What's Out? What's In?
By Sonali Raval

The times - they are a'changing. And so are your customers.

Consumers have become more sophisticated. They are alert, closely watching your communication, weighing your credibility and then deciding whether to give you their business.

So what can you do to present your business in the most professional manner? Think like the customer does. Look at your communication through the most critical customer's eyes. Be aware of the specific signals that customers watch out for; then eliminate them from your communication.

This article is a compilation of trends I have picked up through my own observation, and discussions with friends, colleagues and the Internet community. I expect these trends to become even more visible over the next few months.

Vague is out. Specific is in.

They say - sooner or later, hype catches up with you. Guess what?  It just did!

Customers no longer respond to words like "leader," "pioneer," "biggest," "fastest," "best," "first," etc. In fact, they are quite wary of these. When they spot such exaggerated claims, they tend to doubt the credentials of the company. Can't blame them.  Too many business communicators have used and abused these vague generalizations.

So, stay a step ahead. Ditch the hyperbole and offer specific information instead. If you can say - "Every third person in the region/country/world uses our brand" - great! If you cant, be candid and make a believable claim.
   
Cosmetics are out. Content is in.

Sometime back, flash intros, dazzling graphics and fancy fonts swept through the Internet community, driving traffic like crazy. Webmasters got carried away by the magic. Cosmetics became a substitute for content.

It hasn't taken long for the customers to catch on. Animations and heavy graphics are increasingly viewed as distractions, in some cases even as smoke screens. And web surfers decide to turn animations and graphics off, preferring to focus on the content.

Why this change? Because Internet has evolved from an entertainment/infotainment media to a serious research and communication tool. A PEWInternet Research study
reports, "As Internet users gain experience online, they increasingly turn to the Internet to perform work-related tasks, to make purchases and do other financial transactions, to write emails with weighty and urgent content, and to seek information that is important to their everyday lives."

And so, content makes a comeback.

By the way, this trend is not limited to the Internet. Print brochures, sales letters and promotional kits are being critically judged for content. Your readers want accurate, meaningful and relevant information. Sure, aesthetics are important. But they can never be a substitute for content.

Fuzz is out. Facts are in.

"Feel good" fuzz used to sell. You saw cute kids prancing around in a TV commercial and you bought the brand. Just because.

Not anymore. Blame it on the economic slowdown if you will.  But consumers are becoming very careful about how they spend their dollars. (Or rupees, euros, dinars, pesos, it makes no difference whatsoever .)

If you want a share of the customer's wallet, you need to give reasons why. Proven benefits, comparative studies, performance statistics and customer testimonials are good. Money back guarantees and trial versions are better.

Free is out. Value is in.

The Internet spawned freebies. Free reports. Free music. Free software. Free everything. Unfortunately, most "freeware" actually comes at a price. Of privacy, security, spam and intrusive pop-up advertising. Suddenly, FREE is a four letter word. People are willing to pay for services that guarantee freedom from such intrusions. Paid email services, shareware, hardware, even "pay per click" traffic drivers are doing well. All the customers ask for is good value deals. Of course, there are people who still use freeware. Generally due to lack of options. They are very likely to switch to "paid" when someone offers them the services/products they want at a price they can afford.

Corporate-speak is out. Conversations are in.

I quote the ever-popular Clue Train Manifesto, "Markets are conversations. Their members communicate in language that is natural, open, honest, direct, funny and often shocking. Whether explaining or complaining, joking or serious, the human voice is unmistakably genuine. It can't be faked. Most corporations, on the other hand, only know how to talk in the soothing, humorless monotone of the mission statement, marketing brochure, and your-call-is-important-to-us busy signal." Need I say more? 

By now, if you are thinking that everything has changed, you are quite right. But.... The golden rule still remains - as long as you remember that the customer is not a fool, you will do just fine.

Now, that isn't very painful, is it?  

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