The power of one page

It’s no secret that we live in a world of information overload. An average of 250 000 new websites are built every day. About 4 000 new apps are created daily. Around 3.7 million videos are uploaded onto YouTube — every day! And an average of 320 billion emails are sent daily.

Each year, information sharing gets faster and easier with better technology that automates and speeds up processes. All of this has an impact on us. Firstly, it affects how we consume information, and secondly — if you’re a business owner like me — it affects how you communicate with your staff and clients.

The bottom line: it’s getting crowded. People are so distracted that they struggle to find the time and headspace to understand what they take in. In other words — information is going up, while comprehension levels are going down. But there is hope.

We need to frame our messages in a way that is simple and easy to understand. It must be so simple that it can be explained on one page using visual thinking and storytelling. This approach to explaining — for example, a strategy or customer value proposition (CVP) — helps to create immediate context for your audience. They just get it — fast. There’s no hard brainwork required to join the dots because you’ve joined the dots for them.

The benefits of explaining your strategy, CVP, or sales process on one page are:

1. It forces you to simplify and focus your message.

2. When your message is simplified, it’s easy to understand, which saves time.

3. Your message becomes highly shareable.

So, how do you do it?

At We Explain Stuff, we follow a 3-step process with our clients:

1. Understand

Start by identifying what you want to explain. Is it a strategy or a CVP? Be super clear on this, and don’t add anything else. Otherwise, it will be impossible to frame the message. You can’t tell two stories at the same time.

2. Simplify

Decide on the key takeouts you want people to get from your message. Remember, they will only remember about 10% of what you share. So, what does that 10% look like?

3. Package

Can your message be turned into a story or visual journey? CVPs and strategies work well as stories because you can tap into emotions. More technical information — like processes — works better as a visual journey.

Simplicity is the key to cutting through the clutter and landing your message. Don’t try and cram every bit of content onto one page — you will end up with an audience that still feels overwhelmed with information overload. Always think about your audience.

If you need help getting your message onto one page, please feel free to reach out. Explaining business simply is our business. Over the past 18 years, we have developed an excellent understanding of complex products and services — and how to explain them simply to help our clients in healthcare, financial services, and technology increase their sales.