In an age of information overload, people want to get right to the point. You have seconds to grab someone's attention, or lose them completely. Fluff and flashy intros intended to dazzle are largely ignored, and likeability matters—in-person and online.
Most sales pitches and marketing materials leave potential prospects confused and overwhelmed. Is this the brand impression you really want to make?
Is it easy to understand what your company does and how it offers value to customers? Consider junior folks and influencers tasked to research products and services. If they don’t get it, it’s highly unlikely your content will make its way to the higher ups you need to reach.
My advice? KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and Tell. Leave out the jargon and complicated language. If they want more information, they'll ask. That's where your brochure, sell sheets and white papers come in. Consider your website home page an ad, which leads us to one of the toughest challenges in advertising: writing concise and compelling copy.
Take Google ads for instance; it's tough to write an ad in about 10 words. What a fabulous exercise. For many, online advertising is an important source of leads. Now, think about the person who is developing your search engine key word ads. Is it a tech person? If new key words are identified, are they translated into sales pitches and marketing materials? You'd be surprised how far-removed the marketing and brand stewards are from the process.
Ironically, it's just the opposite when it comes to traditional advertising. Outdoor billboards are the best test. I recall situations where it’s taken weeks to get that one line of copy approved. Of course, the consideration was making it easy for prospects driving by at 60 MPH to process the ad in the blink of an eye.
The best marketing pitch is the one that enables your audience to "get it" immediately. Wherever you connect—at an event, online, in print or on a highway—if your pitch doesn’t demonstrate value and relevancy in seconds, your prospects will whiz by quickly.
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