Simplicity in Marketing Communication

Last year, I wrote a post about the power of simple words, tying it to one of my family’s favorite past-times: Scrabble. It’s a lesson worth repeating.

If you’ve ever worked with someone who enjoys using big words or lots of jargon, all in an effort to impress and confuse others, you know how frustrating it can be to have a conversation with someone like this.

Now put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Imagine how confusing your marketing materials can be if they are full of jargon, undefined acronyms, poor grammar or spelling, run-on sentences, or incomplete and other confusing information. Cluttered communication does not win customers or influence them in a positive way.

Simplicity brings focus

Recently I signed up for a discussion course entitled Voluntary Simplicity, offered by the Northwest Earth Institute. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but was intrigued at the thought of bringing more simplicity into my life. Immediately I was conjuring up ideas of clean and organized closets, a streamlined home office and less stuff in my life. And while I hope to reach that level of uber-organization in my personal life, I’ve also come to realize that this concept offers much for the marketing-communication world.

I think this particular quote on the course booklet says it all:

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”—Hans Hoffman

Think about it. Removing the clutter from your marketing, your written and verbal communication, is so important. It ensures that your message is clearly defined and to the point—and that’s essential if you want to be effective. It’s all about being focused and deliberate with your marketing.

Simplifying and getting back to basics

We use a tool called a positioning worksheet to help our clients bring focus to their marketing activities and determine how they want to be perceived in the marketplace. Through a series of work sessions, we work with our clients to develop a statement that identifies the business they are in, the specific needs of their customers, who their competitors are and the unique benefits of our clients’ products or services. Using this statement, we are then able to evaluate all potential marketing activities (advertising, sponsorships, PR activities, etc.) to determine if a particular activity would support—or detract from—the client’s positioning. This tool simplifies and brings a clear focus to their marketing activities.

So the next time you find yourself weighing various advertising options or determining which trade shows to attend, ask yourself, with your positioning statement in hand: Is this activity taking my business where I want it to go? Will it meet the needs of my customers? Is this activity “on position” for us?

If you can’t answer “yes,” then ditch the activity and move on.

The bottom line: Simplicity can be a wonderful thing in your life and your work. Don’t make things more complicated than they need to be. Don’t try to do too much. Simplify to bring clarity, to discover what’s important and to be deliberate in your marketing activities.