Keep It Simple Stupid!

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
- Albert Einstein

Getting things to be simple can be very difficult. This is true of marketing messages.

How often do you see a message that is so convoluted that you don’t know what it is about?

Having attended dozens of performing arts booking conferences since 1986, I’ve seen a lot of marketing materials of performing artists and the “pitches” made by them or their representatives to say what they do and why they are so wonderful, delivered in such a convoluted way that it was difficult to get any sense of what they really did.

I’ve seen hundreds of applications to showcase at the annual marketing conference, Pacific Contact. The ones that were clear in their message, in both their written description and the supporting materials were rare.

More recently, I’ve been on the advisory panel and administered some arts granting programs where I see “pitches” made by arts groups for money. It’s very rare to read the “brief” description and come away with a sense of what the actual proposal is.

The challenge for any of us making a pitch to a prospective buyer or funder is to simplify our message so that the intended audience can easily grasp what it is you are selling.

There are many ways of doing this depending on who the audience is and what you are “selling.” It’s not easy to make something that’s abstract, simple, but we have to try.

I’ll take a stab at it for my own business. Let’s say I run into someone who I think may be able to hire me (no point pitching to people who aren’t interested in what you’re selling).

I’d say, “I am a graphic designer working in print and online media for small to midsize arts organizations and artists.”

If I think I’d have time for one more sentence I would add “I also consult in the area of effective marketing in the non-profit sector.”

I know this is really brief, but having to reduce it to this short a description made me focus on what it is I really do and what the core is. Just doing the exercise is helpful.

I highly recommend trying to reduce your message to something this short. The core message you come up with will become the kernel for a more extensive message when you have the time and attention of your audience.

Can you explain in two sentences what you or your organization offers or does?