Why a This When You Can Have a That?

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“Just as you need to understand customers’ needs, values and wants, you also need to have pride in your business and the quality of your products or services,” Richard Forest writes in a LinkedIn post. “When a customer agrees to a sales conversation with you, they’re probably seeking advice, and it’s your responsibility to provide this advice, based on your specialist knowledge.” Skilled sales people, Forest posits, begin by concentrating on a vision of what the customer ultimately wants as an ideal outcome.

But, what if the best means of achieving that outcome is one the customer isn’t aware exists as an alternative? As a content writer, I was taken by an ad in the AARP Magazine, titled “Why have a stairlift when you can have a Homelift?” The article* begins by summarizing the limitations of a stairlift (it won’t carry a walker or wheelchair; it’s slow; it can fit in only one spot in your home, has noisy vacuum system, requires a machine room), going on to suggest an alternative solution the buyer probably hadn’t considered – an elevator.
*There are a number of vendors of home elevator vendors – I’m merely using this particular ad to make a point about marketing techniques.

“Now, more than ever, clients are looking for firms with a distinct and differentiated point of view (POV) on how to solve the pressing business problems they face,” rattleback.com explains. “Buyers don’t want to waste time on solutions that aren’t a good fit,” forcemanagement.com points out.  When a product or service is new to the marketplace, simple claims are typically accepted by buyers, marketing maven Eugene Schwartz posits.  “As the market matures, and the same promise is made over and over by different providers, the market progresses to a new level of sophistication. Marketers need to enlarge their claims. As the market reaches a third, even more advanced, level of sophistication, it becomes necessary to market through unique value propositions.”

Blogging has “come into its own” as an important marketing tactic precisely because it is so prospect-centered, we realize at Say It For You .Through pull marketing, blogs connect those in need of solutions with precisely those who can provide those solutions. But with so many alternative solutions available, the key to content marketing success may lie in posing the question: “Why buy a this when you can have a that?”

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Blogging About No-Nos

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“The rise of the Internet and social media has given rise to a lot of fretting about the loss of manners and common courtesy in society,” Kate Kershner writes in “How Stuff Works”. But often, the author points out, we just don’t know if something is considered rude or perfectly acceptable. As an example, Kershner explores the question of whether it is rude to knit in public. The rule of thumb she suggests is that, if you’re in any public place – the opera or a play, for example – knitting might imply a lack of attention, so it’s best to avoid doing that.

When traveling to a new country, it’s important to learn about the taboos there, Stump & Associates tells readers. There may be food taboos, conversation taboos, tipping taboos, and even taboos concerning eye contact and how close it is considered OK to stand near another person. The point is – travelers need to be made aware of these differences in perception.

Knowing the no-nos can be important in the workplace as well, hiring.monster.com explains. People have varying tolerance for offensive language and humor, for example, and what may seem like an awkward incident to some might feel extremely hurtful to others. Common but avoidable gaffes include sending an email or text to the wrong person and discussion hot-button issues such as religion, politics, and money.

Content writers can offer positive value to readers by describing things and activities best avoided. For example, the Warby Parker Eyewear A to Z blog lists not-to-dos after eye dilation, including driving, being in the sun, and looking at digital screens. “Great copywriting compels action, so it’s no surprise fear is used in marketing,” writes Amy Harrison of Copyblogger.  Marketing messages, she Harrison explains, may be based on readers’ fear of missing out, of losing something, or of future threat.

At Say It For You, we don’t like to use fear as the motivating factor to market our services. Instead, we think of “blogging the no-nos as a way for our clients to demonstrate to their readers ways to dodge dangers.

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Does it Cost More to Make a Blog Post Than a Blog Post is Worth?

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“Does it cost more to make a penny than a penny is worth?” is just one of the many questions asked in Great American Trivia, by Publications International. Ltd. The answer – yes, in fact, it does! But don’t look for the penny to disappear anytime soon, the authors predict- more likely it will “change with the times”….

Introduced to our economy in 1792, the penny started out as all-copper coin. Beginning in 1857, it has been an alloy of copper and zinc. In 1982, the mix changed to 97.6% zinc with 2.4% copper plating. For awhile, that made economic sense, but with zinc and copper prices having increased,” U.S. taxpayers are still not getting their money’s worth, the authors note.

What about the costs of blogging?

“You might be surprised to hear this, but you can start a blog for nothing through several different blogging platforms,” writes Neal Schaffer of the Rutgers Business School.” Even if you decide to pay for a custom website, domain name or photography, these costs are relatively nominal compared to the amount of money you can potentially generate from your content,” newbie entrepreneurs are reassured in a Forbes Advisor piece. “That being said, many people aren’t exactly enamored with doing all of that on a personal basis,” Schaffer explains, and “you might need hire some professionals to help out, whether through editing your content or evaluating and working to improve Google analytics scores.”

