Are You Using Content-Empty Marketing for Content-Full Products?

Gerry McGovern has an interesting new post about content-empty vs. content-full brands and products.

If you’re marketing soft drinks or beer, he notes, you don’t really want to give details about the product; it’s an emotional sell, with pictures of happy people and lots of information that is essentially unrelated to the actual product.

On the other hand, if you’re selling doors and windows, building hardware, lumber, electronics, or cars, you have a content-full product, and you should have a content-full website. Visitors want to get details, and they can be put off by a lack of detail, or by too many pretty pictures and unrelated information.

So be careful in following the flashy examples of mass consumer websites. Pictures of happy people and other feel-good content aren’t necessarily bad, but if you’re selling products for which buyers want lots of detailed information, make sure your website does a good job of presenting that info and doesn’t let the fluff get it the way of the substance.