This is actually a subject that I never thought I'd be writing about, but today at the Warrior Forum, somebody brought it up and I thought it would be a good topic for an article. Just a disclaimer before I begin. I am neither for or against profanity used in the context of Internet marketing. I am simply pointing out the pros and cons and why you might or might not want to use it. What you ultimately do is up to you.
First, we need a little background info on why I chose to write about this today. The thread at the Warrior Forum essentially was a rant against using profanity. The thread starter felt that there were better and more effective ways to express oneself and that by using profanity, you essentially make yourself look stupid and/or unintelligent. Again, I am not going to agree of disagree because the issue isn't as black and white as this person makes it out to be.
Like it or not, profanity exists in our culture. Some people would say that sending soldiers to war to die is more profane than any four letter word you could possibly think of. I'm not sure I would argue that point. But like I said, profanity exists so we need to accept that much. However, that doesn't mean we have to use it ourselves. That is always a personal choice and one that I will defend to the death.
But is there a time and a place for profanity?
Again, whether or not you like it, there have been some very well known comedians who have practically made a living out of the words that come out of their mouths... and not all of them pretty.
Just off the top of my head...
Robin Williams Richard Pryor George Carlin Lenny Bruce
These are some pretty big names I'm coming up with. Love 'em or hate 'em, they have all had amazing careers as comics and are practically legends in their own right.
Imagine what would have happened to them had they not based a good part of their routines around a lot of profanity, especially George Carlin and his seven words you can never say on TV. It may very well be the routine that defined him.
Okay, I know what you're thinking. That's comedy. There's a place for profanity in comedy, but NOT when it comes to Internet marketing.
Really?
How many different products and markets are out there in the world? Would you say quite a few, with entertainment being one of the main niches?
What if you were promoting a "how to do stand up comedy" e-book and were trying to reach a certain market? Given the world that we live in today, yes, one that is filled with profanity, especially at the stand up level, do you not think that your ideal prospect is one that could possibly respond to ads or content that had profanity in them? Wouldn't you at least want to test it to find out?
And that's just one example. What about the self improvement niche? There are a lot of self improvement gurus who use profanity in their lectures to get a point across. Sometimes you just have to use a bad word in order to strike the right chord with the audience. Isn't that what stand up comics do?
So the question becomes this, provided you're not morally against the use of profanity, because if you are, none of this is going to matter. When DO you use it? When is the RIGHT time and place? How do you know?
This all comes down to market research and nothing else. You have to understand your target market and what they respond to. How do you do this? What's the procedure?
Best thing to do is to look at OTHER marketers and see how THEY are reaching their target market and more specifically WHO their target market even is. Naturally, if you're selling gardening books to little old ladies from Pasadena, you're probably going to want to stay away from profanity.
But what if you're selling a book on how to do rap to young rappers who want to be cool? Don't laugh. I may not be able to relate to rap or that generation (I always said that rap was crap without the "C") but if I'm going to sell to them, I better understand them and I better know what kind of language they use.
There are a lot of marketers who will say that this is just selling out your principles, that this is doing what you have to do in order to make a buck. Well, like I said, if you're morally against profanity, don't use it. So nobody has to sell out anything. But if you want to connect with your target market and every other word out of that target market's mouth is "F" this and "F" that, if you can't speak their language, you won't connect. And if you don't connect, you don't make sales.
And for those who think only idiots use profanity, think again. Some of the brightest people in the world have been known to use it when the situation absolutely called for it. Sometimes, when others are behaving badly, the only appropriate words to describe them and their behavior are very bad words. Anything less just doesn't get the point across.
Bottom line is this. Whether or not you like profanity, it's a part of our culture. Many people use it. A lot of those people buy things. They may actually buy things that YOU sell. In fact, some of the things that YOU sell may be popular BECAUSE of profanity. Or do you really think somebody buying George Carlin's CD with the words you can never say on TV is buying it because they think George Carlin has a nice speaking voice?
If you're going to be a successful Internet marketer, you don't have to use profanity. I never do in my newsletters and articles. But you DO have to leave your prejudices at the door. Because one day, you might just find yourself selling a product in a niche to a target market that doesn't respond well to "Thank you kind sir, may I have another?"
To YOUR Success,
Steven Wagenheim
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