In the Marketing World, Less Really is More

How many times have you heard the phrase “less is more”? It has been so oft repeated in so many contexts that it is now cliché, and because of this, has lost much of its power.

Certainly, there is merit in putting more effort into your content-marketing strategy to accomplish more great things for your company. But I invite you to consider how you might also apply the wisdom of doing less to become more effective.

1. Write fewer, higher-quality pieces. Whether you’re writing whitepapers, social media posts, emails, blogs or any other piece of content, less time often means lower quality, and low-quality work just doesn’t cut it in the age of information. Rather than rush through the creation of several poorly-written pieces, take the time to write one or two high-quality marketing pieces that you can confidently use and reuse. Novel, well-researched, informative content ranks well on search-engine-results pages and is more likely to be shared on social media, making the time you spend on great content time well spent.
2. Keep landing pages and advertisements simple. According to an article about visual best practices for content marketers, “When marketers feel that every little bit of info needs to be included on a piece, that’s when things get very muddy and messy,” says Joseph Kalinowski, creative director at Content Marketing Institute. Don’t compete with yourself for your potential customer’s attention with an overly busy design – keep the design simple and include only one call to action (or two at most, and then only rarely) to ensure what matters most is noticed first.
3. Avoid overstating. While you may be tempted to use hyperbolic language to describe your product – “Our widget is absolutely the very best on the market” – your audience will be unlikely to simply take you at your word. As Strunk and White advise in the classic writer’s reference “The Elements of Style,” overstatement puts readers “instantly on guard, and everything that has preceded your overstatement as well as everything that follows it will be suspect in their minds.” Instead of telling your audience that your product is the best, show them why, and allow them to come to their own conclusions.

These are just a few examples of how the adage “less is more” holds true in the B2B marketing world.  Can you think of others? Join the conversation by connecting with us on social media via the icons below.