A lot has been said and discussed about the change of consumer behavior and expectations, especially since the change in the way we get our information. I’ve read several blog posts this week about the acronym KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and it’s no surprise consumers want their messages delivered instant and to the point. Blame it on SMS, Twitter, or the excessive amount of information we are exposed to daily, but today’s consumer wants a clear concise message.
I’m obviously not the first person to use this acronym, but here are my thoughts on how to apply to it to your daily marketing practices.
Your message is only as good as your tweet: Have you mastered effectively getting your point across in 140 characters yet? Great! — Because your customers don’t want to read an entire page of unnecessary content to get the point. While long-form content still has a place (blogs, news articles, etc.), direct is the way to go when enticing new customers.
Word of mouth travels farther and faster with less words: Like the game Telephone, old-fashioned word of mouth can be affected by length. If you communicate a short, concise message, chances are they’ll be able to pass it along easily. Throw in a complicated paragraph and most likely it will get misconstrued and stop there. A short message that can be easily remembered has a far greater potential to be passed along.
Keep it focused: To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, “Forgive me for writing such a long letter; I do not have the time to write a short one.” Just because it’s shorter, does not mean it will take you less time to put together. It’s very important to put time into your concise message, try not to just jump from point to point, know your direction before you start.
Do I still have your attention? If so, here’s another great post on how to KISS it with your business message by creating the perfect ‘Cereal Pitch‘.
