?
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