Does Size Really Matter? | Travel Research Online

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Does Size Really Matter?

A very interesting thing happened to me while I was on vacation last week. I finally managed to read a non-business related fiction piece. This is news in and of itself. Believe me. This is big news.

I noticed by the fifth chapter that all the chapters in this 550 page Jack Reacher thriller were “short.” Two to three pages at most. This confirmed my belief that most people have short attention spans and that in order to grab and keep their attention and interest, you’re best to do so in bite size increments.

Upon noticing this during my reading, I found myself feeling better about my practice of trying to keep my daily column between 325 and 400 words. Some are shorter. A few a bit longer.

I flashed back to my Three Letter Sales System where, instead of exhibiting a full-fledged data dump in one long droning text file, I recommend that you “drip” your information in a series of three short, concise documents that are easy to read, easy to understand and even easier to internalize.

The catalyst for today’s article came via an email from a member of my Inner Circle. Attached was an article from one of my peers who in my mind is one smart fellow. As I often do, when I am giving a recommendation by somebody I trust, I follow their advice. In this case I began reading the article and indeed, found it to be quite interesting … until.

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One paragraph led to the next to the next to the next. I found myself glancing forward to see how many more paragraphs followed. There were a lot more. Even with bold subheads and wide margins I began to grow weary from reading this piece on my favorite subject, marketing.

That’s when I decided to see how many words were included in this particular article. By cutting and pasting it into a Microsoft Document I arrived at 1375 words. A full three times larger than my daily submissions and a lot longer than a chapter in a Jack Reacher novel.

Bottom Line: My mind began to wonder and I lost interest due to the fact that this article was too long for me at the time. I do believe that size and length matters. The shorter the better without losing meaning or impact.

This also may be a good time to share my six word sales mantra: Be bright. Be brief. Be gone.


Mike Marchev

Mike Marchev freely shares his experiences, strategies and observations with travel professionals in an effort to keep them on top of their game. For a complimentary copy of his 12-Word Marketing Plan send him an email at mike@mikemarchev.com.

Mike’s daily column is made possible by AmaWaterways.

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