It is said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” While this can be true, it is also true that a mere handful of words can have more power and impact than a thousand pictures. Words allow you to form pictures in your mind that are sometimes as real and vivid as the actual images they portray. This is why people often tell you the book was better than the movie.
Words help you develop your imagination.
Doubt the power of mere words? Consider these examples:
“Never give up. Never, ever give up.” – Winston Churchill
“Ask not what your country can do for you…” – John F. Kennedy
“I have a dream…” – Martin Luther King
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” – Ronald Reagan
These are just four examples. I bet you can think of many others. Words have caused people to march off to war, fall in love, create empires, change addresses and change their lives. It is said that Cleopatra, while not a raving beauty, had a sliver tongue that captivated the likes of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
Likewise, words are critical components of the marketing mix. The ability to present the right words (content), to the right prospects, at the right time, can mean the difference between success and failure. Timely, compelling and relevant content beats bland, irrelevant and weak content every time. Take a look at your Website as if you are a person looking for what it is your company offers. Does it say to you: “No need to read any further….nothing special here…this company is just like all the others?” Or does it say: “Stop….this is different…this company has just what I need….I better engage with them right now.”
Content is king in marketing and sales. Words have the power to move countries or to move prospects. Words can bore someone to tears or motivate them to take action. By all means use interesting photos but don’t neglect the words. Don’t be like Eliza Doolittle, who sang the following in My Fair Lady:
Words! Words! Words! I’m so sick of words!
I get words all day through;
First from him, now from you!
Is that all you blighters can do?
