Business Bloggers’ Wednesday Wordsmithing Tip: Use the Power of Suggestion

While Milo Frank’s ideas on painting word pictures and finding a common language with your audience were the stuff of Monday’s Say It For You wordsmithing ideas for blog content writers, today let’s return to another of my favorite authors – Malcom Gladwell.

Since I offer business blogging help and am always on the alert for interesting information that can help freelance blog writers appeal to online readers, I loved learning about the Jack Tinker advertising agency.  I was fascinated to hear that it was the Tinker agency that came up with the name Riviera for Buick’s luxury car, the name Accutron for Bulova’s quartz watch, and the name for Oasis cigarettes.  All these choices were based on the kind of psychological research that was a Tinker speciality.

The one Gladwell anecdote that really stood out for me as a professional ghost blogger, relates to Tinker researcher Herta Herzog.  In the middle of discussing new approaches for Alka Seltzer commercials, Herzog said, “You show a hand dropping an Alka-Seltzer  into a glass of water.  Why not show the hand dropping TWO?  You’ll double sales.” And, explains Gladwell, that’s exactly what happened!

All of us involved in providing business blogging services need to keep that Alka Seltzer strategy firmly in mind.  For one thing, the story demonstrates the power of images, reminding us how important it is for us to incorporate photos, video, and even clip art into our SEO marketing blogs.

Even more important in blogging for business is putting your products and services in context for the online visitor.  How will I use the product?  How much will I use? How often? Where? What will it look like?  How will I feel?

In business blog writing, then, painting the picture is only Step #1.  What comes next is putting the reader into the picture!