Not too long ago I wrote a post about
Giving Your Customers Credit. I went on and on about how flexible they are and how willing they are to patronize your business given the right conditions. And all of that is true. But there is a fact, a single piece of knowledge about customers that you may not know. That is the subject of today's post.
To put it succinctly:
Customers Do Not Read.
That might be confusing so let me explain with an anecdote. To make extra money, I work as a concessions cashier on the weekend. Its a pretty simple set up. I hand food through a window. On the counter, I arrange the napkin dispenser, drinking straw box and small trash container for the straw paper or other trash items. The trash container is clearly labeled in large letters but can you guess how many people actually put trash in the countertop receptacle? Only about 12%. What do the other 88% do? 75% walk a few steps to the big garbage cans next to the seating area. The other 13% litter. Granted there could be a lot of reasons why these numbers exist--like maybe 13% customers are just slobs--but for the sake of my post they make a great illustrative point.
Lets say you have a great ad. One like this:
But nobody gets it. You scratch your head and wonder why customers aren't beating down your door. Its because CUSTOMERS DON'T READ. Taking a closer look at this one pager, you'll notice that there is
way too much copy. Today's consumer has an "instant" attitude when it comes to getting information. There are so many outlets vying for your customers attention that you will effectively take yourself out of the running if you make too much of a demand on their time. Going back to the trash can example, its not like I wrote a novel on the side of the container explaining what people should do when faced with a trash-related crisis. It simply said "Trash" but even that was too much copy for 88% of my customers. What's the lesson in all this?
Use your words sparingly. You never know what will get across to your customers or if anything will resonate with them at all so don't waste your words and don't waste their time.
Now you're thinking, "If I can't talk to them, how will I communicate at all?" Easy. Pictures.
People respond to visual cues. That's why, 75% of my customers go to the big garbage can. That can doesn't have the word "trash" on the side, but because of what it is, when people see it they automatically link things together in their head. It might go something like this "Hmm, I have trash. Oh look, a trash can. I'm going to throw this trash in the trash can." Lets take another look at an ad.
As creepy as this little girl is, this image makes a good point. You see the bread. You see the jam. You see the (scarily) hungry look on the girl's face. You get the message--Tasty. You want this because it tastes good. That's why Coke magazine ads and movie theater spots show that sweaty bottle. They don't need 2 paragraphs explaining how awesome they are, they appeal to your impulsive side because they know your brain acts on visual cues a lot faster than informational ones.
There are a lot of things to take into consideration when planning your ads but the power of visual cues should not be over looked. Because this topic is so important I'll be posting a supplement about misdirection which should be a fun lesson. Hope you'll join me. Same bat time, same bat channel.
