Want Your Ideas to Spread Easily? Try Narrowing Your Message Focus
Yesterday, I visited my friend Tara’s place and noticed that she put a large piece of paper on her bedroom wall, next to where she slept.
On it was written some quotations and general life principles. Tara wanted to remind herself of these words when she woke up everyday and before she went to bed. It’s a self-improvement trick to overcome negativity and focus on the important things.
So I got curious and read what she wrote. After I came home, I tried recalling what I read but could only come up with two lines. The rest were a blur.
If it was up to me, I would split the large piece of paper into little post-it notes, each with one message and paste them all on the wall or different parts of her room, perhaps one in the closet, two on the bookshelf.
I think they’ll have more impact than a large piece of paper, crammed to the brink with powerful lines. Ideas spread when they are remembered. And they stick in the mind better when they stand alone, without competition from other opposing ideas.
A persuasive blog post or sales letter argues one point and accentuates it thoroughly with analogies, metaphors, examples and references. Just one point, because too many and you’ll not only lose your own focus but the attention of your audience. You don’t want to distract them from taking action.
Too many statements and important points can be an obstacle. When you want your audience to remember a message, make it clutter-free and uncomplicated. Good marketing campaigns condense the entire event, website or product into one slogan, a few buzzwords and a tagline. And it works marvelously well.
If you can’t sum up your business in one sentence, if your visitors can’t figure out the purpose of your website in 10 seconds, you’re not communicating. You’re not sticking in their head. And that doesn’t help your ideas or brand to spread.
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Unfortunately, no one knows this better than our country’s Republican Party. Seriously, watch this election season. Democrats fire shotgun shells and talk about a multitude of topics. Republicans fire sniper rifles and laser sight on the one or two points that matter most to their voters and leave the other side to pontificate.
In psychology, studies have shown that the first and last things are the easiest to remember. As for the middle, they tend to only remember the most intense emotion they felt during it. They then take these pieces of information and use it to form a memory. Using this in conjunction with a narrow message would be powerful.
Yes, jotting down ideas helps a lot.
On the walls of my room, I have a few papers with self improvements quotes pasted. When I happen to look at them, I feel inspired.
Another thing I do, like many others is carry a notebook everywhere. I even carry that particular notebook to my school and trust me, some of my best posts have been written expanding from the ideas I wrote there.
Hello Maki-
Great post as always.Full of useful info. I agree 100% that long winded, wordy marketing copy only serves to put the reader to sleep. Simple and focused copy does so much more.
“Steaprok”
Manny Marrero
That’s a great idea. Recently, I’ve been trying to write ideas in word and group all my ideas in word files (under:-:ideas:) I need to seperate all the ideas with the sticky notes and throw away the bad ones as I go.
BTW, post stumbled.
A post that epitomizes its message… I have been trying to bring in this part by bringing in a new element of what I call small talk..trying to be concise about stuff ..they are usually interspersed with bigger posts .. what it has done is get my friends talking about it.. coz like you said it is easy to remember.. and they can easily start a discussion about it with me because because of the small size of the topic..
I agree. Use lesser words for faster communication.
This is very true. I find this problem with my blog. For my blog, I cover about 2 niches, namely horror films and heavy metal albums. Then I do a further odd post here and there, which is from no particular niche.
All this means my message is spread thin. I feel the punch with search engine optimization. Lesson learned: keep your focus narrow.
Tell me about it! I keep asking everyone, students, colleagues, and friends, to just get to the point. Apparently it is harder than it seems.
Isaac Asimov once said that stained glass was invented a long time before clear glass came in. Its not that simple to be simple.
They say that content is king. But the truth is that the focused content is the real king!
I agree with your post very much in terms of brand marketing, news, “life tips” and so on, but what would you suggest for a blog catering to translation projects and academic research? In my case, my favorite blog makes me want to return to it over and over in order to learn from it through patient re-reading and attentive, slow reading. Is form, content, proper tagging and original content enough?
Sure, I also read many blogs, which focus on quick aphoristic pieces potentially appealing to those who prefer “headline news” style blogs, but what suggestions for blog entry organization (with the intent of “spreading ideas easily”) do you propose for those of us who like to sink into a blog as one may sink into a good book, that is, not immediate catch-ability, but focused and sustained reading?
In closing, I think that it depends on your purposes for blogging. That is, sometimes what I want to say is difficult to condense and, perhaps, difficult for easy consumption, but perhaps that is the audience and community I am trying to reach.
Thanks for the post!
Writing ideas is the best way. Recently I tryed the approach of “asking everyone”, it does not work. Maybe, it is due to the complexity of the site that we are working on, or I use many technical definitions. And also being a student helps a lot. Thanks to my research and term papers I could draw a parallel between real and virtual theories, oversimplify that – and eventual product is ready.
I will continue. That is, that also being a student helps to generate ideas – since I have a lot of research and term papers – it helped me
1st – to draw parallel between real theories and virtual
2nd – oversimplify those ideas and promote them.
And also I truly believe that the project my company works on – will bring million of users.
That is 3rd – the idea must burn u.
