The Awesome Power of the Aha Moment

I’m a big believer in what I call the “awesome power of the aha moment.” You know, like in a movie when the character you had pegged as the villain turns out to be the hero. Then you flash back to all the points along the way where… yep, sure enough… the signs were there. And you give a mental tip of the hat to the movie makers and think, “Well done, people.” Those moments stick with you.

In marketing, it’s that transformational instant when a prospect connects the dots on why your offering is unique or better, why you can be trusted to deliver on your promises, or how a relationship with your organization will benefit theirs. In my writing, I’m always looking for opportunities to create those kinds of moments. Thankfully it doesn’t take 90 minutes and a bucket of popcorn. In fact, sometimes it only requires a sentence or two. But that spark of recognition still leaves its mark.

Here’s an example. I wrote this for a marketing firm client of mine that wanted to make it clear that their goal is connecting with prospects, regardless of what medium is currently “cool” in agency circles:

From leading-edge digital to “old-school” print, we engage your audience in whatever ways the research dictates. Because when all eyes turn to you in the status meeting, nobody is asking how, they’re asking if.

If you’re like others I’ve asked to read this, it takes a split second for your brain to make the connection: they’re not asking how you got results, they’re asking if you got results. Aha.

I say on my About page that “the power of a persuasive text passage is the closest thing to true magic you’ll ever find.” If that’s correct, aha moments should be an essential element of all the spells we marketers cast.