Barnhart

One of the most difficult challenges marketers face is the ability to keep their message simple and direct. The bigger the space, the more features and benefits they feel they can cram into an ad. The more social media tools there are, the more accounts we create. The more the merrier, right?

But keeping things simple is in many ways an art. Simplicity requires discipline and determination to eliminate and compromise. It forces marketers to discriminate, which means they have to narrow their audience. Yes, that means your target audience can’t be “Everyone”.

Bring TGIF (Twitter, Google, Internet and Facebook) into the picture and now we have even more decisions to make. We are no longer limited to the :30 second spot, or a full page ad, nor do we have to spend extraordinary amounts of money to reach millions. Today marketers can include unlimited amounts of information on their website, post endless messages in one banner, follow up with an E-blast, and remind you later with a tweet.

Having consumers spend time with your brand is great, but remember social media is merely a means to an end, and not the end itself. Consider Burger King’s Facebook Whopper sacrifice, an incredibly engaging and successful social media campaign that didn’t necessarily translate into sales. Conversely, Southwest’s Ding, a simple yet valuable application drove sales, and generated its ‘social media’ effect.

This is the age of information overload, and those who understand the power of less will get their message across and get noticed. Those who embrace TGIF to deliver relevant and meaningful messages in a focused way will stand out from the competition and rise above the noise.