More Matter. Less Art.

In Act 2 of Hamlet, Gertrude insists the windbag Polonius make his point. "More matter, with less art."

Geoffrey James, writing for Inc., sides with the queen. 

"If you've got something to say, say it in as few words as possible," James writes.

"All companies today are trying to do more with fewer people, which means that everybody is short on time. That's why it's crazy to load up your documents (e-mails, brochures, Websites, etc.) with fancy-sounding business cliches, and unsubstantiated opinions. Nobody has time to wade through biz-blab." 

Get to the point, James insists. "Especially if you don't have all that much to say."

B2B Marketers Spending More on Content

B2B marketers plan to spend a full third of their budgets on content marketing in 2013, according to research firm eMarketer.

The firm defines content marketing as attracting customers with “content that is not, at its core, promotional material, but which is interesting or valuable for its own sake” and that's “geared to help businesspeople do their jobs better.”

With the larger investment comes greater eagerness for “sticky” content, says eMarketer.

Personalization is a sure way to assure content is sticky. “The more personalized the content is, the more helpful and necessary the content—and therefore the brand—becomes to the customer,” eMarketer says.

Consistency is another. “Content marketers must also keep the content flowing,” the firm says. “A customer community is like a pump that one must prime.”

Hole, Baby, Hole

Renowned marketing guru and Harvard professor Ted Levitt liked to tell students, “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.”

Pardon the pun, but it's surprising this decades-old saw has reentered everyday discussions of social media marketing.

It's not as if Levitt's insight doesn't deserve resurrection. It does.

That's because most marketers still believe they're selling drills.

How about you?

Is your head screwed on right?

Your motto should be, Hole, Baby, Hole.

The 3 Keys to Public Speaking

At an after-dinner speech in 1887, General Sherman introduced Mark Twain by noting that "he could not make an impromptu speech unless he had four days for preparation."

You may never speak at TED, but performing in front of crowds is a skill every marketer needs.

Most acquire it by hiring a coach or joining a local Toastmasters Club.

Whichever path you take, you'll soon discover these are the keys to public speaking:

Preparation. As Sherman observed, a good speaker prepares, not just for hours, but for days.

Clarity. Listeners expect you to deliver a clear business case and a definite call to action.

Study. Good public speakers study the performances of great public speakers, such as Bill Clinton.

PS: Attire. Dress does matter. A tee-shirt and jeans may be some industries' uniform, but wearing that uniform while speaking in public harms your credibility. The rule-of-thumb? Look better than your audience.

Why Your Brand's Values Should Be Your Story

Your brand's values—its "higher purpose, philosophy, culture and contribution"—should be your story, says brand consultant Thomas Dawson in Branding Strategy Insider.

That's because stories about values resonate among customers who share those values; and when they do, "there is no need for selling, convincing, persuading and discounting."

But effective storytelling demands discipline many marketers lack:

Storytelling means ignoring many customers for a chosen few. Dawson reminds us of a line from Wayne’s World. "''Led Zeppelin didn’t write songs everybody liked. They left that to the Bee-Gees.' So it is with brand storytelling."

Storytelling means no more "marketing." Dawson defines marketing as the recitation of product facts. But facts are cold—and highly forgettable. Stories, on the other hand, "stir up intense emotions that are quickly and easily stored in our brains."

Storytelling means telling the truth. "Nobody trusts marketing anymore," Dawson writes. To earn back trust, you need to "feel authentic to customers." Authenticity is all about truth-telling and the avoidance of ad-like "tall tales."