The Importance of "Simple" and "Easy" in Brand Messaging

I find myself constantly surprised by how hard businesses make it for people to quickly figure out what they do. Too much text with too few explanations. Too many buzzwords. Not enough simple, straightforward messaging.

Some quick tips:

1. Make it super obvious what you do. Stop using all that marketing jargon and say up front, on your website's homepage, what you do. Like, "We're a marketing communications firm" or "Our software platform teaches kids to  program." You can elaborate on all of your differentiators later/elsewhere. Don't muddy it on the first impression because you've got all of eight seconds to capture someone's attention in this day and age.
2. Make it super easy to find you and all of your online channels. It's amazing how many companies make you dig to find contact information and social channels. By the time I find it, I'm annoyed! Add these links to the footer of every web page, not just your "Contact Us" page. Add them to your employees' email signatures and at the bottom of every blog or article comment that you write. Put them everywhere and do so consistently.
3. Spend some investment on your messaging so it's clear, succinct and effective. Hire someone outside the company to help so you're not just drinking the Kool-Aid. Test, vet and measure with internal and external audiences. And keep doing so at intervals throughout the year. Don't sit complacent - the business world is constantly evolving, so you'll want to make sure that your messaging stands the test of time. 

Need some messaging work? Give me a shout - I'm happy to help and have created corporate brand messages for businesses in a multitude of industries: tech, healthcare, higher education, consumer, fashion, retail, insurance and more. If you're doing it yourself, just remember: simple is better.