Simply Put Book Summary

Simply Put on Amazon: amzn.to/3WuJ08Q
Simply put. Why clear messages win and how to design them. One of the key lessons from this book is that people barely hear what you’re saying. The solution is to use simple messages because they’re stickier and more successful.
For example, the slogan “1,000 songs in your pocket” for iPhone or “Just do it” from Nike. Notice that Nike no longer even needs to use its logo for you to associate the slogan with their brand. Companies often get simpler over time. When a brand first launches, it has to always have the brand name next to the logo. Over time, however, the logo or slogan can stand on its own because people make the natural association with the brand name.
Messages without fluff are highly successful. Take for example how Trump’s speaking style has changed over the years. He’s dropped a lot of the intellectual words and now speaks in short, simple soundbites using concrete language.
This simplicity is effective because there’s a huge difference between the message you think you’re sending and what’s actually received. One reason communication fails is simple: Nobody cares about what you are trying to tell them, and they especially don’t care about what you’re trying to sell them.”
You’re fighting an uphill battle against apathy and disinterest. A good example of this comes from the book How Brands Grow where Dr. Byron Sharp debunks the myth that customers fall in love with your brand. They generally only care about your brand when they have an immediate need. People are too busy to care about you, and they don’t notice most things. So the biggest challenge is to simply get attention-breaking through the noise. People filter out MOST things so you have to figure out a way to get noticed.
You can do this by changing 2 things: what you say and how you say it.
Once you get noticed, the challenge then is being remembered. And there are 4 types of memory: sensory, short term, working, and long term.
And memory decays over time. This is a key reason why frequency or repetition is so important in marketing. In fact, the main function of advertising is to combat memory decay.
Only a fraction of your marketing is actually understood. At the top of the funnel are things that get noticed. A fraction of that is remembered in the middle of the funnel. And then at the bottom is a tiny fraction of things that are understood.
Normally people don’t care what you say. They just ignore you…tune you out. So many of the successful ads out there are just great at grabbing attention. Think about the Old Spice man on the horse. Or the viral video from DollarShaveClub.
There’s so much clutter and chaos in the world that very few messages get noticed.
We can combat this by understanding these two key human biases: First, we perceive tasks as more complex than they actually are. And second, we favor things that are easier to understand. The conclusion here is to simplify: create messages that are easily perceived, understood, and acted upon.
One demonstration of this is that people prefer names that are clearer and easier to pronounce. In my opinion, Vanta is an almost perfect example of branding. One reason is that the name is distinctive yet incredibly easy to pronounce.
Research shows that products with easy-to-read fonts are more likely to be purchased. Images with higher contrasted backgrounds are rated as prettier. And websites that load faster produce more sales. Easy things create positive feelings & drive action.
You have to prioritize the receiver: what are their goals, needs, desires? What’s in it for them? In my experience, most cold emails are incredibly self-centered and talk more about what the sender wants than what the receiver gets. Some of the best emails I sent were ones where I started off by offering money or a free gift card. This gets straight to the point of what's in it for you. If you work in B2B, you also need to understand that what the manager wants may be very different from what benefits the company. That’s why gift boxes and gift cards are often so effective.
Here are a couple messages that do a good job communicating what the receiver wants: FedEx: When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. Black & Decker: quick home repairs, do it yourself projects. Use on wood, metal, and plastic.”
Here’s a useful 3-step formula for marketing: (1) Start with a hook that communicates an emotional benefit (2) Then give an intro that discusses a functional benefit (3) Lastly, explain the details which cover a feature.
One way to test the cohesiveness of your is by replacing the word “and” with “so.” Here’s an example: “We are going to develop a loyalty program SO we’ll release a line of collectible coffee mugs.”
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