The ABC's of Communication for Marketers & Advertisers

A - Accuracy

Marketers should make sure their message, be it an email, product description or billboard copy, is accurate, truthful and aligned with the actual offerings of the brand. There shouldn’t be any: 

- Misleading claims like “5x better cleaning power,” which would create false expectations and result in customer disappointment. 
- Inaccurate statistics like “the largest e-learning platform of the country,” which would damage the brand’s credibility if found untrue. 
- Exaggerated statements like “our weight loss supplement sheds 5 pounds in 1 week without any exercise” which go against advertising standards and consumer protection laws. 

Accurate messaging provides several benefits. Firstly, it develops trust in the eyes of the customers. Relying on accurate information, they can make informed decisions and give positive reviews. 

Secondly, it nurtures brand credibility. If a brand is deemed honest and transparent, it results in long-term customer loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing. 

Thirdly, it prevents the occurrence of legal issues such as fines, copyright infringements or notices from legal departments or other competitors. 

B - Brevity

Advertisers should also be considerate about the conciseness or brevity of their communication. Brevity means the core idea should be expressed in as few words as possible without affecting the desired impact. 

Top brands like Apple, McDonald’s and Ikea are masters at inculcating brevity in their brand marketing strategies. Here is one example from each of them:

Apple:

Wordy sentence: Our products are designed for people who think differently and challenge the status quo.

Concise sentence: Think Different.

McDonald’s:

Wordy sentence: I’m thoroughly enjoying the food and experience provided by McDonald’s. 

Concise sentence: I’m lovin’ it. 

Ikea:

Wordy sentence: Our furniture and home accessories are designed to bring joy and functionality to your daily life. 

Concise sentence: The Wonderful Everyday. 

The advantages of brevity, you may ask?

1. It captures attention quickly. In today’s world, where the attention span is decreasing, a concise message is more likely to catch the eye. 
2. It enhances recall. Short and punchy taglines or headlines stick in the mind like glue. Popular example? Nike’s “Just Do It” or Adidas’s “Impossible Is Nothing.”
3. It increases engagement. Concise content subconsciously signals to readers that it’s quick and easy to absorb, making them more likely to take action.

C - Clarity

Now, let’s touch a bit on the clarity aspect. While many may consider it the same as brevity, it has a marked difference. Brevity is targeted towards expressing the message in the minimum amount of words, while clarity focuses on ensuring the message is easy to understand by the customers/consumers without any confusion. 

Firstly, marketers should have a clear understanding of their target audience. Then they should implement systems to ensure message consistency across all marketing channels — whether it’s search engine marketing, PPC advertising or social media. This means the same tone and style should be maintained everywhere. If the messaging is creative on one platform, it should remain creative on all others. Likewise, if it’s formal in one channel, it should reflect the same professionalism across the board.  To streamline this process, marketers can use an efficient AI paraphraser to adapt and refine their content. 

And thirdly, the messaging should be human. Yes, being creative is often encouraged, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of clarity. Some of the rules in this regard include:

- Avoiding excessive use of jargon or complex words: Instead of saying “Our proprietary AI-driven analytics platform provides data-driven insights to optimize performance,” say “Get smarter insights through our AI-driven analytics platform to improve performance.”

- Using active voice: Instead of saying “A seamless experience is provided by our app,” say “Our app provides you a seamless experience.” 

- Deleting unnecessary words: Instead of saying “Our team is dedicated to helping you succeed in your business struggles,” say “Our team helps your business succeed.”

Conclusion

So that’s it — 3 important pillars of effective marketing communication. Hope you got value from the article. Share them with your friends and colleagues who are in the marketing departments and get their bundle of thanks.