The Number One Takeaway: writing less will help you achieve your marketing goals. Agency 102 can help.
Distractions are everywhere. To reach your audience, you need to cut through the clutter. The only way to do that is to change how you write.
In this blog, we explore Smart Brevity, a contemporary approach to writing. We were inspired to follow Smart Brevity after hearing co-author Mike Allen share his expertise at the Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit. He shared that Smart Brevity is data-driven, efficient, and productive – exactly what our clients deserve.
Read on to see what this approach looks like, why it works, and how our team of content marketing experts implements it for our clients.
Where Smart Brevity Comes From
Not concerned about the origins of Smart Brevity? Feel free to skip this section.
Smart Brevity comes from the co-creators of Axios and Politico. Eye-tracking research reveals that people are constantly getting distracted. Though technology has exacerbated this issue, people have always been prone to distraction. The creators of Smart Brevity realized there is just one way to reach people in this environment. You need to value the audience’s time.
Why It Works
Let’s face it: as business owners and marketers, our content competes against stuff that is more compelling and urgent. To reach the audience, we focus on crafting a strong hook and a simple message. After all, your content is most likely a distraction, so it’s best to embrace it.
How Smart Brevity Works
Your audience is distracted, so you need to get your point across fast. The Smart Brevity approach allows you to do just that. Rather than fighting against distractions, you work alongside them. When you create simple, efficient content, you don’t need to compete with distractions.
The Key Components of Smart Brevity:
- It allows people to consume content the way they want to: quickly.
- It places important information front and center, so your message never gets lost.
- It gives people the opportunity to dig deeper – if they want to.
- It’s conversational, like you’re speaking to a friend or colleague.
Smart Brevity Writing Tips
Most of the writing we encounter on a daily basis is too long. That’s why we’re not reading it. Instead, we should trim the excess and get straight to the point.
Here’s how to do just that:
- Imagine your audience is one person. What do you need to tell them?
- Give your audience one thing they need to know.
- Give your readers clear signposts. Bolded text and bullet points guide how the audience reads your text. Use them to get their attention.
- Simplify your writing. Shorter words, sentences, and paragraphs are almost always better. They’re just easier and quicker to read.
- Use imagery. Emojis and gifs are eye-catching and convey emotions. Graphs and photos help get your point across. Use them!
How We Incorporate Smart Brevity Into Your Content
1. We Put the Important Information Front and Center
The average professional receives hundreds of emails each day. If you convince them to open your email – it all comes down to a juicy subject line – you barely have a few seconds to get your point across. If they open your message to see a wall of text, you can almost guarantee they’re not reading it.
In this email for our client 20/20 Onsite, we use bolded text and short paragraphs to create content that’s easy on the eyes. While bolded text attracts attention, short sentences convey our message without wasting time. Cutting out the fluff shows readers we value their time. Plus, it ensures that our message is clear.
2. We Create Content That’s Easy to Read
To get found online, you need a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. However, too often, optimized content looks like an impenetrable wall of text. At Agency 102, we leverage the Smart Brevity approach to create content that humans crave and the algorithm demands.
One way we do this is by immediately giving readers what they want. In this blog, crafted for our client SECU, we put the key points front and center. Readers who find our blog when searching Google to find out the difference between money market accounts and CDs get the answer they’re looking for right away.
Distilling the blog down into these key points ensures readers won’t get bogged down with additional information, but they can dig deeper into the topic by checking out the full blog.
3. We Create Content for People
Your audience are potential customers, but they’re people first. That’s why we write as if we’re talking to a friend or colleague. When you treat your audience like equals, they’re more likely to listen. This blog right here is a good example of that.
In another example, we created an infographic for 20/20 Onsite recapping their 2022 achievements. The infographic showcases all the big things our client accomplished. As a mobile healthcare provider, travel is the foundation of their business. To make the infographic relatable, we highlight some personal employee highlights alongside company achievements.
Agency 102 Helps You Say More With Less
Let’s cut to the chase. You want to:
- Increase email open rates
- Gain social media followers
- Build brand awareness
- Generate new leads
We’re surrounded by never-ending distractions. If you’re having trouble getting heard, we can help you cut through the noise. Whether you’re ready to reinvigorate your content marketing strategy or just finding your footing, we can help. Check out our case studies to see how we use innovative approaches to get results for our clients.
