Are We Living in a Bullet Point Society?
We live in a fast paced world of emails, text messages, advertising and phone calls. The question is-how much does anyone read anymore? I'm not talking about sitting down and reading a book. I am referring to reading emails, web sites and advertising. How often has this scenario happened to you? You spend a good 10-15 minutes composing an email that outlines a project or has agenda items, and when the person responds they only answer 1 or 2 of your points. You go back, look at the email, and ask the person why they didn't respond to the other items? Their answer - "I didn't even notice them or I just figured you'd call me with the rest." Frustrating isn't it.
For the past few years during seminars and while advising clients, I have made this comment - "we live in a bullet point society." What does this mean? When you are crafting your web site text or emailing marketing pieces short bullet points seem to draw in your reader. Too much copy can overwhelm the reader who is bombarded daily with so many other communications. Providing your reader with bullet points and an option to read more is a way to accomplish a few key items. Bullet points:
Clear and focused points: when you write about your business services and products, stop and think about the words that draw in your audience. Less is more.
Overwhelming your audience:too much text on a particular page may cause your customers eyes to glaze over and move on to another web site. And I do recognize that you need to put important items on your site like privacy policies and FAQ pages. So, when creating these pages try to format the text in a way that is easy to follow. Beware the wordy paragraphs that ramble on.
Track the message: if you are using Google Analytics or something similar you will be able to follow the content your customers find important. Give your audience the information they want right away, and then look at what else they are reading more about.
Marketing Specialist Point of View:
I asked David Cucinotta of the Hue Brand Group a marketing and strategy specialist to give me his Point of View on this topic.
David explains: "Unfortunately bullet point communication is synonymous with the Power Point Presentation....I for one, believe that PowerPoint, and all things resembling a PowerPoint Presentation should be stricken from the business world. The style is over-used and has created an everyday culture that presents information through incomplete thoughts... because there's always another bullet point to clarify the last bullet point.
My personal dislike for the style aside, younger audiences have grown up with and live by this style. The bullet-point has become their thought process, their norm in many ways (insert text message here). In most other instances, I would emphasize that solid writing skills and the ability to present your product or service clearly and concisely, probably has greater bearing on keeping your reader engaged, than does the format in which that information is presented. When coupled with good design fundamentals, your reader will see and absorb the words you want them to focus on. Remember, it's about the attention and engagement of your reader. Once you have their attention, they will drill deeper for additional content."
Let me know your thoughts leave a comment. Do you think we are living in a bullet point society?
For the past few years during seminars and while advising clients, I have made this comment - "we live in a bullet point society." What does this mean? When you are crafting your web site text or emailing marketing pieces short bullet points seem to draw in your reader. Too much copy can overwhelm the reader who is bombarded daily with so many other communications. Providing your reader with bullet points and an option to read more is a way to accomplish a few key items. Bullet points:
- keep your message clear and focused
- cut back on overwhelming your audience
- track the messages they are reading
Clear and focused points: when you write about your business services and products, stop and think about the words that draw in your audience. Less is more.
Overwhelming your audience:too much text on a particular page may cause your customers eyes to glaze over and move on to another web site. And I do recognize that you need to put important items on your site like privacy policies and FAQ pages. So, when creating these pages try to format the text in a way that is easy to follow. Beware the wordy paragraphs that ramble on.
Track the message: if you are using Google Analytics or something similar you will be able to follow the content your customers find important. Give your audience the information they want right away, and then look at what else they are reading more about.
Marketing Specialist Point of View:
I asked David Cucinotta of the Hue Brand Group a marketing and strategy specialist to give me his Point of View on this topic.
David explains: "Unfortunately bullet point communication is synonymous with the Power Point Presentation....I for one, believe that PowerPoint, and all things resembling a PowerPoint Presentation should be stricken from the business world. The style is over-used and has created an everyday culture that presents information through incomplete thoughts... because there's always another bullet point to clarify the last bullet point.
My personal dislike for the style aside, younger audiences have grown up with and live by this style. The bullet-point has become their thought process, their norm in many ways (insert text message here). In most other instances, I would emphasize that solid writing skills and the ability to present your product or service clearly and concisely, probably has greater bearing on keeping your reader engaged, than does the format in which that information is presented. When coupled with good design fundamentals, your reader will see and absorb the words you want them to focus on. Remember, it's about the attention and engagement of your reader. Once you have their attention, they will drill deeper for additional content."
Let me know your thoughts leave a comment. Do you think we are living in a bullet point society?
Labels: emarketing, web copywriting, web design, web marketing
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