No, my postings sound overoptimistic… I do something wrong.
Good post. I do that at work as well with several different quotes posted around my desk, to keep me focused and driven when concentration can sometimes be lost.
This is a great post. I agree with small ideas are written on post it notes, they are better for you to remember.
True. Same thing we use for improving and constantly focus on what we want
Remember,
1. Mind can not distinguish between real and imaginary things (ask me HOW if you want to know)
2. You can make or break habits with constant practicing
Now, when you start thinking, imagining, positive and motivating things again and again, you actually start improving. It really works
I like it. It’s the idea that 10 short posts each about one idea is better than one long post about 10 ideas. Thanks for the reminder.
A great topic and a nice post. Have you checked out the book “Made to Stick” by the Heath brothers? They’ve gone into a lot of work about making things stick.
Great point – time to sharpen the focus of my web content but I admit I struggle with maintaining a primary message in addition to answering potential customer questions. Also my pages rank better when I add more content so I wonder if the main focus becomes diluted in the process.
Fine, the less you focus on, the more you remember.
There’s also this method called Accelerated Learning which is about 10/24/7: review w/in 10 mins,
w/in 24 hours and w/in 7 days.
I always jolt down random ideas into a piece of paper or into the notepad (That’s why I always have notepad on my taskbar) because I forget things easily and try to have a few branched ideas and underneath the ideas are the keyword to it then I will revise on it. It helps!
Perhaps most particularly this is something that needs to be considered in the context of individual blog posts. Its pretty common to see posts that ramble on a number of topics, rather than something short and sharp and informative. I think the focus in blog posts can be more beneficial than overly limiting a blog that may focus on a number of related issues.
Really good point made here. Its so true. Its always the one liners that have the most impact and not a para or even a page. Great work and a great article. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing with everybody.
moserw
http://www.nela.in
Hi Maki,
How timely, I am about to write a blog post following up on this topic, which arose after a post I wrote last week on one Blog one topic or many that has created great discussion after Problogger picked up on it.
Great suggestions
A business should get its message across clearly, completely and effectively, or people will get confused.
But I think to be effective in communicating this, you need figure out what benefit you’re offering your clients.
Very good advice! Our motto is 1-client, 1-trainer, 1-goal and we help busy people with hectic lives get healthly and stay healthly through accountability in our private personal training suites. Fitness Together. The World’s Leader In Personal Training.
http://www.fitnesstogether.com
Focused content is king. Similar concepts are well-known “marketing” truths within advertising (off and online) and within branding communities.
The power is in the simplicity and depth of a message.
Great post!
Maria Reyes-McDavis
@ Vinh Le
Yup.. we usually remember events that affect us emotionally. Politicians or marketers exploit this by telling stories or case studies of specific individuals.
@ Steaprok
Thanks for stumbling this post.
@ maneesh
Yup. Shorter posts can be very useful for encouraging discussions because they don’t take time or energy to read. This is something I’m trying to do as well on Doshdosh: balance the longer, more indepth articles with more concise articles…
@ Garg
Blogging outside of your chosen topic now and then is fine but not too often, or you’ll lose your niche focus.
@ VM
It’s definitely not easy to be very simple and yet profoundly relevant..
@ Jamie
You’re right in saying that your content should be somewhat dictated by the audience you are writing for or the people you want to reach. Being simple and uncomplicated doesn’t mean you need to dumb down or write short posts. I think the overall focus for the site is important. If you’re constantly writing about the certain topic in ever increasing depth, you’re naturally develop a laser-sharp message focus that’s site-wide. People know what to expect from your site and will read you religiously.
@ Alisha
Yup, sometimes communication can be hampered by too much technical jargon. Try using metaphors, analogies or other rhetorical devices the next time you share ideas… it might work better.
@ TJ2point0
Thanks for the tips!
@ Simple Mom
You’re welcome!
@ PharmacistMike
I’ve read the book and it was pretty good. Lots of information… I should probably do a review of it sometime soon.
@ Jennifer
Perhaps a FAQ or some of primer to your website might help…
@ elezend
That sounds a little like mind-mapping to me… its a useful technique!
@ Suzie
Thanks. All the best for your blog post!
@ Ria
Understanding what you can and want to offer as a benefit to your clients/readers is important indeed.
I think the brevity and focus of your brand is even more important now, where our attention span is evolving in shorter and shorter cycles – due to social media, Moore’s law, and digital technology.
If you can’t sum up your business in one sentence…you don’t know your business!
Great point.
This reminds me of “The Rule of One” advocated by Michael Masterson.
He says:
“Write about only one thing at a time. Because one good idea, clearly and convincingly presented, is better than a dozen so-so ideas strung together.”
He explains it in-depth at http://www.earlytorise.com/2008/02/18/the-power-of-one.html
Arguing one point and arguing it well really are central to persuading readers.
Very good advice…i read through my old posts on my blog and they were like a maze, with no clear focus on one message. Your simple and straight to the point post has helped to focus in my future posts.
I love this post!
