If You Try to Say Everything, You Say Nothing

[If You Try to Say Everything, You Say Nothing
October 1st, 2005 • Written by John Gumas
We see it time and time again. Advertisers can’t commit to emphasizing only those selling points that are most critical. They try to say everything. As a result, their main points get diluted, and they end up saying nothing.
Whether it’s a brochure, website, print ad or sales letter, there are some critical benefits or ideas in every marketing vehicle that are more important than others. Maybe you need to highlight a special price or a key benefit to your consumer. But your main messages are probably buried in your copy. We need to unbury them!
Ask yourself, “If someone looked at this and would only remember three things, what would I want them to be?” No cheating””you have to pick no more than three, and be sure to rank them. Now that we know what they are, we have to give them proper prominence.
Avoid these typical mistakes:
– Do not bold the key words. We’ve all seen the ads that have 30% of the copy bolded. It looks amateurish, and the bolding actually makes the copy harder to read.
– Don’t over-underline. The same idea applies to underlining. Underline a word or two and it’s effective. Underline half the sentences and it becomes a blur.

Some strategies to consider

So how do you effectively call attention to your most important messages? Try one or more of these tips:
– Cut the copy. Don’t bury it in more words than necessary.
– Use a subhead to deliver a big punch.
– Use white space to create a “frame” around your important fact.
– Put a postscript (P.S.) on your marketing piece. Studies show a P.S. often has a much higher readership than your body copy.
Don’t assume your audience will be able to sift out the information you consider critical. Make sure you don’t make it even harder for them to find it. Instead, use some of these tips to take their hand and lead them right where they need to be.
Until next month…

Signup For Gumas's Challenger Brand Marketing Tips Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Me

Who is Gumas? | Gumas Advertising
Who is Gumas? | Gumas Advertising
What is a Challenger Brand? | Gumas Advertising
What is a Challenger Brand? | Gumas Advertising
How do you know if you are a Challenger Brand? | Gumas Advertising
How do you know if you are a Challenger Brand? | Gumas Advertising
How does a Challenger Brand market differently than a leading brand? | Gumas Advertising
How does a Challenger Brand market differently than a leading brand? | Gumas Advertising
How do you make Challenger Brands famous? | Gumas Advertising
How do you make Challenger Brands famous? | Gumas Advertising

About Gumas

As a full service branding, advertising and interactive agency, we help Challenger Brands take on their industry gorillas and win.

Gumas is an award-winning, full-service advertising agency generally recognized as the country’s foremost experts on Challenger Brand Marketing®. We are dedicated to helping you take on your industry gorillas to quickly generate the greatest results from your marketing investment.

From research, strategy development, award-winning creative design, web development, digital media (including search, social media and everything in between); our goal is to create a marketing strategy specifically designed to help build your unique Challenger Brand. All the marketing support you need under one roof.

Testimonials

Research & Tips

Challenger Brand Tips

Proven and easy-to-implement marketing strategies to help Challenger Brands take on their industry gorillas…and win!

Challenger Brand Tips

Proven and easy-to-implement marketing strategies to help Challenger Brands take on their industry gorillas…and win!
Learn More

Joining Our Challenger

Brand Marketing Newsletter

Read our book

Marketing Smart Ebook is Absolutely Free

Read our book

Marketing Smart Ebook is Absolutely Free
Learn More

Request a Consultation

Want to take on your industry gorillas and win but don’t know where to start? It’s time to talk to the Challenger Brand Marketing® experts. Enter your information below to start the conversation.

"*" indicates required fields

Join our mailing list!
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.