The Singularity Principle: One is the Most Powerful Number

While some might say “one is the loneliest number,” I disagree. I think the number one is powerful and it’s mighty important in branding and business.

In fact, I’m going to try and leave you with one thought today. That it’s vital you give your audience (customers, clients, partners, colleagues) one — and only one — message wherever possible in your business materials.

As humans, we cannot concentrate on more than one thing at a time. The popular belief that people can multitask is a fallacy. The human brain is physiologically ill-adapted to process things in a simultaneous nature. What that tells me (and should tell you) is that people respond best to pitches, messages, commands and tasks that are singular in nature.

Never has this tenet of communication been more true than today, when everyone is being pulled in different directions and the world’s biggest brands are fighting for consumers’ attention. The thing that will set you apart is if you make it easy for anyone to remember your message. And the best way to do that is to simplify… which brings us back to having ONE message.

Let’s look at a couple channels. Sending out an email newsletter? Then make sure you don’t pile on the calls to action. Pick the one goal for that piece and stick to it. Refine the ‘ask’ and then use it everywhere you can, consistently.

In social media, people send out the same updates repeatedly to get a response. The rule of thumb I’ve heard is that you should send out a link nine times to get people to react. That’s ONE message, said nine different ways, to get a potential buyer’s attention.

What about the Web? Well, the best way to get someone to engage with you online is to share – you guessed it – ONE message. The best Websites are the ones that have calls to action that funnel people into a point of contact with one promise.

Want a research report? Fill out this form. Want to be on our mailing list? Fill out this form. Want us to give you a job estimate? Fill out this form. Just be sure you don’t change up your one call to action too frequently… and that you DO respond to people who fill out that contact form.

So, what have we learned today? One isn’t lonely at all. In fact, with one message you can be sure that people will remember you above all the other folks who have packed the kitchen sink into their marketing materials and Websites.

Simple messaging works. And if you follow this advice, you’ll soon be on your way to being number one!