Today’s xkcd comic contains one of those universal truths.
He’s talking about University websites but it applies to any communication venue where the sales and PR brain has taken over from the human brain.
There’s nothing wrong with sales or PR in their place. It’s just their place isn’t right at the front.
When I’m working with people I ask what they want to achieve from their online activity. The answer is usually “more sales” or “more visitors” or something like that. The problem is people don’t want to help you fullfil a sales objective. They want to solve whatever problem they have at that moment. Your job is to turn that into a sale.
I have a suspicion that in the pre-Internet era you could get away this with making people dig through the hype to get what they want but that doesn’t work anymore. They’ll just go elsewhere.
Put yourself in their shoes. If you wanted the thing you’re offering how would you like to be treated? Would you want a flashy website that shouts about how wonderful the provider of the thing is? Or would you just like to know about the thing?
Give people what they want in a manner that doesn’t annoy them. Simple, no?