As so many people in the tech/fintech industries have been working from home since March, it’s easy to assume that everyone has the time – and the inclination – to look in detail at new products and services. But, with lots of us working even longer hours than before, plus the disruption of kids, we possibly have less time. So how does this relate to messaging and branding?
Shorter attention spans
Well, clarity is more important than ever. Typically, you have 3-8 seconds to engage a website visitor, including the page load time. This is even less for millennials, so you really need to grab their attention. I’ve seen countless websites, where the Home page doesn’t even tell me what the company does – by the way, the same applied to many stands at trade shows – remember those days? Yes, it’s ‘mission critical’, or ‘ultra-low latency’, or ‘the fastest’, but that doesn’t explain what the products or services are, or who they’re aimed at.
Back in March most businesses expected Covid to be a short term ‘blip in the road’, which then developed into ‘how do I cut costs and stay in business?’. As we approach the second wave and Covid becomes business-as-usual, we are seeing businesses reviewing and changing their strategy to establish stability and commercial success.
From a brand messaging and marketing perspective, we are seeing communication styles becoming far more direct and clear in their promise of value. Businesses know their world has changed and the old model is not returning anytime soon, if ever, so they are being forced to embrace change; this can feel like a step into the unknown. Which is why clear and direct messages and case studies give real benefits.
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Clarity is key
Clarity of message is the key: if when researching a potential provider or service company, your initial response to their website is: “I’m not sure this is the company for me,” you quickly move on. It may seem obvious, but at the top of your Home page, say clearly what you do – half a dozen words should do it.
This may need an internal brainstorm to agree how your company/products/services should be described, even if you think you know the answer. Surprising though this may sound, I had a client that’s been in business for 15 years. When we ran a messaging session with them, the CEO, CTO and head of sales came up with such different descriptions of what the company did, you could easily have assumed they were talking about 3 different companies. This is not as unusual as it sounds.
Looking beyond the top of the Home page, and not forgetting your LinkedIn company page, Twitter, Facebook, etc. – do they all say the same thing about your company? Is it clear? Do you solve a problem? How are you different/better than your competitors? And what is it that clients value about what you do for them? Remember to be consistent. In other words, make sure that what you say about your company has the same messages, and the same ‘look & feel’ regardless of the platform.
These things are important for all companies, of all sizes, in all markets, so be clear, succinct and straightforward in all your communications. It’s always better to err on the side of simplicity!
Written by Alla Lapidus, Director, Moonlight IQ
