I always take my son Matt out to lunch when he’s home from college. I enjoy hearing about the new interests he’s aquired since we last got together. Lately, it’s been the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche.

He’s also developed a taste for amazingly expensive single malt scotch from the isle of Islay (Yes, he just turned drinking age).

At lunch, I noticed that he had become sort of a walking communications hub. There were few moments when his mobile phone was not ring-toning, beeping, buzzing, or vibrating. He was managing a constant stream of distractions and interruptions.

When our clients talk to us about their audience -- the key people they must influence and motivate -- they notice the same thing. It’s like their audience has ADD -- attention deficit disorder.

Whether it’s due to lean staffing, demands of technology, or management pulling the plug on the office water cooler, your audience has more work, less time, and less patience than they used to.

What to do?

Keep it brief -- your audience will be turned off by a long document
Keep it clean -- Make clarity and legibility a priority in design
It's not about you -- talk about your audience, not you -- people want to hear about what you do for them, not why you are important
Tell stories -- folks will pay attention if you have a great story to tell

Of course, there are exceptions to these guidelines. But more than ever, you need to put yourself in your audience’s distracted, super-busy shoes.

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FACT OF THE MONTH
Warner Music Group claims to own the copyright to the song 'Happy Birthday'. In 2008 they collected around $2 million in royalties for the song.

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LEVINSON BLOCK NEWS
We are developing visual branding and marketing for LAPA: Laurence A. Pagnoni Associates. LAPA is a smart and effective development consulting firm for the non profit sector.

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ABOUT LEVINSON BLOCK
Ever feel like your marketing looks, feels and sounds like your competition? We can help. LevinsonBlock specializes in differentiation.

We develop strategy that leads to action –- not theories that end up in your file drawer. And we implement strategy with services that include everything from websites and SEO, to collateral, to annual reports -- so your organization speaks to its audience effectively across all communication channels.

We’ve worked with sales-driven healthcare businesses and organizations such as Hospital for Special Surgery and AMC Health; and organizations such as the Public Library of Science.

Thanks for reading!
Peter
LevinsonBlock LLC
718 438-2563
peterl@levinsonblock.com
www.levinsonblock.com
Vist us on LinkedIn
Fact of the Month courtesy Paul Michael Neuman; www.froggypumpkin.com

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