😍Likability: 100 times as powerful as you think (hoarder rescuer proves it)

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Congrats on surviving the weekend, folks. I nearly froze my butt off at some kinda Santa-fest Saturday. Luckily there was a brewery on the property… indoors.

Today, I’ll show you why marketers should not underestimate how much likability matters to your audience. I’m big on likability in marketing, but my GF opened my eyes on the topic even more the other day about her “YouTube crush.”

After that, you can window shop Monday’s Marketing News and be sure to check out today’s sponsor. I’m sure they’re great Americans and likely save puppies as a side-hustle, so support ‘em please. Tiny K9s all across the land hang in the balance and so do I.

Brand Likability

So, the GF is a big fan of weird stuff on YouTube. 

But is real judgmental of TV shows. Correction. She just doesn’t like 95% of TV shows. 

She can see plot points coming a mile away, so maybe that’s why.

Regardless, she loves watching YouTube channels that I would never watch. 

Things like dudes mowing lawns and edging sidewalks. It’s a thing. Apparently, it’s relaxing and “satisfying” to let videos like that wash over you.

Well, her favorite YouTuber does hoarder clean-ups. He’s got a legit cleaning business and does these hoarder house rescues for free. Nice thing, no doubt. And that makes him likable just on that point but there’s way more to it…

Eating supper the other night, I mentioned the hoarder cleaner fella, and she said, “Oh, yeah he’s getting divorced and fixing up an old house where he moved into. He and his wife had grown into sorta roommates instead of romantic mates. This was his second divorce and his son….”

I stopped her right there, amazed.

“How the heck do you know all that stuff?” 

Then it hit me. 

It was not so much about watching his fascinating clean-ups of gross clutter in ransacked-looking homes. Sure, that’s intriguing, and it’s what originally got her to subscribe to the fella’s YouTube channel. 

However, the main reason she kept going back to his videos - every single week, no kidding - is because she likes the guy! 

He is likable. And not just to my GF. Dude will likely hit a million subscribers in 2025.

Thing is…

• He isn’t a smooth talker. 

• Videos aren’t flashy or high-production shoots. 

• Doesn’t look like Ryan Reynolds - if he did, I’d watch his channel with the GF. Yes, that’s weird, but let’s keep moving.

His best trait, even above doing something nice for people with serious life issues (hoarders), is his likability. 

And that personal likability created his brand likability. 

I don’t know the guy’s name, but I do know his channel name. 

It comes to my mind easily. And I’m not a superfan like the GF is, and I have a million things to keep up with so I forget a lotta stuff, but I’ve not forgotten ole Midwest Magic Cleaning.

Point is this. Be more likable. 

Lean into likability. Don’t make this mistake though… Not everyone’s going to like you or what you’re about. 

You still have to put yourself out there (or your brand) if you hope to amp up your likability so you can attract more buyers to do business with you. 

That means opening yourself up to your audience. Letting them know you’re a real person just like them.

Follow the Midwest Magic Cleaning Man’s lead:

• Tell folks you wrecked another marriage

• Tell ‘em your son works with you

• Tell members of your audience to unsubscribe if they don’t like how you defend hoarders

• Talk in a monotone voice if that’s your REAL voice

• Be kind when possible

It’s always possible… said Ghandi… or Mike Rowe, or somebody did.

Point is, nearly every marketer and business owner underestimates the power of being likable. 

I’ve told you about my Dad’s likability before and it saved him from ever spending one dollar to advertise his business.

My buddy who owned the beer store had the likeability factor too. People shopped at his store religiously despite beer being a commodity that could be found in literally 8 other locations within 2.5 miles of his store. I recall one customer named Heath saying to his wife…

“If Marty don’t sell it, we don’t need it.”

That’s loyalty built on likability.

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Shane McLendon - Copy Kingpin

Bonus: New real estate platform shows how your future neighbors voted. Awesome. A new geographical echo chamber.