Every campaign I've worked on started too big. Too many messages, too many audiences, too many things the client wanted to say.
The good ones got better as we cut. The average ones kept everything and ended up saying nothing.
I think saying less is the most underrated skill in marketing. Here's why, and how to do it.
Everything you add makes the rest weaker
Give someone one reason to choose you and they'll remember it. Give them five and they'll remember none.
It's tempting to list everything. You're fast, and affordable, and experienced, and local, and family owned, and you offer a guarantee. All true. But a headline that tries to carry six ideas carries zero. People scroll past ads, skim websites and half listen to radio. You get one shot at one thought.
Cutting is a decision, and decisions are uncomfortable
Saying less isn't hard because it's complicated. It's hard because it means choosing.
Choosing one audience means not talking to the others. Choosing one message means another good point doesn't make it. Everyone in the room has a favourite, and leaving it out feels like losing something.
That discomfort is the job. A campaign that keeps everyone in the room happy is usually the one that keeps the customer confused.
What to keep
When I'm trying to strip something back, I look for three things:
The one problem the customer has that you solve better than anyone nearby.
The proof that makes them believe it. A number, a name, a result.
The next step. One clear thing to do.
Everything else is a candidate for cutting. It might belong on a different page, in a later email or in the sales conversation. It just doesn't belong here.
It applies to websites too
Most business websites have the same issue in a different form. Too many menu items, too many buttons, too many sections fighting for attention.
When I rebuilt my own site I went down to one call to action: get in touch. One button, the same everywhere. Fewer choices made it more likely someone would actually make one.
Try the one-sentence test
Before your next campaign, page or pitch, write this sentence:
"We help [who] with [problem], and you can tell because [proof]."
If you can't fill it in, you're not ready to make the ad. If you can, that sentence is your campaign. Everything you make should point back to it.
Then go through what you've already drafted. For each line, ask whether it supports that sentence. If it doesn't, cut it. It'll feel like a loss for about a day.
The take
Good marketing isn't the sum of everything true about a business. It's the one thing that matters most to the person you're talking to.
Find that, say it clearly, and leave the rest out.
Common questions
How do I simplify my marketing message?
Pick the one problem you solve better than anyone nearby, the proof that makes people believe it, and one clear next step. Move everything else to another page, a later email or the sales conversation.
Why does saying less work in marketing?
People skim, scroll and half listen. One clear idea gets remembered. Five ideas in one headline usually get none remembered.
What's a quick test for a campaign message?
Try to finish this sentence: "We help [who] with [problem], and you can tell because [proof]." If you can't, the message isn't ready.
Got an idea, a question or a guest for Off The Record?
Send me a message. If it's help with your marketing you're after, that happens through Cushy Digital.