3 reasons biomedical nonprofits should live by the marketing rule: “less is more”.

The most innovative marketers are realizing that audiences crave simplified campaigns and messages that are more visual and direct. This intensifying trend is shaping up to be an enduring movement and holds true at every touch point with consumers, especially in digital marketing.

For biomedical groups, “consumers” can be individual donors, investor groups, venture capitalists, federal agencies, institutional partners, researchers and educators. The touch points for each of these groups are varied. Biomedical nonprofits that want to be seen as thought-leaders in their category should consider how simplified messaging and improved relevancy might have a greater impact with each target audience by providing the right information through the right channels at the right time.

Here’s why:

Consumers are tired.
The hyper-connectivity, sensory overload and constant barrage of digital information are leaving consumers feeling wiped. To be a marketing leader, especially in today’s digital space, you have to break through a lot of clutter. Understanding what is relevant to your audience and delivering it as cleanly as possible will set you apart as a brand that “gets it”. If a communication is too complicated or key information is unclear, users won’t waste their valuable time going through hoops and hurdles to find what they’re looking for—they will just leave the site. Focus on simplifying complicated information, have a clear call-to-action, and make sure that interacting with your brand is easy.

Mobility is soaring.
Thanks to mobile devices, consumers are interacting more with brands between activities and in shorter snippets of time. That means marketers must work harder to create content that and is easily digestible. Complexities that distract consumers from retrieving essential information quickly sway them to move on even faster. Consider visual solutions that will make your information stand out and can easily translate to mobile devices.

Simplification shows leadership.
Audiences tend to tune out brands that over-message because they stop trusting that their communications will be meaningful. Biomedical nonprofits that want to position themselves as thought-leaders in their industry need to limit their communications and make sure they are providing an “aha” moment for their audience. If you can’t quickly communicate an insight or provide a useful resource, consider holding off on tweeting, posting or emailing until you can.

Regardless of the marketing tool (eNewsletter, website, annual appeal, product package), here is a wise philosophy that always applies:

“Branding is essential, content is king, and navigation is key. Anything that detracts from those three will undermine the strength of the design.” – Joe
Lazauskas, Co-founder of Faster Times Media

You’re probably wondering what steps you can take to start simplifying your brand right now. Luckily, that will be the topic of my next post, “How biomedical marketing leaders can get on the fast track to simplification”.

You can also contact me, Karan Cushman, at 866-960-9220 or email karan@cushmancreative.com. I’m always here to help.