Have you ever heard of decision paralysis? You’ve most likely experienced it. It’s when your brain locks up at making a decision because of the fear of making a poor choice. The more choices there are, the more complicated the decision, and the more complex the decision, the more chance of paralysis. As logical as keeping things simple might sound, too many marketers present their potential clients with complicated decisions every day. If you want to reach customers, don’t make it difficult.

KISS

Websites

Too often marketers want to add bells and whistles, that become more decisions for consumers to make. Instead of thinking how can our website do more, stop and ask yourself how can we do less? What can we do to reach customers? How can we make the navigational path easier for customers? How can we limit the number of decisions visitors are asked to make? Begin by sticking to the basics. Does Your Website Share These Essentials?

Collateral Materials

Can a brochure, direct mail piece, or a one-pager be too complicated? Absolutely. Overdone typography—using multiple fonts and numerous images coupled with too much content and a complicated call to action can lead a reader to toss a brochure in the waste can rather than make a decision and take action.  7 Steps to Creating an Effective Brochure.

Call to Action

The easiest way to create decision paralysis with any marketing effort is to present a complicated call to action. The more steps added to any CTA the more difficult it becomes. Offering multiple choices to a consumer isn’t helpful—it’s confusing. Keep it simple. Whenever possible limit the choices to one or two. Offer a choice of positives, two choices that both benefit the customer. Be assumptive; know what the best choice for your customer is and tell them. Limit the number of decisions your clients are required to make, and they’ll make more decisions. It’s that simple.

Blogging

Is blogging part of your marketing effort? Do you think every blog has to be a white paper?  If so, stop and ask yourself would you read it? Don’t get me wrong, there’s a place for longer content, it just shouldn’t be arbitrary. Writing blog content isn’t like word-stuffing a college assignment to reach the required number of words. It needs to be useful. Are 1600 Words too Many for a Blog Post?

TMI

Too much information, as well as multiple questions, makes it difficult for prospects to make a decision. By limiting the information you share and uncomplicating the journey you’ll make it easier for your clients to come to a decision and more difficult for them to circle over you in a hold pattern of decision paralysis. How difficult do you make for your customers?

If you’d like to read more on this topic try this, Harvard Business Review: To Keep Your Customers keep it Simple.

 

Photo Credit: Unsplash Photos Photo by William Iven