251: Simply Put—Reducing Friction on Sales Pages and in Business Communication with Ben Guttmann
Dec 19, 2023
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Ben Guttmann, marketing and communications expert, discusses reducing friction on sales pages and in business communication. He emphasizes the importance of clear messages and personalized communication on sales pages. Ben also highlights the significance of focusing on benefits rather than just features and explores alternative marketing strategies beyond paid ads.
Effective communication is about reducing friction and targeting one specific person rather than a mass audience.
To convey a clear message, it is crucial to eliminate unnecessary complexity and distractions by adopting a 'so that' framework instead of an 'and' framework.
Deep dives
Importance of Clear and Concise Communication
Clear and concise communication is crucial for business owners, especially when describing their offerings on sales pages or in newsletters. Often, business owners struggle with simplifying their message because they are too close to their work and find it challenging to separate their knowledge from what the audience wants. Moreover, in the age of information overload and short attention spans, it is important to minimize friction and reduce complexity in communication. By focusing on one clear objective and using language that feels intimate and conversational, business owners can create a stronger connection with their audience. Drawing inspiration from successful communicators like Taylor Swift, who makes every lyric feel personal, and utilizing the tactic of communicating to one person rather than a mass audience, can have a more significant impact. Ultimately, it is essential to recognize that nobody wakes up wanting to hear advertisements or lengthy emails, and by respecting the audience's time and needs, business owners can increase engagement and effectively convey their message.
The Danger of Overloading Communication
Overloading communication with excessive information and complexity can lead to reduced engagement and missed opportunities for business owners. When presenting multiple features or ideas simultaneously, it becomes challenging for the audience to grasp the core message. This phenomenon is known as the 'Frankenstein idea,' where individual positive elements, when combined, create a confusing and less effective whole. It is crucial to focus on a single, cohesive message that eliminates unnecessary distractions and reduces friction for the audience. By adopting a 'so that' framework instead of an 'and' framework, business owners can transform their communication into a more concise and clear format. This approach allows for greater understandability and promotes better reception of the intended message.
Email Etiquette and the Value of Simplicity
In today's fast-paced digital world, long, complex emails often create friction and diminish engagement. People are overwhelmed by the volume of emails they receive, and lengthy messages can easily go unread or get buried in inboxes. As a business owner, it is essential to be mindful of the recipient's time and attention span. Striving for simplicity is key to enhancing email communication. By condensing messages and focusing on the core information, business owners can increase the likelihood of receiving timely responses and maintaining productive conversations. Email debt forgiveness day, a humorous concept, highlights the importance of not dwelling on old, unresolved emails and encourages a more forgiving and efficient approach to email communication.
The Value of Referral-Based Marketing
Not every business needs to rely on paid advertising campaigns to acquire clients. While paid ads can be effective for many, focusing on fostering referability and word-of-mouth marketing can yield significant results. By investing in efforts that make your business more favorable, creating positive experiences, and building strong relationships, the potential for referrals increases. Allocating marketing resources towards making the business known to the right people, rather than spending on costly ad campaigns, can offer a more favorable return on investment. Recognizing the unique characteristics of your industry and finding ways to stay top-of-mind with existing clients can lead to consistent referrals and business growth.
Just because you use pretty words that sound nice doesn’t mean they are effective. Although we know what we do because we do it all the time; it’s hard to separate that from what your audience wants and experiences. Thankfully, today’s guest is here to help.
We discuss why business owners often muck up their sales pages (what I call invitation letters), how to reduce friction when attracting clients and customers, and the toll that writing too much takes on the receiver.
More About Ben: Ben is former co-founder and managing partner at Digital Natives Group, an award-winning agency that worked with the NFL, I Love NY, Comcast NBCUniversal, Hachette Book Group, The Nature Conservancy, and other major clients. He’s an experienced marketing executive and educator on a mission to get leaders to more effectively connect by simplifying their message. Currently, Ben teaches digital marketing at Baruch College in New York City and consults with a range of thought leaders, venture-backed startups, and other brands.
🌟 3 Key Takeaways
It’s most effective to communicate to one person, rather than imagining an ambiguous thousand (or ten thousand).
Strong communication is not about how many (or few) words you use; it’s about reducing friction, or offramps, from your message.
“This and that” versus “this so that”: Test the cohesiveness of your message by replacing and with so.
📝 Permission
Not to spend money on paid advertising. Focus on making your business more referable instead.
✅ Do (or Delegate) This Next
Look at one of the most important pages of your website. If each word costs you $10, how many can you cut? What about $1,000? If you had to distill your message down to a road sign, what would it look like?