Blogs have grown into a new and effective marketing strategy, Woman Entrepreneur writes:

  • Offering tips, updates, and other new content gives people a reason to come and to return to your website.
  • A blog improves your search engine ranking.
  • A blog allows you to show your expertise and to gain trust and credibility

The downsides:

  • Creating new content takes a significant amount of time and a constant stream of ideas.
  • It can take time to see results.

At Say It For You, we suggest a very practical “litmus test” be used by prospective clients: What is the number of new customers that would need be attracted to you – and what is the resulting amount of money in new sales – that it would take for your business or professional practice to cover the costs of our content marketing services for one year?

Companies that blog get 97% more links to their websites, and 77% of internet users read blogs, optinmonster reports. Does it cost more to make a blog post than a blog post is worth?

Like the U.S. penny, don’t look for content marketing blogs to disappear any time soon….

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Blogging – Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

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Identifying new uses for a product can increase usage frequency and even convert current nonusers into users.
Both are aspects of a market penetration strategy, David Stewart observes in the Branding Strategy Insider, offering as an example an advertising campaign for orange juice: .”It’s not just for breakfast anymore”, a slogan that represents an effort to expand usage. Innovation challenges people’s existing perceptions of the category and gives them pause for thought, Nigel Hollis adds.

Blogging has a 30-year history.
“Publishing a business blog is an important part of any marketing strategy, Marc Prosser of SCORE stresses. Blogging has been around for the last 30 years, but it has certainly changed and evolved over those years, Ryan Robinson reminds us. The very first online journals were made up of plain text, with no graphics or formatting, and the word “blog” itself wasn’t coined until 1997. It wasn’t until 2003 that WordPress (the platform I’m using for this Say It For You blog) entered the scene. The next year “Blog” became Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year.

Blogging in 2023
Today there are more than 31,000,000 bloggers in the U.S. alone. Blogging, broadbandsearch.net observes, is “democratized content publication, not regulated by gatekeepers such as publishing houses, news organizations, universities, or governments. 70% of individuals favor acquiring information about a company through a blog, and 55% of brands gain new clients through blogging.

“The creation of relevant content for visitors and existing customers is one of the most important benefits of blogging,” VEZA Digital asserts. “Posting blogs regularly helps you engage directly with a user’s questions and queries that they are typing in a Google search. These questions help you to understand whether your customers are getting the information that they need from your blogs and also help to know if your keywords are performing well.”

Just as identifying new uses for orange juice expanded sales of the product, blog content can build value for a brand, leading to increased sales.
“Consider what is important to your target market and to existing customers,” VEZA advises. What problem does your product or serve solve? How will it help readers overcome barriers or do their jobs better? “Creating a connection between your brand and the customer is crucial. Brand awareness and trust go hand in hand.”

What your blog is for, we explain at Say It For You, is to provide relevant, useful, and timely content to your prospects and customers to help them solve problems, understand industry trends, and make sense of the news and how it relates to them

The power of the new
People are always looking for new things, Neil Patel explains – new software, new techniques, new ways to make and save money. Using new phraseology in your blog posts is a way to command attention, and smart blog marketing expands readers’ perception that there are new ways for them to engage with your brand.

Remember – blogging isn’t just for breakfast anymore!

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In Content Marketing, Hit Anything But the Ball Out of the Park

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“Cliches begin their lives as imaginative expressions and comparisons,” explains Richard Lederer in the Mensa Bulletin. But then, after repeated use, those phrases become trite, hackneyed, and lifeless, he explains.

For example, Lederer reminds content writers, you might hit:

  • the bulls-eye
  • the spot
  • the ball out of the park
  • the nail on the head

But your writing, he cautions, will turn out to be nothing more than “a yawn”. “Our hardworking English language means business,” Lederer reminds us, and we need to think about creating content that has impact without using expressions that are “dead as a doornail”.

Having devoted the last sixteen years of my life to wordsmithing blog posts at Say It For You, I know firsthand that variety can be the spice, not only of life in general, but of content.  Gray Matter, the Elevate blog, explains that the larger your vocabulary, the easier it becomes to break away from old thought patterns. We view our thoughts as shaping our words, but our words shape our thoughts, too. A large vocabulary isn’t for showing off – it should be used to expand your thinking – and that of your readers. There’s o much content out there – being boringly clichéd is a certain path to the bottom of the heap when it comes to engaging readers and converting them to buyers.

In addition to avoiding over-used expressions, content writers need to consider varying sentence length. Brandon Royal, author of The Little Red Writing Book, reminds us that not every sentence needs to be kept short.  Instead, Royal advises writers to weave in short sentences with longer ones. Every so often, he suggests, a “naked” (extremely short) sentence can add a dynamic touch.

“Using clichés is as easy as ABC, one-two-three, pie, falling off a log, and taking candy from a baby,” Lederer admits, but…don’t. It’d be all too simple for online visitors to click away. “The purpose of a blog is to create a more engaging website for your brand,” Indeed .com reminds business owners and candidates alike.

In content marketing, hit your target market, not the ball out of the park!

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