Writing Like You’re Smarter Than a 5th Grader

I recently read a new training procedure that was so jargon-filled and convoluted as to be completely unreadable.  I actually could not believe that the person writing it knew, himself, what it meant. 

Part of the beauty of good writing is simplicity. Some of the best journals -  The New York Times, Harvard Business Review and The Economist, for example -  write about very complicated subjects, yet simplify the content in order that you understand the true issues. 

Here are 2 statements that could be used to describe your company’s service:  

• We build CRM client interfaces for receiving verticals that contract our web-based ship-to platforms.  

Instead, try this:

• We write software that helps small companies deliver products that actually arrive on time so the owners can sleep at night.

Early in my marketing career, I learned that when writing for package or advertising, never use words that could not be understood by a 5th grader. We would agonize over wording to simplify everything to make it clear and easy to understand. I soon found that this had nothing to do with the education level of the American consumer, as much as it had to do with the fact that complicated wording is very often misunderstood and therefore loses all impact of its message.   This is not good in advertising.  This is also not good in training manuals. 

Complicated writing does not sound smart.  It is actually the symptom of cluttered thinking and/or a disregard for the person who must read it. 

So, even if you are smarter than a 5th grader, don’t write like you are.

Turning Online Advertising Into E-Commerce

Today JPMorgan predicted that global e-commerce will grow 19% in 2011 and is forecasting that rate to continue through 2013.  What's more interesting is that 52% of people make an online purchase at least once per month, and only 12% didn’t shop online in 2010 (down from 20% in 2007).  This is according to JP Morgan senior analyst, Imran Khan.  Wow. Those are big numbers.  This is a swift and significant change in shopping behavior, even in a recession.
However, there is a bit of a disconnect pointed out as well.  Online advertising spending has grown significantly in the US – it reached 13.7% of total advertising, which far exceeded the percentage of online retail sales to total retail sales (3.9% of US retail).  This suggests some level of inefficiency.

 So what to make of this ecommerce to online advertising gap?   A couple of thoughts:

1. We have not yet hit the tipping point of online advertising.  There is a barrier that must still be overcome that will take more years of advertising to close the gap.
   
2. Online advertising may have little correlation to online sales.  This could be due to the fact that online advertising is a media, rather than retail, choice.  I can advertise soup on the internet, but I wouldn’t expect you to buy it there.  The same is true for restaurants, gasoline, etc.
   
3. Or….advertising is not effectively convincing people that online shopping is a safe, quick, and viable alternative to putting your coat on and driving to the mall.