Thousands of items from local stores. Delivered to you in about an hour.
I admire the simplicity and conciseness. It conveys lots of information in two short sentences:
*We’ve got plenty of items for you
*They’re locally sourced
*We deliver fast
*You know how to find us
Describing my consulting, I strive for the same info density in short descriptions.
*Planned Giving: I help nonprofits raise money through estate and retirement plan gifts.
*Charity Registration: I help nonprofits get into compliance in each state where they solicit donations.
It took me months to hone those messages. And they’re still not as exciting as the subway copy.
Can you make your marketing brief, informative and jargon free? Your readers will be grateful. Do you do a lot of speaking? Your listeners will be even more grateful. Readers can stop reading. The people in your audiences probably won’t walk out. But they can tune you out.
Those you’re delivering to will better understand your messages–and it’s good practice for cocktail parties. The second half of this episode of Nonprofit Radio is devoted to dropping cliches.
It’s a challenge to write short and informative, and it’s a skill worth developing.
(ebay is copyright © 1995-2013 eBay Inc. All rights reserved.)
KISS: keep it simple, but I’ve heard various words for the final S: stupid and smart ass come to mind.
Following the KISS principle is rarely a bad idea. In my view, keeping your marketing focused, clear, and targeted is the best way to go.
Thanks for checking in, Robert.
Short and informative. Thanks for the reminder. And you’re right – the eBay ad is brilliant.