In this post, discover five ways to overcome the dreaded curse of knowledge and make your marketing more powerful—and waste less time in the process!
[Meghan] When you’ve been in your industry for a long time, you have a hard time remembering what it was like before you had so much experience and expertise.
Eventually, it becomes harder to relate to your prospects. You forget how it feels not to know what you know.
[Theresa] What Meghan is talking about is commonly referred to as the “curse of knowledge” or the “curse of expertise.”
You become so familiar and skilled in a subject or field of business that you talk to your prospects as if they have the same level of understanding.
[Meghan] Inevitably, you end up talking to your target market in ways that may disconnect you from them. And, that’s the opposite of what you want to do in your marketing!
In fact, you want to be on the same wavelength as your target market in your marketing. Otherwise, you won’t be able to communicate with them. You’ll be speaking in a language they don’t understand or talking above them at a level that’s too advanced.
[Theresa] As you can imagine, this negatively impacts your messaging and marketing, which leads to missed opportunities. And, we can’t have that!
Meghan and I want to maximize your time and efforts so that you optimize your marketing productivity. So, let’s talk about some ways to beat the curse of knowledge.
1) Avoid Jargon
[Meghan] One way to stop the curse of knowledge from interfering with your marketing is to avoid jargon.
This can be tough since you’re so close to the subject area and to your services. You live, eat and breathe this stuff, so it’s second nature to you.
[Theresa] But, every person comes to you at a different point in the buying journey and with a different level of awareness.
Some prospects have little to no knowledge of what information they need or what solutions are available in the marketplace.
Others may have been searching for help for a while, so they’re more familiar with your area of expertise.
[Meghan] Either way, you’re the expert and have more experience and knowledge than they do.
So, if you use industry lingo or terms that are overly technical or niche, you run the risk of struggling to communicate with them. Jargon will impede your marketing, so don’t let it get in the way.
[Theresa] For example, if you offer business coaching and you call it “multidimensional frequency training,” no one will understand what that means.
Yes, you want to differentiate your methods. But this flowery, jargon-y verbiage will repel most prospects because it’s confusing and unfamiliar.
Your target market won’t understand what it is you do or the value you deliver.
[Meghan] Furthermore, if prospects don’t know the terms you use, then they aren’t Googling these phrases. So, not only will you confuse prospects, you’ll also hurt your chance of them finding you online.
[Theresa] So, stick with the terms and language that your target market uses and understands. Focus on using straightforward language that anyone can comprehend. Make your marketing accessible to a wide range of potential customers, regardless of their level of familiarity with the industry or product.
2) Simplify
[Meghan] That’s right. Your marketing will be more effective the simpler it is.
Speaking of which, our second suggestion to overcome the curse of knowledge is to make things super simple. Make your marketing easy to understand and relatable by including the basics and communicating at the level of a middle schooler.
[Theresa] So true! It’s impossible to return to the time before you were an expert. However, you can assume your audience isn’t as informed as you are and simplify concepts.
To you, the basics are old and boring. But to a prospect, this information could be helpful and insightful.
[Meghan] While other marketers are busy complicating things, your simplified communication of the basics could be eye-opening for someone!
Theresa and I would talk about this when we were first starting the podcast. I’d mention super basic topics to her. She looked at me like I had a third eye in the middle of my forehead! That’s because she assumed people knew certain things about goal setting and productivity.
[Theresa] That’s a true story! The curse of knowledge prevented me from seeing that people may not have a clue about the basic fundamentals of productivity and goal setting. And, this proved to be true since some of my more downloaded episodes are the ones that talk about the basics.
[Meghan] Another takeaway here is that just because the basics are already widely discussed online, that’s not a reason to skip them.
Your audience wants to hear your perspective, especially if it’s unique or different. And, that’s a good thing to embrace because it can build your authority and trustworthiness.
[Theresa] So, simplify your content topics, your marketing, and your messaging. This will help you to avoid overwhelming prospects, which is important because confusion and overwhelm lead to less conversions.
