It’s hard to see the picture when you are inside the frame.

It’s easy for us to get wrapped up in our own perspective and think that we are communicating clearly. Scott Faircloth shared an amusing story about his six year old daughter’s “promotional” signage for her fashion show. He was kind enough to let me feature the sign here on the blog. Be sure to click this link to read his post. Scott brings out some excellent lessons that all marketers can apply. Here are a couple of additional thoughts for you to consider:

The Law of Unintended Consequences

The irony is that his daughter used some very sound marketing principles; certainly attention grabbing.  She would have likely pulled in a large crowd to her fashion show…just not the audience she wanted. You may think you are communicating a very clear marketing message, but what your audience is hearing is quite another.

Get an Objective Perspective Before Going Public

The daughter used a “plus sign” for the “and” which gave her sign an entirely different meaning. Before you send out a promotional message, take the time to have someone review it who can give you an “outside the frame” perspective. That extra step can be the difference between a positive ROI and a negative ROI. Little things do make a difference.

A big “Thank You” to Scott Faircloth for allowing me to share this story. Kids can be awesome teachers.