Blogging One Ear Per Stalk

Corn plants have the innate ability to grow more than one ear per stalk, James Fung, CEO of the Indiana Crop Improvement Association, guest at our morning networking meeting, explained. But years of research and experimentation have taught farmers that it is better to allow each plant to dedicate all its resources to producing one really good ear of corn, instead of wasting water and nutrients to produce multiple, less viable ones, Fung revealed.

As a lifelong city dweller, I realized, I hadn’t devoted much thought to the agricultural genealogy of my produce purchases. But, from my perspective as a blog content writer, the “one-ear” concept really resonated. In fact, the one-ear-per-stalk idea is remarkably in tune with a content writing principle we embrace at Say It For You – The Power of One. Deliver one message per post, we tell newbie content writers. Focused on one thing, your post has greater impact. Direct each blog post to just one segment of your client’s readership.

In a sense, focusing readers’ attention is the whole point of blog content writing. Fellow marketer Jeff Goins agrees: “The simple reason a lot of blogs struggle to succeed is a lack of focus.” That focus consists of three elements, Goins adds – the subject, the theme, and the objective. “Focus is the feature of effective writing that answers the question ‘So what?’”,

Just as each corn plant should be allowed to dedicate all its resources to producing a single, quality result (as opposed to quantities of results), no blog – and certainly no blog post – can be all things to all people. Each post must be targeted towards the specific type of customers your clients want and those most likely to want to do business with them.  The appeals, as well as the way they are presented, can be chosen specifically for that existing or potential customer – the words you choose, how technical you get, how sophisticated your approach, even the title of each blog entry – must focus on the ONE.

The marketing takeaway coming straight from the Indiana cornfields? Blog one ear per stalk!