Obscuring Your Message: How to make sure nobody cares

Everybody is jumping on the content marketing bandwagon these days, but not everybody does it well. People think that having a free e-book or a video to give to customers and prospects will give them a credibility boost and help them increase sales. Sometimes it does, but the reality is that 80% of content doesn’t even reach its intended audience and the effect of the content on those who do engage really depends on the quality of the content itself.

So what mistakes do people make with their content? The biggest mistake people make is in letting their message become obscured. I see a lot of written content which is full of typos and grammatical errors. Your message will be obscured if it is not easy to read. Those mistakes will also undermine your credibility.

Video and audio messages can also be obscured. I have also seen video where the speaker sniffed through his entire presentation. Sniffing is particularly problematic, not only because it is disgusting, but also because it makes the viewer question the reason for the sniff. Does the speaker have a cold or allergies? Maybe he’s just done a line of coke. Do you see why that’s a problem?

Bad audio is another problem that can obscure your message. Hearing garbled music, or the sound of saliva in the mouth will turn people away. Nobody will take the time to listen to your content if it makes them cringe on any level.

Graphic content can be very interesting to look at and presents an opportunity to provide a quick visual message. Unfortunately, some people think that wild and fancy pictures are really great to use for printed or web-based content. Actually, they usually aren’t. Whenever you choose to use graphics, make sure they are visually appealing and fairly simple. The busier the picture, the more your message will be obscured. Less is more.

Of course, the other thing with content, is that you really have to have a clear message to begin with. What are you trying to tell people? What is the purpose of the content? What are your key messages? Have you put together a complete communications plan? Fortunately, I can help you sort out all of your marketing communications needs and it really doesn’t have to cost a ton of money!

 

Renée Cormier is a Public Relations and Communications Specialist, published author, sales and marketing strategist and all round great gal! Visit www.reneecormier.com to contact.