“Are You Talking To Me?” :Is Your Marketing Copy Working for You or Against You?

As I long for Spring, it brings to mind the many poems written about this glorious time of year. And what are Poems? A collection of words arranged to tell a story, evoke an emotion, make the reader think. Well…(here comes the slick segue…), your marketing messaging is also a collection of words (along with some well-placed images) that also need to tell a story, evoke emotion and make the reader think…that your product or service is the right one for them. (See how I tied all that together? )

But when it comes to words, especially when it comes to Marketing words, always remember that Less is More. (Write that down on a sticky note and put it clearly where you can see it every day.) In fact, even The Bible says in the Book of Ecclesiates, ” The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?”

Yes, at some point in your marketing materials, you will need to explain your product or service’s Features and Benefits, and that’s what your web site is for, or your yearly marketing brochure, if you really need one. But just remember that all any customer really cares about is, “What’s in it for me?” and “How will this solve my problem?” So, just make sure you use the right words that answer those questions.

Example: I recently saw a technically based web site that had some impressive words on it, and had their target demographic for their marketing been IT managers, etc., then they would have been “talking their language”, as they say. But when I did some research, I found out that they were actually targeting CEOs and Owners of small companies who might need their services, who might not have a proverbial clue of what some of those impressive words mean. So that’s when you need to choose your words to match you readers’ level of expertise, interest, etc.

Also, as we see in the marketing efforts of the “super brands”, when the well-chosen words are used w/well placed, appropriate images and graphics, then those words have even more power and effectiveness in promoting your marketing message.

So they say a picture is worth a 1000 words…but sometimes you still need words too. Just make sure that each one of them work for you, not against you.