Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember.

August 28, 2023 / in Blogging, Content Marketing, LinkedIn, Marketing / by Jason Terry

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Hello friends! This week, I wanted to share a great quote from Benjamin Franklin and talk about how it will help guide you with your marketing efforts.

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
– Benjamin Franklin

I have always loved that quote. And when I read it with my marketing hat on, there is something important to take away.

When you market, you are basically telling stories. The way you tell your stories can be varied including video, podcasts, glossy handouts, magazine ads, radio spots, blog posts and more. But if you look closely at all of the marketing you are doing, you are telling a story in some way.

I am going to focus on the first two parts of the quote this week.

Tell Me and I Forget

If your marketing is all about telling people how good your company is or the bells and whistles of your product or service, you are likely missing some great opportunities. We have all been taught to tune out these “sales pitch” kinds of marketing messages. We don’t even think about it. It just happens.

When I get email sales pitches that talk about features and benefits of a product or service, I almost always delete them immediately. When I get an email that sounds like a real person talking to me and sharing information that I can use (while also pointing out that their product or service might be able to help me) I at least take the time to read the email.

Sure, it’s important to share information about your company, team, products and services, but you can do it in a way that also teaches people something at the same time. And by teaching them during the marketing message, you become even more memorable.

Teach Me and I Remember

Here is an example of how you could improve a marketing message.

Traditional Message:
“Hundreds of companies in Kansas City have relied on Blue Gurus’ LinkedIn training to improve their sales and marketing efforts. We have been doing LinkedIn training since 2009. If you feel a bit lost on LinkedIn, or your company doesn’t have a strategy around using LinkedIn as an integral part of your sales and marketing efforts, please give us a call. We can do our training on site or via Zoom depending on your needs.”

Teaching Message:

“In one of our recent LinkedIn training sessions for a bank in Kansas City, there was a topic that really got the class talking. Did you know that commenting on a LinkedIn status update is so much better than a Like? If you comment, the original person who posted the status update will get an email from LinkedIn telling them you commented, and that they should join the conversation. In that moment, you and your company will be top of mind with that person. And that’s the goal of marketing, right?”

After reading those two versions, which one did you like most? In the first version, did you find yourself automatically tuning out? Did you see in the second version how I taught you something while also making it clear that I do LinkedIn training for companies?

Adjusting your marketing efforts to teach something while sharing something might be a game changer for your company. Thoughts? Let me know what you think!