The power of clear language

Posted on August 28, 2012 by jmichaeldunn

Have you ever read a print ad or website copy for a product or service and thought to yourself, “I don’t get it”?  Or has a conversation with a sales rep or service provider left you scratching your head, thinking, “It shouldn’t be this complicated”?  I must admit I can answer “Yes” to both questions.

I also must admit that as a once and (hopefully) future marketer I have a guilty pleasure:  clever copy.  I just love a witty headline, a cute tagline, tongue-in-cheek verbiage, and plays on words to communicate information about products and services.  Throw in some cool iconography, and I’m generally a happy camper.  It is sometimes all too easy for me to see marketing communication vehicles as ends in their own right rather than means to support the ends (sales).  However, I am slowly improving.

Marketing materials must, first and foremost, clearly communicate the right message(s) about the product or service.  And there is no better way to do that than to use clear, direct language about what the product or service does, its benefit(s) to the consumer, and its value.  The power of such clear language is that it can easily co-exist with eye-catching graphic treatments and well-crafted copy.  You see, clear language is well-crafted copy.  Consumers are increasingly bombarded by media and messaging of all sorts. The clearly communicated product will naturally stand out from the cute, yet confusing copy of competitors.

OK, that last bit of alliteration may have been over the top.  Use clear language in your marketing efforts.  If your product or service can meet the criteria of the following simple checklist, then your clarity will win the day.  Clear language easily supports sales efforts of a product or service which demonstrates:

  1. High quality.  There is simply no substitute for quality manufacturing or service.
  2. It meets a need or solves a problem for customers and potential customers.  In other words, its features have clear benefits.
  3. It has an appropriate price or a clear ROI.

If your offering doesn’t meet these simple criteria, you are likely better off working on your product rather than your communications about it.  If your offering does meet these criteria, then clear communication should be easy.  And just to ensure it is, run that new marketing piece by people outside of your marketing team or company’s inner circle.  Let customers, prospects, and people outside your industry take a look.  You may be surprised just how powerful using clear language can be.

If you liked this post, please share it.  If you didn’t or if it wasn’t quite clear, please let me know.

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(Digital) impressions of CEREC 27 and a Half

Posted on August 21, 2012 by jmichaeldunn

Due to several personal and professional dental-related trips over the last month, I took a short hiatus from writing.  I’m indulging myself a little with this return post to write about my experiences on the last of these trips – attending Sirona’s monumental CEREC 27 and a Half event.  So, please excuse the cheesy, play on words title.  This event proved to be an amazing experience for me technologically, professionally, and personally.


First, the technology.  Sirona launched  CEREC Omnicam at the event last week.  Words cannot do it justice, so I won’t attempt an explanation.  It is simply a game changer in digital impressions and CAD/CAM.  Just check it out.

From a professional perspective it was invigorating to re-connect with former business associates from some great dental companies.  Integrated Media Solutions, Patterson Dental, Ivoclar, Lanmark360, DentalTown, 1-800-Dentist, and DentalCompare were all represented, just to name a few.  It was also refreshing to engage with many of the CEREC owners whom I have had the privilege to get to know over the years.  These dentists are so forward thinking and generally fun to be around.  They display a sense of community within their profession that is really inspiring.

And personally I felt an odd sense of pride.  Let me explain.  I spent a number of years as an employee in the marketing team of Sirona’s CAD/CAM division.  I felt a strange sense of pride in my own history and involvement with the product.  I felt proud of the developers who worked so hard to bring this latest generation to market.  I felt proud of the marketing team who put on this excellent event.  They really did an outstanding job.

So, my ultimate impression of the CEREC 27 and a Half event is a sense of thankfulness.  I’m thankful that I was able to experience it and be one of the first to witness such an innovation in dental technology.  I’m thankful to be involved in such a wonderful profession where often the lines blur between status of customer, business associate, and friend.  And finally, I’m thankful that I had a small part in the history of a product which brings such benefits to dentists, dental practices, and patients.

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A Marketer’s Checklist Part 2

Posted on July 18, 2012 by jmichaeldunn

Previously I wrote about a simple marketer’s pre-campaign checklist for a new marketing campaign.  To refresh your memory, that short checklist goes a little something like this:

  • Protect your core strategies – If something is working well, don’t mess with it.
  • DO SOMETHING – Don’t get caught up in trying to make the campaign so perfect that you become distracted from actually executing.
  • Determine measurable objectives of the new campaign.
  • Determine appropriate communication techniques.
  • Ensure communication tactics are integrated with clear, consistent messaging.
  • Obtain buy-in from sales.
  • Achieve consensus with sales on how all those leads will be handled.
  • Measure.
  • Alter/augment based on the measurements – This last step might be the 1st in a checklist for the “during” phase of the marketing campaign.

It is well past time to look at the next piece of this checklist puzzle:  the in-campaign checklist.  Now that your campaign is well underway, that doesn’t mean you can kick back with your feet on your desk or curl up under it for a nice Costanza-esque nap.  No, sirs & ma’ams.  So, here’s a short checklist for during the marketing campaign:

  • Execute.  I said it above and I’ll say it again here, put execution on the checklist.  If not, you may run the risk that your campaign doesn’t get off the ground.
  • Measure (OK, after looking at the pre-campaign checklist above I realized that the Measure bullet really belongs here.)
  • Get feedback from sales.  This is also a measurement, but qualitative rather than quantitative.
  • Get feedback from customers and prospects.  (Novel concept, I know.)
  • Augment based on all those measurements and feedback.
  • Make a decision.  Will you basically keep on as planned with minor tweaks based on the measurements and feedback, or is a major change needed?

That’s really it for during the campaign.  If you planned carefully and dutifully adhered to the pre-campaign checklist, then the bulk of the in-campaign checklist is execution, measurement, and (hopefully) tweaking as necessary.

What are your thoughts on checklists for marketing projects?  Please let me know with a comment.

If you liked this article, please share it, and you can check social engagement off your list for the moment!

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