Photo by Nick J Webb

What makes a joke funny? The punchline. The punchline pulls together the story you’ve been told, and then twists it in an unexpected way. The unexpected shift bypasses what you think will happen and instead delights you with something unseen. When marketing your business, you don’t have to be funny, but you might want to strive to say something unexpected.

I call this zigging when everyone else is zagging. For example, if you’re a masseuse, your “zag” marketing message is probably one of the following:

• You deserve to treat yourself better today
• De-stress your body
• Put your body in optimal health

These are all fine messages, appealing to our emotional/physical health. But instead, how would you react to any of these zig messages:

• After you reduce your pain, what are you going to complain about?
• My last client loved my massage so much, they married me.
• I’ll relax your muscles while you relax your mind.

The point to each of these messages is that the setup is the same (pain/relaxation), but the result of the offering is unexpected (complains, marriage, or peace-of-mind).

Don’t zig just to zig. Zig when zagging is the norm and your zig is something that’ll be noticeable and significant. In the three zig examples, we’re still mentioning the key benefit, but we’re making the result of achieving that benefit something memorable. We want to create a mental “double-take”. The extra attention will get you noticed and have a better chance of being recall-able when your prospect is ready for your offering.