Why Clear Beats Clever in Your Messaging and Copy
FYI - you don’t need to be clever in your business.
Weird, right?
I should clarify: you need to be smart in your business (obviously) but you don't need to be clever in your marketing or copy.
In fact, I'll argue that clear beats clever every damn day...and twice on Sundays.
Sometimes, I see websites or sales pages and omfg...
trying to figure out the core message is like being in the jungle. But instead of Jason Mamoa and a machete to help you, you're hacking through with a butter knife.
What is this place? Where am I going? How do I get out of here??
Not good.
So often the temptation is to make our copy and messaging super clever. Or overly elaborate.
Lemme tell ya: neither will help you.
When peeps land on your website they need to instantly know just two things:
Where they are - who are you? exactly what do you do/offer?
What they can/should do next - buy a product? book a consultation?
Once you nail those bits then you can have a little fun.
Here's the thing: making your copy clear doesn't mean you have to be a basic b*tch -- in fact, great copy that connects and converts should abso-freakin'-lutely be packed with personality. Just not at the expense of clarity.
So. How can you make your messaging clear? I'm so glad you asked!
Don't use a $5 word when a $1 will do
I know you're smart and ya wanna show off that big, beautiful brain o' yours but the fact is if readers get tripped up by big-ass-fancy words, they'll instantly lose interest. And in marketing, our main goal is to communicate. Full stop. So don't say "diminutive" when "small" works just fine.
Read every bit of copy out loud - it should sound like you
This isn't a college entrance exam. It's not the next great American novel. When we're writing for our business, our goal is to connect and convert and that's a very different type of writing than the super technical stuff we learned in 9th grade. Read your copy out loud - does it sound like you? Like how you'd explain your services to a friend over margs? If not, and the sentences are overly long or detailed or just sound...robot-like...go back to the drawing board.
Be ruthless in cutting out fluff
There's a saying that the job of your first line of copy is to get people to read the next line and so on. Don't stuff your website or sales pages with crap that doesn't matter. If a sentence doesn't serve a purpose or is redundant, cut it. Stat!