Remember that tune that stuck in your mind? The one you couldn’t shake loose? Well pay attention, brand marketers. You can achieve the same lingering impact with your own output. How? With the effective deployment of ‘soundbites’.
A soundbite is a perky catch phrase that encapsulates a big idea. Condensed wit quickly delivered. Politicians, performers, and virtually all other public communicators have used them for years … no centuries. Just ask Cicero.
Soundbites don’t have to be heard; they pack equal punch in written form. Many content markers already have discovered this, incorporating choice catchy phrases in everything from blogs and social media posts to email and direct mail communications.
What Makes Soundbites So Effective?
Soundbites offer two primary advantages. First, they conform beautifully to the shrinking attention spans of the average person. Things move at a blistering pace in the contemporary world, forcing communicators to strike fast if they want to be noticed. Big ideas packed into small packages fit nicely into the cramped schedules of the time-constrained. The soundbite is the perfect solution.
Secondly, as mentioned above, soundbites have lingering power. People often remember a snappy phrase for a long, long time. Think about all those great slogans and sayings retained in memory for years, and even decades. In an info-overloaded world, anything that stands out in memory is pure gold. While lesser ideas fade into oblivion, the impactful soundbite remains front and center.
The ultimate value of a soundbite, of course, is its persuasion power -- a built-in ability to spur action from readers and listeners. Only a hard-hitting soundbite will do the trick. Marketing teams, therefore, should zero in on the core idea and discard every scrap of debris. Then build the idea into something spectacular. Here, creative squads can employ a variety of verbal techniques, including rhyme, rhythm, and metaphor. Shakespeare did it. Why not you? Naturally, this will take some time and effort. But the result will be something to remember.
If you have questions or comments about incorporating soundbites in content marketing, or about any other brand-related topic, feel free to send them our way.