Newsletter #4: An easy way to let your readers read
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Quick note today on a design trend that grinds my gears: grey text on a white background.
Sure, it’s sexy and sleek to look at.
But if you’re visiting a website or perusing a white paper to gain knowledge or amusement, looking at it isn’t good enough.
You’ll need to read it.
Except when there’s a low contrast situation going on—light text on a lighter background—your eyes and brain rebel. With it comes a physical reaction that tells you, “Uh. I don’t wanna read that.”
I know this because it happens to me all the time online. Even on my decent-sized monitor, I’m repelled by web pages that want to tell me something in low-contrast typography.
[Don’t let my love of blockbuster movies fool you—I’m also a reader. Seems like a crime to scare people-who-love-to-read away before they even start reading.]
What does this mean to marketing mavens?
It means: don’t make me crazy with super-modern, low-contrast, impossible-to-read content!
Of course, we both know it doesn’t matter if your copywriter is having a hard time reading your sales and marketing collateral.
But it does matter if your clients and prospects are having an unnecessarily hard time.
I’m not accusing you of contrast crimes—I would never.
I’m just asking you to ask yourself how your colour choices help or hinder the readability of your excellent content (that you work so hard to create).
If the answer is hinder, use the simple tip below to increase the helpfulness of your content.
How to make your text more readable in less than five minutes:
Use black font on a white background.
Better, right?
Until next time, keep on truckin’,
Andrea
PS: If you want to know more about how this unfortunate design trend took hold, here’s an interesting article from Wired.
**********The quote of the month**********
Less is more. Don’t get fancy, don’t overdo anything. Simplicity and power are not mutually exclusive. They are often one and the same.
-Dan Pallotta, president of Springboard, in the Harvard Business Review
**********Marketing tip of the month**********
Using the most effective content for each stage of the sales funnel
HubSpot suggests marketers see more success when they match the right content to the right area of the sales funnel.
The top of the funnel is AWARENESS.
This is when prospects have a lot of questions and are looking for insights on how to solve the question they’re grappling with.
Useful content at this stage includes white papers, check-lists, tip sheets, how-to videos. Basically: educational stuff.
The middle of the funnel is EVALUATION.
This is when prospects are researching your solution (and others).
Useful content at this stage includes case studies, FAQ sheets, data sheets, product demo videos, webinars. Basically: helping your prospects figure out if your solution is the right fit for them.
The bottom of the funnel is PURCHASE.
This is when prospects are deciding to become someone’s customer.
Useful content at this stage includes live demos, free trials, consultations and estimates, coupons. Basically: stuff that nudges your prospect into deciding to become your customer.
Source: HubSpot - How to Create Content for Every Stage of the Buyer's Journey
**********Good vibes**********
Fish metrics
Cod stock in Icelandic fishing waters has hit a historical high, yet the catch has decreased 45% since 1981, due to Icelanders’ goal of achieving “100 percent fish utilization.”
Instead of turning a codfish into a $12 filet, they can turn the whole fish into a variety of food and health products, adding up to $3500 worth of value. (I’m guessing from the supplement side.)
According to HumanProgress.org, those Icelandic fishers are currently at about 80% cod utilization.
**********My 60-second commercial**********
I'm an executive ghostwriter, specializing in benefits, leadership coaching, corporate wellness and employee assistance programs (EAPs).
I work with executives and executive coaches who have big hearts, are driven to help others and never open a conversation they're not willing to close.
My clients are straightforward, ambitious, humble, hilarious and I never have to wonder what they're thinking because they say what they mean and mean what they say.
If you're a tough-love executive or executive coach who would benefit from the kind of work I do, please get in touch:
andrea@redsailwriters.com | 647-502-3187 | ca.linkedin.com/in/andreabassett
Let's talk about these thought leadership projects in 2021:
Newsletters | White papers + e-books | Ghostwritten articles
Workbooks to supplement corporate training
Business book ghostwriting (fall 2021, early 2022)