Brevity-based Marketing, the Long and Short of it.

What you need to know about getting better response from traditional and digital communications.

When was the last time you read a brochure, cover to cover? How about an email newsletter start to finish? A website all the way through? I thought so. Fact is, people don’t read much anymore; they scan at best. According to the Direct Marketing Association and other authorities, us busy folks in the business world are reading less, scanning more and looking for key messages that compel us to take whatever next step doesn’t require us to read anymore. Unfortunately, most copy is written in a verbose style with pseudo-clever headlines that mean nothing, subheads that reinforce the lame headlines, and buried in the text that the reader rarely gets to, are the value propositions, if there at all.

Yet, in today’s media-saturated world, the art of verbosity seems to be alive and well and the concept of brevity seems to be a lost art relegated only to those few who are committed to giving their audience the gift of focused and effective communications.

So just what does brevity mean in the realm of marketing?

brev·i·ty ˈbrɛv ɪ ti – [brev-i-tee] noun. Webster proper: 1. the quality of expressing much in fewer words.

Brevity – author redefined. 1. The principal of marketing smarter, not harder, stronger, not longer. 2. Velocity, not verbosity. The difference between communicating and aggravating.  3. A clear indicator of excellence, intelligence and competence. 4. What people want, appreciate and respond to. 5. The only truly effective way to communicate these days.

How you communicate is a direct reflection of your brand.

It’s no secret that it’s intensely more difficult to write something with brevity than it is to bang away at the keys until the story is told. It actually takes longer to tell the story in less words… in some cases, much longer. But it’s worth the stretch. When people read a marketing piece that gets to the point, the perception the reader gains from the marketer is intelligent, focused, concise, articulate, wise and straightforward. In contrast, a marketing piece filled with copy from head to toe with no order or strategy creates; stress, frustration, confusion and discouragement. Multiply that by the thousands one has sitting in the storeroom or going out to their prospects and it can get pretty depressing.

Since a company’s brand is the emotional connection one has with that company, there is an inherent responsibility for the brand to pay attention to the details. I happen to believe that one of the indicators of how much a company cares for its audience manifests in how well they communicate to them. It’s the “we know you’re busy, so here’s the skinny,” approach. Companies that employ the discipline of brevity and clarity in their communication to their prospects, clients, investors, employees, the media and more are considered as leaders contrasting the verbose. If companies today understood that marketing is primarily designed to provoke, persuade and direct, not necessarily to educate or close the deal, we’d have a lot less verbiage floating around in the “ad”mosphere, and people would be prone to read materials more often.

The formula for Brevity. It’s all in your head.

Not to give away the farm, but the formula for great marketing communication are the following: First, realize the discipline of brevity will always force better thinking and embrace the challenge of condensing the message as a new and effective habit. Next, identify the most relevant, compelling and true value propositions for your company, product or service. This is the platform by which you will communicate.

“A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a blueprint should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”

Now consider that your main messages have to be communicated clearly in the headlines, subheads, floating quotes or phrases. Again, people scan. If they pick up value by reading the big, they’ll get to the small. If the big doesn’t grab, you’re sunk. Use photography, charts and graphs whenever they can reinforce or replace the message. It’s been proven that people zero in on visuals first and done right, a picture can truly be worth a thousand words. The goal of the entire piece, whether ad, direct mail, brochure or website should be to communicate the real value in just the headlines, subheads and supporting visuals. If the message is heard there, your chances of them digging into the copy are multiplied, or they’ll just pick up the phone and call.

It’s not always bad to write long copy assuming the right project and a predictable audience.

There are defined marketing objectives where a comprehensive approach to copy is welcomed and that approach is to educate and sell. In marketing situations where no live call or presentation is availed to explain the details, be comprehensive. Or if you have an audience that has a strong affinity to the topic, cut loose a bit. But keep in mind; this is still no excuse to write without any sensitivity knowing that the recipient has a life that would well served if you convey the message more succinctly. Tools such as white paper, articles, and advertorials are the few pieces that beg for more detail – relevant, provocative and factual detail.

So in concept, If you can tell the guy who doesn’t see the bus coming to “STOP,” in contrast to “Excuse me sir, do you have a moment, I’d like to take this opportunity to notify you that there’s a”… BAM!!!, you’ll be supporting the revolution of Brevity. And if you minimize the quantity of words you would use when marketing your company, products and services, you’ll notice a serious receptivity from everyone who comes in contact with your brand and an increase in marketing performance at all levels.