Once again an excellent post from the master
haha
cheers
scott
Love your blog first of all, what a great post, this is what we are trying to form for mediameme.com
Aha.. sailing in the same boat are we
I think it is good to do these experiments from time to time .. some real hands one experience in web publishing..somewhat like how you figured one doesn’t have to post daily to have an impact blog..
Should I also add – SMALL is BEAUTIFUL?
It’s better to be a razor sharp spear than a well rounded Swiss Army kinfe.
I chose a super specific niche and decided to approach the topic in a witty, sarcastic, and (hopefully) insightful way. I also created an enemy, which has helped define who I am.
Raza Imam
SoftwareSweatshop.com
Talk about instant feedback…I wrote a post today and instead of throwing in a whole list of stuff I thought about what you had said and wrote about one thing, Spanish Paprika.
My second commenter said “I am always interested in spices and making food taste better…I will have to add this one to my list of must tries…after all it got it’s very own post!”
I’m a convert. Thank you.
I’m glad I found your site. I’m thoroughly enjoying your posts. Your point here is clear, and to do it..focus, focus, focus.
You’re right. But I think we instinctively feel that the more we say, the more people will find interest.
interesting post
bloggersmosaic.com
Good information, thanks. I have to learn to do it
Very great post and usefull, i wish i can write like you!
So true… too many times people want to be everything to everybody… and they get lost in the translation.
If someone offers me a sandwich and holds out a paper sack… and another person asks me if I want a peanut butter sandwich and holds out a paper sack…
…and I really do feel like a peanut butter sandwich… I’ll go w/ the dude who specifically offered me the peanut butter sandwich.
Who knows what kind of sandwich the other dude is offering me… too much work for me to ask when the other guy was so clear w/ his offering.
Sorry about the bad analogy, lol.
- Trevor
Maki, thanks for putting a point on this.
In this age of considering a huge variety of subjects,
it is critical to remember we won’t share any of them well without simple focus.
Thanks
Agreed, whenever I have a new campaign for anything I have in mind I usually write everything in a post it. Then when I’m finished, I circle the most important. It works! My topics usually become more general and hit the spot!
Yup, I totally agree with you on the need to have one core idea, and focus on that. Rambling on here and there will only make your readers lose track of what you are trying to say. Of course, some social blogs, tend not to have a specific focus, but rather function as a channel to journalize experiences.
Nevertheless, I’ve noticed that this is principle that you’ve utilized throughout your blog. Judging from the subscribers you have, it seems to be working really well.
Having a focus also means that you need to have greater substance in the topic you are writing about. This helps to add the meat and quality to the post, ultimately reflecting the knowledge and experience of the writer in the process.
Cheers!
Samantha
http://www.what-sells-online.com
But a huge lists can be a good linkbait, so maybe it’s not always wrong to accumulate a lot of ideas into one post (as long as they are focused on one topic).
Definitely one of my core principles. Every time someone brings me a message stuffed with nebulous ideas, I ask them what the one core idea it is that they want the reader to take away.
Good copy advice, Maki.
Sometimes I think we should write a check list to look at, once we’ve finished the first draft of our articles. Now and again, I find myself no adhering to the principles I know that work.
Stumbled!
Well said, Thanks for article.
It really is all about focus isn’t it? When it comes to reading blogs, I have discovered myself that I can’t focus on the ones with long never-ending-scrolling. People want a one point take-home that they can apply or reflect on. Give them a reason to come back for more good reading tomorrow. Well done!
Great post. I agree with most of your commentors, it’s really about focus and content, just like in any other presence we have online.
Maria Reyes-McDavis
Web Success Diva
Yeah – to focus – this is the main pillar in writing articles – would it be press media or blogging. Also it would help u (regarding indexing and content) see http://www.omfica.org
Let’s control the giants – and markteting will be easy
Means all marketing should be an elevator pitch.
What you have written here echos many of my own feelings about networking. Keeping the message Pure and Memorable is something I needed to reminded of from time to time because it’s so essential. People don’t want to work to figure you out, anymore.
I agree with you COMPLETELY about how quotes are important. For the past year, I’ve been creating InspirationalEverywhere posters for free. Your readers might find them useful: http://byteful.com/media/v/InspirationEverywhere/
Thanks for the info. That makes sense. Don’t fill your customers head with different ideas if you are trying to sell or transfer information or product. Plant a seed and from there you’ll get a tree.
Yup.
One sentence branding. It’s about knowing how to describe what it is that your brand stands for in one sentence…and doing it in such a way that the person listening in can walk away with a crystallized view of who you are and why you matter.
Thanks for the tip!
Nice piece of information Maki, you have well said that ideas spread when they are remembered.
The greatest lesson I’ve learned that the good marketing messages must be direct and to the point.
Cheers,
Codrut Turcanu – “Succeeding Against All Odds!”
I know you guys probably heard of the book Made to stick where it mentions to strip your message down to the core and give it some hooks! just a thought!
Our poor brains are over powered with all sorts of information. Keeping things simple just makes sense. Simple messages will be remembered over complicated ones.
@Tuni, I have recently read that book and I have to say that it’s really a great one!