The Visual8

“And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.” –John Donne

Ernest Hemingway took inspiration from that line to title his 1940 book: For Whom The Bell Tolls. It is about an American involved in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).

Some would argue that the expression forces us to account that we each have an end. Bells are tolled at funerals.

We interpret the auditory clue of the “dong” with new meaning. Rather than it being a sound for someone else, it is for us. This shift of perspective gives us an electrical charge.

But let’s ask who is tolling that bell.

In the original sense, the bell-er (totally made that up), broadcasts the procession of the deceased. It is both a call to respect the dead and a signal that a procession is underway. The one who tolls knows precisely for whom he / she is tolling. It’s the thing they do at the funeral.

Today we are tolling bells without knowing for whom we toll.

Consider that last project, that last painting, that last software program. They arose from a need to make something better. To fix a situation. To reveal new information. To make something happen, that would not ordinarily happen.

And that is where we get lost in the maze.

The project manager, the painter, and the programmer focus on the what and not the who. They are ringing bells left and right without intention of ringing for someone in particular.

This cripples the result. We create an asset that has nominal impact because we have not thought about the audience throughout the entire development.

Writers know better.

“I think that every novelist has a single ideal reader; that at various points during the composition of a story, the writer is thinking, ‘I wonder what he/she will think when he/she reads this part?’ For me that first reader is my wife, Tabitha.” – Stephen King

Imagine that. World famous and highly prolific author writing for one person. While his intention is very tightly focused, the impact is quite broad. Look at the 400+ millions of books sold.

“The risk of insult, is the price of clarity” – Chapter 1, Wizard of Ads, Roy Williams

We fall into the trap because we are trying to be inclusive. We keep our focus broad and lower our impact.

This is true for writing. This is also true for most professional efforts.

Taking the other path.

Persona-based marketing, customer journey maps, and Design Thinking puts the audience first. They employ specific techniques early to define what matters most.

However, we don’t always have the luxury of preparation.

Many times the routine of job demands creating one deliverable or another without much forethought. Deadlines are brutal masters of our attention. We simply don’t have available cycles to do the research.

Or at least, this is the story we are telling ourselves.

Don’t be hypnotized by data.

Social media statistics can be intoxicating. Many platforms like LinkedIn or WordPress will show how many unique visitors or number of visits. That is easy data to collect.

Yet it does nothing to show how meaningful your posts are.

Did the person change their mind on a key topic? Did they change their behavior? Were they so moved as to save the post for future reference?

These are indicators of success more than counting clicks.

If this makes sense, then consider the these guidelines.

1. Decide up front

When we write an email, a single person or small group is top of mind. There is information you have that would be useful. It might be a perspective. It might be an update that allows them to move forward. The contents of mail are tailored for the audience.

In contrast, newsletters speak to the subject and not to the audience. More time is spent on describing the event or the product than considering who really cares. It’s why we skim newsletters looking for the important bits.

Sow the seeds of your success with a clear intention on whom you serve.

Marketeers that are creating sales collateral need to realize that their audience is not the buyer. It is the seller.

Yes, the message must be relevant to the customer. The sales presentation also needs to fit within how the seller sells.

It’s hard to write for someone you don’t know well.

So get to know them. Ask the five whys (and why is that important…) until you get to the root cause.

2. Visualize your audience

Software developers who create expense reporting systems should fill out expense reports before they code. They need to see in their mind’s eye, the process that a person takes when filling out the expense report.

It is not enough to wait for someone else to summarize “the requirements”.

Where is the friction? What is the motivation?

Don’t get lost in overcoming the technical issue. Focus on how your deliverable is going to be used. A perfectly effective tool that is seldom used fully is not perfect at all.

What is required are moments of reflection. At the end of the day, ask yourself, “in what way did I help my audience?”

Even if that feature will be hidden in the mechanics of the tool, how did it serve the end-user?

3. Be smart about the feedback

Numbers are fun. Numbers can drive improvement. But they can also be the siren calling the ship to the jagged shore.

Be careful about the false signal of quantitative measures. Counting downloads, site visits, or the average satisfaction on a surveys, tells us only a part of the story. The picture is not complete until we understand what changes are made on the other end.

Qualitative questions fill out the picture. They make it truly actionable.

“What did you do with the extra time gained from the process improvement?” NOT “how many minutes did this form take versus this other form?”

Memorize the story, not the stats.

When you get these things dialed in…

…your audience will not ask for whom the bells tolls. They will know it tolls for them.

They will feel that project, that painting, that program was uniquely created for them.

And there is no better business to be in, than to be the author of delight. Be that author starting right now.