Can You Read Me?

The best content in the world won't be read if it's hard to read.

What I mean is:  reverse copy (white on black) or a hard-to-decipher typeface or  a too-small font or distracting images.

If you are guilty of these flourishes, strike them from your print materials and website. Pronto.

You clients and prospects are too busy to squint to read your message. And 50% of them are reading about you on a mobile device.

Remember that before someone can read what you've written,they have to be able to read it.

The Messenger Matters.

Last Tuesday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the Republican's It Guy, delivered the GOP's rebuttal to President Obama's State of the Union address.

Regardless of your political affiliation, there's a lesson here.

His weird physical tics: wiping his forehead, licking his lips and, most oddly, the mid-speech water swig, were awkward to watch.

Criticism from both sides was swift and pointed: his unfortunate body language made this charismatic and experienced man--an accomplished leader--seem nervous.

I have no idea if his message was effective. Because the messenger wasn't. I was distracted and  couldn't concentrate on the content.

Especially in today's media marketplace, the message and the messenger cannot be separated. Equal attention must be paid to the effectiveness of both.

Deliver on the Promise.

I recently attended a lecture entitled "Why Do We Love Hot Places?"

Since I live in Phoenix, the title of the talk certainly piqued my interest. I expected to hear about the lure of sunshine and the growth of the Sunbelt states. Or at least some rationale of why we humans prefer heat to cold.

Instead, the speaker strayed off topic.In fact, he didn't deliver on the promise of his talk, save for a snide comment or two about the desert's "dry heat."

He broke a cardinal rule that we as communicators should always heed: deliver on the promise of your headline. It's the very reason the reader keeps reading.