No-No Expressions in Content Marketing

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Earlier this week, our Say It For You blog highlighted some very good tips Bruce Sanders offers in Financial Advisor Magazine to financial advisors about staying in touch with their clients. As a content marketing, I particularly appreciated Sanders’ advice concerning specific expressions advisors would do well to avoid in their communications.  “You might say something you consider witty or simply plain speaking, but your client might take it the wrong way”, he warns…

1.   You’re meeting with a client and the phone rings. You say “I can ignore that call”. Your intention was to show that the person in front of you is most important and that this meeting should not be interrupted. The client, Sanders cautions, might wonder if their call might get the same “brush-off” treatment when they need to talk to you.

2.   A client has learned that they cannot do something they wanted to do, either because of technology or other changes in policy. If you say “It’s firm policy”, that’s a turn-off – your client feels you should be arguing their case. See this from the client’s perspective. Show that you understand their frustration. Then show how the change will benefit the client in the long run, Sanders advises.

3.   “I want all your money”. Don’t offer an “all or nothing” scenario in which prospects must sever relationships with other vendors or professionals as a condition of dealing with you, Sanders warns.

“Powerful customer service phrases can help you improve client interactions by instilling trust, touchpoint.com explains. “Is there anything else I can assist you with?” shows that a service representative is eager to go above and beyond to ensure the customer’s satisfaction. If concerns arise, saying “Thanks for bringing this to our attention!”, or “I apologize for the inconvenience” can help maintain trust..

For content marketers, this advice applies to negative comments that readers sometimes make about a business, using social media. When those customer complaints and concerns are recognized and dealt with “in front of other people” (i.e. in the content available to all readers), it gives the “apology” more weight.  “Letting the client tell his/her story,” gives the owner or practitioner the chance to offer useful information to other readers and to explain any changes in policy that resulted from the situation. But, even when there haven’t been negative comments or outright complaints, we must engage readers and show them we understand the dilemmas they’re facing, going right to the heart of any fears or concerns they might have.

Getting everything “out on the table”, thereby building trust? Why, that may be one of the most valuable functions of content marketing!

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Reminding Readers of Things They Already Know

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To appreciate a story’s narrative, readers must be constantly updating their sense of where they are in the tale, Amor Towles points out in Poets & Writers. Of course, Towles concedes, as we begin to read a novel, we already know something of what it contains (we’ve read the dust jacket, heard about the book from a friend, or have read other books by that author).

The same is true, of course, for content we post online. Readers will not have found their way to our content unless they have an interest in learning more about that very topic or need help related to our area of expertise. The delicate task facing us in “bringing readers up to speed” before moving on to the new information involves knowing just how much of an update is needed. Too little might cause puzzlement as we offer new information. Too much “review”, conversely, might be seen as repetitive or – worse – disrespectful of our readers’ sophistication level.

Like novelists, in creating regular blog and newsletter content, we attempt to create a cumulative effect. Some articles review the basics; others offer news of recent developments – new products or services, new changes in the law affecting our customers, new community involvements. The option of linking back to former content can be helpful to readers.

But, whether or not you decide to use linkbacks in your message, because blog content remains permanently on the website, with formerly posted content moving “down” a spot to make room, the cumulative repetition of key words and phrases increases the chances for the content to “get found”.

Public speakers should ask themselves how they can “make it personal”, John Maxwell teaches public speakers in his book, The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication, and the best way to do that, he advises, is “to pair what they do know with what they don’t know.”The first part involves learning about the organizational culture of the group, their personal experiences, even their national origin. Then, the “what they don’t know” part describes the insights you’re communicating today about that already acquired knowledge.

For us online content creators, then, the challenge is finding ways to respect readers’ intelligence and knowledge while reminding them of things they already know, setting the stage to offer exciting new insights.

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Unravel Acronyms, Accelerate Engagement

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Some letter combinations are such a familiar part of everyday life that they almost fade into the background. Every day we see markings on food packaging, clothes, water bottles, electronics and elevators, Sarah Anne Lloyd writes in Interesting Facts. Examples include:

UL – The Underwriters Laboratories Company conducts product safety testing on electric plugs, heaters, and smoke alarms.

FCC – Mobile phones, earbuds, and televisions stations are checked by the Federal Communications Commission to make sure devices don’t overexpose users to electromagnetic radiation.

YKK – The Yoshisa Kogyo Kabushikikaisha manufacturing company delivers high-quality zippers, and has become a go-to in the garment industry.

SKU – Stock keeping units are used to keep track of products for sale online, helping sellers be precise about exact color, size, and model of goods.

