Have you been watching the incredible James Holzhauer on Jeopardy? He is a professional gambler and has won over a million dollars including all of the top single-day amounts for one game. I think his one-day record is $130K.
During the interviews, he talked about a strategy for learning that resonated with the marketer in me. He said, instead of reading complicated books to learn, he would spend time reading children’s books on a range of topics. They were easy to understand, filled with clear facts and lots of pictures to explain a range of topics.
Marketing Lessons from Children’s Books
Most marketing is too complicated and difficult to communicate key messages. I preach simplicity because the most difficult things to do is to get someone’s attention. If you get their attention, you have just a few seconds to get them interested.
The next time you have to create a marketing brochure, webpage or email campaign, imagine you are marketing to fourth graders. Can you share your benefits in such a few words, that it is easy to understand? By writing for a fourth-grade level, you are forced to get share simple truths, not complex ideas. This isn’t dumbing things down. As most writers know, the hardest thing is saying something with the fewest words.
How simply can you tell the story? What visual aids make it simple to understand? Can you find a metaphor or a comparison that helps you get the key message in a flash?
Simple Marketing Messaging
- Communications happen when someone gets your message, not when you send it. Communications require sending AND receiving a message to complete the transaction.
- A picture is worth more than one thousand words because you instantly understand what is being communicated without reading a thousand words.
- If you can’t explain an idea in 10 seconds, 10 hours isn’t going to help.
How can you make your marketing story easier to absorb, understand and share?
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash
