Are your publications scaring off your audience? It might be time for an audit

That’s good, right? Not necessarily. Consider the following scenario:

Joe visits one of your Cutting-Edge Custom Windows stores and picks up a brochure from the service desk. When he gets home, Joe sees that:

Joe isn’t impressed. How “cutting-edge” can your windows be when your brochure is so passé? Somewhat tentatively, he keys in the URL listed in the brochure, but the website doesn’t exist. He tries the phone number, but it’s out of service.

Frustrated, Joe doesn’t even bother looking you up on Google. He tosses out your brochure and goes with another vendor.

Still not convinced your publications could be working against you? Here’s another scenario:

At an information fair, Susan comes to your nonprofit organization’s table. She picks up a newsletter and a Did You Know? fact sheet. An article in the newsletter says financial donations to your organization help homeless children. But the fact sheet says donations help hungry children.

Susan is confused. Will her donation help homeless children who are hungry? Or hungry children, regardless of whether they are homeless? Or homeless children and hungry children?

Her confusion leads to skepticism. If your organization can’t get its messaging consistent, how can she trust you with her donation?