To get the Compound Return newsletter in your inbox every month, subscribe here.
Last month, I shared a personal anecdote about how my small children received 99 items – not gifts or necessities, just stuff – over January and February. Stuff is now so cheap and ubiquitous that it is a faucet we can’t seem to turn off. The result: the kids are overwhelmed, unimpressed, and when it comes down to it – kind of spoiled.
Clearly, the experience I’ve been having resonated with many, as I received a ton of responses from my newsletter readers. What I heard from you: You’re also struggling with the way that overabundance de-values the things that we try to contribute – whether that’s a present for the kids or a big project at work. Competing with a mountain of free garbage is no fun.
The more I consider it, the more parallel I see between gifts and content marketing: you’re providing something that you hope will be valued by the receiver.
So, I spent some time this month pondering what makes a gift valuable, and I have three ideas to share. I hope you’re able to apply these ideas to the way you imagine and execute your idea-marketing, as you look to conquer your own 99-Problems Syndrome.
#1 Way to Overcome Overabundance: Be a Giver of White Space
In the case of the Christmas overload here at the Marsh house, my husband and I did actually find some ways to stem the holiday fallout: we injected extra quiet and “white space” into the house.
We threw away all the promotional materials that came with the kids’ new toys. We took the TV out of the living room for a week. We instituted a temporary ban on wish lists (since getting toys had only inspired them to want more toys). We canceled a few outings, and we made a point to light candles every night at dinner and have a few moments of quiet.
It worked like a charm on the kids. Almost instantly, the mania in their eyes passed and their sweet selves returned.
Back to your audience: Not only are they drowned in communications; they also go through their days with an average of 3 minutes between distractions to get work done. The people who you are trying to give a gift to are overstimulated and over-gifted most of the time.
Think of white space, in the context of communications, as the opposite of overload.
With that in mind, here are ways to make your materials a calming place to be:
1 – Say more with less.
Look for ways to shorten your message. Challenge yourself to be concise and concrete with your insights.
“Sorry this letter is so long. I did not have time to shorten it.”
– attributed to French mathematician Blaise Pascal
2 – Assume decision fatigue and give specific recommendations.
One of the ways that your audience is probably overstimulated – like right now – is that they are most likely experiencing decision fatigue. They’ve spent their workday resisting distractions and making choices about too many things.
And when people are in a state of decision fatigue, they are more likely to want and follow recommendations.
Don’t just give insights and information. Give specific recommendations.
3 – Aim for low-noise, high-white-space presentation.
Present your ideas with abundant visual white space and useful subtitles. Make your content a calm and easy space for your readers to be. Assume their eyeballs are overstimulated, and structure accordingly.
4 – Use minimal and harmonious colors.
You want people to remember your ideas. Visual studies show that people retain more information when it’s presented with minimal and harmonious colors. Especially in your visual content, use that to your advantage.
We have to accept that we operate in an environment of overabundance. In that context, the way that we present information is just as important as the information itself.
Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 of this series!
Looking for a freelance financial writer to help you make valuable content? Reach out and let’s talk about your project needs.
Posted By
Carolyn
Categories
Compound Return Newsletter, Content Marketing