Why? Because confused people don’t buy, and in an economy like this one, scared people don’t take chances. You can’t assume that if your message is clear to you, that it will be clear to your customers.
People don’t read minds or between the lines, especially when they’re more nervous than usual about parting with their money. Their tendency is to play it safe and be really literal, so your customers need to be told clearly what’s in it for them from their point of view.
And your message has to be delivered in a user-friendly way. An illegible store sign, a web site with confusing navigation, a display ad with tons of tiny type too small to read – these things are all too common and destroy the ability of the sign, ad or web site to communicate. If your message is not clear, your market will be confused, and (again) confused people don’t buy.
As the economy improves and your competition heats up, being clear will become even more crucial as everyone jockeys for market share and adjusts to the new playing field.
Your marketing materials deliver your messages when you aren’t on hand to explain what your business has to offer. If the messages are confusing, unprofessional or inconsistent, people will assume that your business is too, since they will have nothing else on which to base a judgment.
So here’s my message (and I hope it’s crystal clear): Explain the advantage to your customers from their point of view. Make this message consistent throughout out all your marketing. Do all you can to ensure that the message sent is the message received. Your market will thank you!
I was contacted recently by a business owner who wanted to place an ad in a magazine with a looming deadline. The owner said he wanted me to just resize an old ad and wasn’t interested in making any changes. Upon further questioning, it appeared that the old ad had not been effective, but since another publication had put it together for him for free, he felt he could get some more mileage out of it.