What Words Do Your Customers
Tune In To?

Their RAS Will Tell You.

 

Reticular Activating System. Write it in a piece like this and it will mess with your Flesch-Kincaid score. But, learn what it does and it will improve your marketing results considerably. How does it work? Consider this experience I had 25 years ago.

Back in the mid-90s, before pocket cell phones were invented, I flew from Wisconsin to–hmmm, I don’t remember–let’s call it Destination, Florida. I was excited about attending a weekend Brazilian Jiu Jitsu camp. About a half hour before we landed the pilot announced we would be landing in A Different City, Florida instead of Destination. No explanation why, just that there was a change. Sure enough, we landed in A Different City. 

I had no idea where I was. I picked up my bag and began the process of figuring out where I was and how I might get to Destination. People were waiting to pick me up and take me to the camp. Some camp. Somewhere. My master instructor had flown down earlier. She didn’t have a cell phone either. 

For a good 15 minutes I looked around the airport hoping to find a map of Florida. At least I could figure out where I was and which city I was supposed to be in. Maybe I could find a payphone. But who would I call?

Then, in the midst of hundreds of people talking in the airport and the announcements over the sound system, and newscasters on the TVs, I heard someone say, “Master Johnson.”

Master Johnson was the Jiu Jitsu Master running the camp! I looked around. A group of four people came down the escalator, talking about going to the camp. 

What’s that got to do with high quality writing for your marketing efforts? Lots.

An October 4, 2018 article in the Washington Post reviewed, “Reader, Come Home,” by neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf. The Post reporter, Jennifer Howard, wrote, “One of many useful studies [Wolf] cites found that the average person ‘consumes about 34 gigabytes across varied devices each day’ — some 100,000 words’ worth of information.”

Additionally, 2015 researchers found we hear about 20,000 – 30,000 words each day. 

With so many words bombarding people’s eyes and ears, how will you get your message across to them? How do you get their attention?

By learning the words they listen for. The name, “Master Johnson” stood out to me in all the noise of the airport. My Reticular Activating System (RAS) filtered through the multitude of sounds and sent a message to my conscious mind. 

I had found a way to get to my weekend workout. More accurately, the RAS at the base of my brain, got me directed toward the answer I needed. I introduced myself to the group and hitched a ride with the other martial artists to our weekend adventure.

What is the Reticular Activating System and
why does it matter?

The RAS is a small bundle of neurons at the base of the brain, just above the spinal cord. It’s a little thicker than a pencil and about 2 inches long. 

It is the collection point for the data our senses pick up. (Except for the sense of smell. Those stimuli go to an emotional center in our brain.) What we see, hear, taste, and feel goes straight to the RAS. The RAS filters the information, then sends it to the conscious mind based on our habits and preferences. 

It seems to work forward and backwards. Stimuli come into the RAS. It filters what the conscious mind cares about, and sends it on. In reverse, like my experience at the wrong airport, my conscious mind was busy searching for an answer. My RAS triggered the solution for me. 

So, what particular language do your customers have? What words do they listen for? What words trigger their RAS filter when they read the subject line of your emails? 

How does your business help them find what they most desire?

It’s a matter of getting to know them well. What drives their decision-making? What do they care about? Which words do they use to talk about it?

Is your work in the spirituality or self-improvement field? Your clients might use words such as “mindfulness” and “soul” and “intention.” (The RAS filter is an important factor in accomplishing our intentions, BTW.) Maybe they’re searching for help using words like “focus”, “high-performance”, or “purpose.”

Do you work in a business which services houses of worship? Your customers could be looking for something like “emergency response” or “how to grow a church.” 

Make sure you use those words in your email subject lines. You know how many emails you delete each day without looking at them. You’ve got to get your customers’ attention.

Do you write white papers or special reports? The title needs to include a key RAS trigger word. Then, of course, the rest of the report expands on the point of interest.

Have your blog titles and URLs include the trigger words. Those words are likely the ones they will put into the search engine looking for an answer to their question.

If you can fulfill their needs, the best way to position yourself to assist them is by showing up with the language they are looking for. Tap into their RAS triggers so you can be there when they need you.

 

Would you like help using the right words for your clients or customers? Please contact me at carmala@carmalaaderman.com or visit my website.