Many times, authors introduce new acronyms when they develop a novel technique and want to give it a catchy name, believing that this increases the chances of accepting and remembering the technique, Dr. Shweta Murudkar of the Enago Academy.explains. However, one must use abbreviations with caution, Murudkar warns, because overuse may in turn reduce readability, especially for a non-technical or non-specialist reader.

In content marketing, as I explained last month in this Say It For You blog, once you’ve established common ground, reinforcing to readers that they’ve come to the right place, it’s important to add lesser-known bits of information on your subject, which might take the form of arming readers with terminology and acronyms common in your field.  That not only adds value to the “visit”, but increases readers’ sense of being “in the know”.

I remember, more than ten years ago, Vogue Magazine publishing a glossary of terms, teaching prospects to feel like “fashion mavens” who understood the meaning of “boxy” and “dirndl”. Every trade and every profession has its own technical terms and acronyms that are used for the sake of convenience.  Now we content writers can help readers feel part of our client’s “inner circle”, all through unraveling those acronyms and sharing those industry-specific “secret words”.

 

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Differentiate, Differentiate, and Differentiate

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Earlier this week in our Say It For You blog, we took notice of the Aldi tag line “Everything we don’t do, we do for you!”, discussing the importance of pointing out what things a business or practice has decided not to do and why…

Differentiation strategy
A differentiation strategy identifies and communicates the unique qualities of a product or company while highlighting the differences between that product or company and its competitors, Carol Kopp explains in Investopedia.com. The differences might relate to product design, marketing, packaging, location convenience or pricing, she adds. On the consumer end, Kopp goes on to say, vertical differentiation is based on objective, measurable factors, while horizontal differentiation is related to personal preferences. .

Mission statements
Just as Aldi distinguished itself from others by listing practices and policies it chooses not to embrace, many companies choose to express what they believe distinguishes them from competitors through their mission statements.

  • Facebook: “To give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.”
  • PayPal: To build the Web’s most convenient, secure, and cost-effective payment solutions.”
  • Sony: “To be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity.”

Content marketing to differentiate
As content marketers, with the ultimate goal of influencing decision-making, we must help clients differentiate themselves. To build connection with readers, the content must be aimed to create new thinking, bringing meaning to data (as opposed to merely providing data).

Make no mistake about it, in any field, there will be controversy – about best business practices, about the best approach to providing professional services, about acceptable levels of risk, even about business-related ethical choices. Rather than ignoring the controversy, as content writers, we need to help clients weigh in on those very choices and issues. Their readers need to know what’s most important to them, what their vision in in terms of serving the public.

At its core, we’ve found at Say It For You, marketing content comes down to facts, stories, and oopinion. Facts are facts, but stories, and opinion are what helps differentiate and distinguish one provider from all the rest.

 

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Content That Sets a Standard

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Absolute perfection!  (That was my first thought upon reading this Patek Phillippe ad in a special issue of Forbes:

 At Patek Phillipe, when we make a watch, however hard we work, we can only go at one  speed. One that ensures we adhere to the high standards for which we are respected. 

We understand that some people express frustration at this. They want to us to go  faster. But at our family-owned watch company, fast is the enemy.  Because to accelerate the time it takes to make a watch, we would have had to cut corners  and lower our quality.

 And then the watch might be a very good timepiece.  But it would not be a Patek Phillipe and would not merit the Patek Phillipe seal.

Thierry Stern, President

Notice how the president of Patek Phillipe never puts down competitors, in fact never even mentions other watchmakers. For that reason, he comes across as a leader, not a follower.

In content marketing, we teach, negatives against competitors are a basic no-no. Sure, in writing for business, we want to clarify the ways we stand out from the competition.  But, to get the point across that readers should want to choose your business or practice, or your products and services over those offered by the competition, it’s best to emphasize the positive.

An alternate approach to mentioning the competition in content marketing includes acknowledges that there may be alternative approaches to reader’s problem or need, then offering evidence backing up your own viewpoint.

A point I often stress in corporate blogging training sessions is that you’ve got to have an opinion, a slant, on the information you’re serving up for readers. In other words, content, to be effective, can’t be just compilations of other people’s stuff, making that be your entire blog presence. Yes, aggregation may make your site the “go-to” destination for information on  your subject. The bottom line, though, is that Thierry Stern understands the power of thought leadership, of staying true to the care values on which your business or practice was founded.

Sure, your competitors’ products and services may be very good products and services, but they wouldn’t be uniquely yours, and your content wouldn’t set a standard.

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