If I had more time, I would have written you a shorter blog post. That’s my twist on a famous quote credited to everyone from Mark Twain to Voltaire (replace “blog post” with “letter” for the original version). Regardless of who actually said it, the idea is sublimely important. It does require more effort to write fewer words. Although this may be counter-intuitive to most, it’s well understood by wordsmiths. Word economy takes skill and extra effort for the writer, but equates to less work for the audience. A succinct message tends to be more effective – especially if the selected words still make the point. This has been our observation after years of creating and analyzing multi-channel direct response campaigns. Distilling your message to the essence and avoiding redundancy works best. Moreover, the results from our campaigns continually prove it. So take the extra time to optimize your message. It’s worth it. Make sure every word has meaning and value. This is critical if you’re targeting the highly-coveted mass affluent market as we do for financial clients. Skip the filler unless it’s key to tone. In doing so, your audience is more likely to consider your point. Plus, you might even persuade your target to take action!
