Swipe These 7 Insider “Show, Don’t Tell” Tactics Top Businesses Use, to Sell Like a Pro

Showing something to prove a point beats plain telling because you’ve got supporting proof. When I teach my toddler the alphabet and say A for Apple, it is easier to bring an apple in front of him and show him an apple. So he can relate to it better. Since the time we were kids, showing makes more sense than just telling.

Tell me, how bored were you in a lecture or training with just loads of text and no pictures or videos? Or how engrossed were you in a page-turner of a book that grabbed you by your neck; you could actually see the scenes play out in front of you?

The “Show, don’t tell” was conceptualized by a Russian playwright Anton Chekov in a letter to his brother on how to describe nature in every small intrinsic detail that the reader could see in our mind.

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”- Anton Chekov.

Marketing is no different. Copywriters and Marketers were quick to adopt “Show Don’t Tell” because showing the benefits of a product or a service rather than just speaking about it is more compelling for a prospective buyer. Some immediate examples that popped into my mind are those weight-loss ads that show a “Before and After” representation.

Let’s dig into the number of ways we can effectively show and not tell to convey a powerful message to our audience. It does not always have to have a picture.

1. Headlines and Taglines

Headlines are the hero of any Ad, blog post, or website. It’s a fact that 4 out of 5 people read the headline and decide if they should read the sales page or an article. The Ad, sales promo, or article with a punchier headline, outperforms the same piece with a bland headline.

Without a gripping headline, it’s impossible to capture a scrolling reader’s attention. If the headline is relatable, browsers become buyers. The buyers identify themselves with the product or brand. They take pride in it and will spread the word.

1000 songs in your pocket — Apple struck the right nerve by not going into the technicalities of memory and storage of the iPod. And KFC’s tagline — “It’s Fingerlickin good.” does just that. and the majority of us found ourselves agreeing with Lays when it said — ” No one can eat just one!”. Whoever says you can’t paint a picture with words?

2. Landing page

The landing page is the top spot in the website where “Show, don’t tell” can work wonders forcing people to take out their credit card and make a purchase. The strategy, if used on the home page, is a clear driver for action.

The Pinterest Home page is an example showing it’s all about discovering your passion and interests. It’s personal, inspirational while being aspirational as well.

3. Testimonials

Testimonials from happy customers act as irrefutable proof that your product or service delivers on the promise. New probable customers can see for reals how the product has changed lives for the better or how your solution worked like magic and skyrocketed their business by 125%. People can make a conscious choice and decide if your product can solve their mountain of a problem.

On a sales page or a website landing page, testimonials are strategically placed just after the benefits of the product are discussed. It is a time-tested route to steer users to the next step — a SALE or Subscribe to the email list.

4. Videos

Videos are undoubtedly the most effective “Show, don’t tell” strategy used by almost every business. It is simpler to show the product’s (software or hardware) functionality with a video snippet rather than explain technical aspects in words to B2B or B2C audiences.

Samsung’s counterintuitive reality Ad in which they wanted to prove why waiting sucks and how their revolutionary10-minute fast charge will last a good four hours on Samsung Galaxy S6.

Ahrefs, a market leader in SEO tools, uses a demo video of their product’s usage on their homepage to showcase its prowess.

Videos serve as Ads, webinar content and shareable over and over anywhere in any business summit or training or a sales strategy. So they are indispensable essentials.

5. Images and GIFs

Images are the first no-brainer choice for the “Show, don’t tell” idea. Before the onslaught of videos and online infographics, images have ruled the marketing for decades in print media using the same “Show, don’t tell” logic, and how!?

The print Ad demonstrates how Colgate dental floss removes even tiny particles(like fruit seeds) stuck in your teeth.

Where else has this worked well?

• “Show, don’t tell” was all over the place in the weight loss example I quoted earlier.
• Also, this formula works well in real estate, showing the happy, content, and proud homeowner.
• The insurance companies kept showing us pictures of how the family is taken care of even after the policy holder’s death.
• The colleges and varsities love postering cheerful, top-performing students well-placed in their careers on billboards and their websites.
• The maternity hospitals take pride in portraying a happy mommy and baby.

The list can go on and on but it’s all up to the creatives to bring on the “Show, don’t tell” to the table.

GIFs

Businesses these days even use Gifs to make a powerful statement like this Amazon’s Gif about surprising your loved ones. Gifs make a light-weight substitute to videos.

6. Infographics

Who doesn’t love infographics? They are a graphical display of key data or information with images, charts, numbers, and minimal text. Data is memorable and easily digestible in a pictorial infographic than paragraphs of text.

A complex business solution can be split into separate chunks or expressed by a step-by-step path to reach the desired outcome in an infographic. They can be easily printed out as marketing materials. They are also extensively shared and well-received across social media.

According to many research stats like these, people buy 30% faster when they are prompted by visuals. And people also remember 65% of the information they see in an infographic as compared to only 10% of the textual information.

7. Case studies

Case studies tell the story of how one of your happy customers achieved a result with your product or service. They are under-rated, yet high returns marketing assets based on social proof and emphasize the context where a solution can be valuable.

Businesses can easily re-purpose the case study into blog posts, videos, or printed brochures. They attract new customers by building trust and speeding up the decision-making process. HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report 2020 reports that nearly 13% of marketers use Case studies as their primary promotional media, making them the obvious choice right after visual content, blogs, and ebooks leads.

You can check out this repository of 400 case studies in almost all markets Yale school of management has put together as a reference.

“Show, don’t tell” gives businesses an added creative freedom to express their brand in a unique, unconventional style. The competitive market forces copywriters and marketers to use diverse methods to seize and sustain the distracted customers’ attention or risk losing them in a blink.

This strategy can be mixed and matched and rendered to suit any business and, therefore, an exceptionally bankable tactic to build a brand’s credibility. The authentic proof in the Ad stands out and makes a strong connection, thereby drawing potential prospective clients closer to the sale. Have you tried the “Show, don't tell” strategy in your business yet?

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