L.M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables wrote that the most powerful sentences in English are three words or fewer:
“He is gone.”
“She is dead.”
“Too late.”
The advertising industry seems to back up a count of three words as well:
“Just Do It.”
“Think Different.”
“Got Milk?”
And successful political campaigns, too, seem to follow Montgomery's direction to stay at three words or fewer:
“I like Ike.”
“Yes we can.”
Of course, just having a tagline of three words or less doesn't guarantee success. “Drill baby drill” didn't work for John McCain any better than “Jobs. Peace. Opportunity” worked for Walter Mondale or “We Luv McGov” worked for George McGovern.
But clearly, being able to express your emotional advantage in as few words as possible is a very clear and compelling way to communicate your brand.
“Life is Good.”
“Finger Lickin' Good.”
“I Love NY.”
Taking a page from my own blog and practicing what I preach, my four most recent books both have three words or less in their titles.
What is the takeaway here that you can benefit from? It is a clear understanding that keeping your communications clear and concise is a powerful way of making your point. And while your temptation might be to be as thorough and explanatory as possible, experience, and L.M. Montgomery suggests otherwise.
To learn more about how to do this and so many more techniques, read All About Them, my new book on how to grow your business by focusing on others.
You can find All About Them at your favorite bookstore or on your choice of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and 800-CEO Read. And because All About Them is all about you, you can order the hardcover book, the e-book for your Kindle, or an audio book on Audible or CD.
More importantly, you can find how to change the positioning of your product or service to make it All About Them and communicate your point in only three words. And that will be very, very good.