The Power of Okay

Zak, my favorite 2-year-old in the whole wide world lives in Phoenix with my son. I was fortunate to spend Halloween weekend with him. As most toddlers are, Zak is the CEO of the household. (He has a big sister who also gets her way, but, today, we’re talking about Zak.)

One thing I find particularly endearing about my little guy is that he doesn’t say “yes”, he says “okay” when you agree with him.

It’s not always easy to agree with him, because he talks in the mysterious code of a toddler learning language.

Zak has A LOT to say. It’s just that some of his words are nearly impossible to decipher. So, I have to guess.

For instance, when he says “weeee”, he wants me to put Bluey on the TV. Got it.

Sometimes Zak goes into the kitchen and looks and points and says “wan [something incomprehensible].” It’s up to me to determine what he wants.

Do you want chips? Noooo! Grapes. Noooo! Milk. Noooo! Yogurt. Okay.

Okay is how I know we’re in agreement.

On another occasion:

Wan peace. Peas. Okay.

Hey. I’m getting good at this. (Peas are this veggie snack that Zak loves.)

Zak’s “okay” is more than agreement. It’s our connection and understanding.

The fact is that we all desire to have connection and understanding. According to Greek philosopher Aristotle: "Man is by nature a social animal."

So, as we use machines (AI) to make content to feed machines (algorithms), it feels incomplete. I understand the imperative to create content to get an audience to act. Content needs to compel others to take action.

At the same time, the messaging we use needs to resonate through an emotional connection and the audience needs to feel understood.

When your brand communicates, are you just shouting “wan [something incomprehensible]” and hoping your audience guesses what you need? Or are you taking the time to decipher their true needs and “mysterious code”?

Your audience is not a machine and wants to hear a human voice speaking to their needs and frustrations. You need to embrace technology to compete, but you also need to validate your connection.

Communication works best when you find that moment of recognition where the person on the receiving end says “okay.”

“Okay” is when they connect your message to their experience. “Okay” is when they feel understood. It’s the moment where trust is built and action follows.

#marketing #marketingstrategy #contentstrategy

Katherine Hunter-Blyden is a CMO Partner at TechCXO. She is a senior marketing executive with P&L management experience. As a full-stack marketer, Katherine's experience includes brand strategy, advertising, digital marketing, sales promotion, product management, pricing and market research. Katherine helps businesses meet their goals with data-driven, quantifiable results.