A to Z of Marketing: J = Jelly (Effect)

The A to Z of marketing is designed to give you a flavour of the multitude of components that need to be considered when marketing  a business.

This week we look at J = jelly (effect).

J = Jelly…..what are you on about?  It sounds like a terrible way of finding a blog for a difficult letter of the alphabet.  However Jelly is in reference to a great business/marketing book called The Jelly Effect by Andy Bounds.

Jelly is, in effect, the unnecessary information we throw at people in most scenarios – whether we are in a sales meeting, networking, a presentation or in our everyday marketing material.  So how do we determine what information is worthwhile and what is “Jelly”.

It is actually not that difficult to identify.  Any information that we are firing at people that doesn’t explain the benefit of what our product or service does for them (i.e. what it leaves them with), is not relevant and is unnecessary.

As business owners and marketers we need to stop throwing a bucket of jelly at people and hoping that some of it sticks.  How more powerful would you marketing communications be if 100% of what you said was relevant to the recipient?

In the job that I do I end up looking at a lot of companies website – it is the first step for many in checking out a potential prospect, supplier or competitor.

How many times is “About Us” the first tab on the menu bar? It should be the last.  We are visiting a site to try and find out about what you can do for us, but first you insist on telling us all about you and how great you are.  How many years you have been in business, how big you are, how many staff you have, how many offices, who all your clients are etc.

It is a turn off and unnecessary information.  Just because you have over 200 staff doesn’t mean you are going to serve my needs any better.  In fact it could mean the opposite?

Only communicate what is relevant.  Less is more.  It can be very difficult, especially for a business owner, to a step back and decipher what really is relevant.

The only way you can really do this is to put yourself in the mind of the customer.  If you can’t do this then get someone in from outside of the business who will see everything completely objectively.

Alternatively buy a copy of the Jelly Effect and carry out the exercises within it.  It may not solve all of your problems but it will certainly make you more aware of the mistakes you are making!