Tell Them How You Ship the Diamonds

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In Tuesday’s blog post I used the “Hear your happy holidays” headline of an AudioNova ad in the Indianapolis Star to illustrate the importance of results-driven marketing, suggesting that content marketers need to focus on results of using the product or service rather than on its features…

There’s more to it than that, however. As Seth Godin points out in his book This Is Marketing, as content marketers we need to differentiate the path our business owner or practitioner clients choose to take in helping their customers achieve those results. Diamonds, for example, can be transported in an armored car or put in a package and sent by mail. What is more likely to be valued by your customer – speed of delivery or safety? Dedicate effort to empathize with your audience, comprehend their obstacles, and reflect on how your offerings can assist them in reaching their objectives, Godin urges content creators.

“To put it as succinctly as possible, a key differentiator is a brand’s distinct and unique value that sets itself apart from its competitors within the market,” brandmasteracademy.com explains. Also known as the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) the differentiator answers the question: “Why should I choose this brand over its competitors?”

Interestingly, as Elizabeth Harr and Lee Frederiksen, PH.D point out in hingemarketing.com, many so-called differentiators make a company sound more like their competitors! To be effective, the authors explain, a differentiator must meet three criteria:

  • It must be true.
  • It must be relevant to potential clients.
  • It must be provable.

In Get Different: Marketing That Can’t Be Ignored, Mike Michalowicz remarks that, to customers, “better” might not actually be better. Different is better.The author tells business owners to discover their best “est” – Are you the oddest? Hokiest? Sharpest? Fastest? Safest?

In all your content marketing, tell them just how AudioNova will help them hear the holidays. What about your diamonds? Will you be shipping them via the U.S. Postal Service or using armored cars?

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The Long and the Short of it When it COmes to Content

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“The best content is the right length, includes keywords, and is relevant to the reader”, Intuit Mailchimp explains. You want your blog posts to engage readers and improve SEO, and the length of your posts is an important metric.

Fill with no fillers.
As a content creator at Say It For You, I particularly appreciated Mailchimp’s observation about length: “There’s a lot to learn about some topics, but others are simple and straightforward…Some blog posts need to be short and sweet… The moment you feel like you’re adding filler content, you should start trimming down your blog post to the important parts.”

Having composed blog posts (as both a ghost writer and under my own name) numbering well into the tens of thousands, I’m still finding it difficult to fix on any rule about length other than “It depends!” I like to remind writers of what Albert Einstein said: “Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler.”

Compose to fit.
Factors to consider in deciding the length of a post, MailChimp reminds marketers, include:

  • the target audience’s sophistication and prior knowledge of the subject
  • the purpose of each blog post
  • the complexity of the topic itself
  • the frequency of posting
  • the actual metrics of past postings (how much time have your readers been spending on the site?)

Position the owner or practitioner as a Subject Matter Expert.
Establishing trust and credibility by offering usable information and insights is not directly related to length. Once readers feel assured that you know your stuff and that you care about offering good information and good service, they might be ready to take action before they even read all the way into the blog post!

Consider SEO.
“Search engines tend to prefer longer content, so go with longer content if you’re trying to improve your search engine rankings,” Intuit Mailchimp advises.. The “golden” blog post length, according to WIXblog, is actually 2,300 – 2,500 words: Articles of this length, the authors state, are “typically thorough and educational, and therefore have a much higher chance of ranking on search engines.”

When it comes to length of blog posts, the long and short of it might simply be “it depends!”

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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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The Accordion Method in Content Marketing

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Whether you’re preparing for an interview or for generating content, the Accordion Method involves having ready a short, a medium, and a long answer for every question you’re likely to be asked, Paula Rizzo advises in Writer’s Digest:

  • The short answer is the sound bite that grabs attention.
  • The medium answer adds more content around the topic.
  • The long answer adds much more detail and opinion.

As a senior health producer at Fox News Channel, Rizzo recalls, she was booking guest experts all the time. Sometimes an expert would ramble when the host wanted a short answer, and sometimes people didn’t give enough information. You need to be able to deliver content in a way that fits the situation, Rizzo cautions.

Here is how, in creating online marketing content, writers can follow Rizzo’s five steps for success:
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1. What is the question? First, brainstorm the basic question (or questions) you’ll likely be asked during the interview. You need to get to know the show and its audience, Rizzo advises.

Who are your target customers or clients? What approach would have the most appeal to that segment of your market?  Will the emphasis be on your products? Your special services? Your expertise?  Pick one primary area of focus in preparing your “short answer”.

2. Watch previous episodes. Learning what questions were posed by hosts to other interviewees is crucial, Rizzo says.

At Say It For You, we encourage freelance content writers and business owners alike to curate, meaning to gather OPW (Other People’s Wisdom) and share that with their readers, commenting on that material and relating it to their own topic.

3. What is the short answer? Think in headlines. For the host who wants a short, targeted answer, interviewees must be prepared to offer just that, Rizzo explains.

A business blog post should impart one new idea or call for a single action. Focused on one thing, your post has greater impact, since people are bombarded with many messages each day. 

4. What is the medium answer? Even when a medium answer is called for it’s important to “start with a bang” and then add some context and evidence.

When expanding to a medium from a short answer, think about whether the information is not only useful, but will be received as unique (rather than the same information found in other places..

5. What is the long answer? Give compelling evidence for your attention-grabbing short answer.

To sustain our content writing over long periods of time without losing reader excitement and engagement, we need to constantly add to our own body of knowledge – about our industry or professional field, and about what’s going on around us in our culture.

For online marketers, the Accordion Method helps writers research and “store” content for different segments of a target audience.

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People Pleasing Not Always a Good Thing for Content writers

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People pleasing involves not only putting other people’s needs first, but also toning down a strong message for something more palatable, coach Eric Kaufman explains in Real Leaders magazine. That’s not a good thing, he explains, because toning down one’s message limits our own decision-making and squanders our power.

 

While, as content marketers, our goal is to engage readers, that does not mean “pleasing” them by reiterating common assumptions and opinions, we’ve learned at Say It For You. In fact,  whether you’re writing content for a business, a professional practice, or a nonprofit organization, it’s essential to present an opinion, a slant, on the information you’re serving up for readers.

The style needn’t be harsh – after all, you’re out to nurture the relationships you’ve established and welcome new clients and customers to the business or practice, not “turn them off”.

Still, what I’ve learned over the years of creating blog content for dozens and dozens of clients in different industries and professions is that, in order to turn clients and customers “on”, we must incorporate one important ingredient – opinion. As influencers, we need a strong message to demonstrate, rather than squander, our clients’ power to be influencers.

When online readers find their way to blog content, one question they need answered is “Who lives here?” “What guidance is being offered as I face purchasing decisions?” Providing information about products and services, even aggregating information from other sources, can be useful – even “pleasing”   to readers, but in terms of achieving Influencer status – it takes opinion.

“Although being kind and helpful is generally a good thing, going too far to please others can leave you emotionally depleted, stressed, and anxious,” Kendra Cherry of VeryWellMind emphasizes.

 

In content marketing, while it’s important to tell readers what our clients can do for them, it’s even more important to show readers who those owners are!

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