In other words, when you confuse, you lose.
3) Include Stories and Examples
[Meghan] Another tip to stop the curse of knowledge is to include stories and examples in your marketing. There are a couple of reasons why this strategy works so well.
[Theresa] First, stories and examples explain and clarify information in a highly relatable and engaging way. Second, they convey concepts and emotion, which will help you connect with your audience.
[Meghan] And third—and this one is the most important of all—they provide context and relevance.
Unfortunately, when you’re experienced, a lot of times you overlook context and relevance. You may be more abstract in your communications. But, by their nature, storytelling and examples provide perspective and show why something matters (in other words, relevancy).
[Theresa] By the way, these stories and examples could be from your personal experience. They could also be from your customers, clients, or case studies.
Another option is to craft a narrative and make up a story or example. But, beware! The curse of knowledge could get in the way. Real-life anecdotes may be easier and more reliable for your marketing.
[Meghan] The purpose is to make your marketing more relevant and relatable. Prospects will appreciate a good story or example more than a list of facts!
4) Consult an Outsider
[Theresa] A fourth strategy to help you overcome your expertise when marketing is to consult an outsider. Run the marketing material by a person outside of your industry to get feedback.
Use their reaction to gauge whether your marketing will appeal to less informed people and whether it’s easy to understand.
[Meghan] I’ve used this tip multiple times. However, it’s sometimes hard to find people who are either willing to help or who are true outsiders. Often you’re surrounded by business colleagues. Or, after a while you run out of people to ask.
So, consider getting someone else to create your marketing materials for you. You could hire a content strategist or consultant like me to help. Or, there are copywriters and marketing agencies that specialize in messaging.
[Theresa] An outside perspective helps to avoid the trap of assuming that everyone knows as much as you do about your product or service. As a result, your marketing will be more engaging and enticing. Plus, you’ll potentially save time and effort.
5) Slow Down
[Meghan] Alright, our last tip to overcome the curse of knowledge is to slow down. Go over things at a slower pace in your marketing. Try not to omit any steps on the customer journey. Address most objections. And, incorporate the emotional and intellectual arcs necessary for prospects to arrive at a decision.
Admittedly, this is the hardest one for me. I’m impatient, so I get frustrated since it can take prospects a while to process information and make decisions. I want the pace to move faster!
[Theresa] That is no surprise to me! I think that’s a common frustration for many marketers.
You see, with the curse of knowledge comes a big blind spot. You can’t help but underestimate the time it takes for others to reach the conclusion that you’ve already arrived at. So, you end up rushing through the steps necessary to persuade your prospects.
And if you miss too many steps on the path to persuasion, you’ll risk convincing people to say yes.
[Meghan] You need empathy for your prospect’s dilemma or situation. But this is challenging since you’re so far removed at this point. Heck, you’ve solved the problem, and you need no convincing!
The result is that you want to rush the buying process. You skip stuff since you assume your prospect knows what you know. And that means your marketing will miss the mark.
[Theresa] To avoid this, think of yourself as the helpful guide people need on their journey. Be patient and thorough! Slow down and give prospects the time and information they need.
Fight the Curse of Knowledge by Knowing Your Customer
[Meghan] I think it’s safe to say that you’ll always battle the curse of knowledge in your marketing! The key to success is to put yourself in the shoes of your prospects. Communicate in a way that resonates with their needs, priorities, emotions, and perspectives. It’s about them, not you.
It always helps to understand your target audience. That’s why marketers are always emphasizing the need for customer avatars.
[Theresa] But even if you don’t have an avatar or you’re just starting out, trial and error will guide you. Don’t be afraid to try different marketing messages.
Give them a shot. Then pay attention. Your audience’s response will let you know what is or isn’t working.
[Meghan] One last thing I’ll mention here is that the curse of knowledge can plague more than your marketing. It really gets in the way if you’re creating an online course, running a webinar, or training people. So these tips can help with other areas of your business too!
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