If You Can’t Write Content, Review??

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With tongue in cheek and as a retort to some negative criticism, 19th century American poet James Russell Lowell remarked, “He who would write and can’t write, can surely review.” Yes, we’re all sensitive when it comes to our outputs and ideas, blogger J.D. Zankic admits, advising readers not to impose their own disciplinary views on others and instead try to learn from seeing a concept “analyzed through another’s lens”…,

“There are ways to go about repurposing other people’s content so that you are not just copying them but adding to the conversation,” the Amp Agency says. “Always quote your sources and give a link to the original publisher of the content you’re referencing,” Thryv.com adds.

“You’re allowed to copy work to criticize, comment, or parody,” the Content Marketing Institute teaches. A good question to ask yourself, though, is whether your use of the content might in any way subtract from the value that would otherwise go to the content creator. In fact, many content writers will appreciate the additional exposure.

Recalling George Bernard Shaw’s saying (“Those who can, do’ those who can’t teach”), if you can’t write, is reviewing others’ writing your fallback position? Not at all. I like the view expressed by Ethics Sage: “Teachers teach because they want to make a difference in the lives of their students.”

One function of any marketing blog is to provide valuable information to consumers, information that could, in fact, make a difference in their lives. At the same time, in providing content writing assistance to our Say It For You business owner and professional practitioner clients, we try to steer readers away from the kind of order-now-or-lose-it sales tactics we see on late night TV or coupon web sites.

But, far from “imposing our own disciplinary views on others,” at Say It For You we advise taking the high road in marketing strategy. Rather than calling attention to what the competition is doing “wrong”, we tell clients, the blog content should demonstrate what they value and the way they have chosen to deliver that value to customers.

As content marketers, we quote, not because we can’t (write), but because we can!

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Blog to Bring it Home

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One in five media journalists lives in New York, Los Angeles, or Washington D.C., the New York Times reports. “This is a huge loss for regional journalism as local stories—what’s happening in our own communities, towns, and regions, is arguably the most important for our everyday lives,” Alison Hill mourns in Writer’s Digest. 

“One of the most common – and most effective – ways to get consistent hits on your blog is to tie your content to current events,” Ray Access suggests. “If you’re writing about food poisoning, for example, tie that in with the latest headlines about cruise line food poisoning outbreak,” The practical suggestion Ray Access offers to content writers is to get in the habit of scanning headlines of a daily news website, using “newsworthy keywords to get a search engine’s attention”..

When it comes to engaging readers’ attention, at Say It for You, we take the Ray Access general concept a step further, recommending tying blog content, wherever possible to local events and issues.

(Communication policy scholar Christopher Ali explains that “localism” (can be spatial, based on geographic location, or based on shared interests. While many of these Say It for You blog posts have been focused on the importance of understanding your “community” in the sense of your target audience – wherever they may be located – today I want to focus on the home town meaning of “local”.)

Getting personal is a huge element in the success of content marketing. A huge part of engaging readers is reflecting and even directly alluding to current happenings and concerns in the local community. What’s more, people tend to be comfortable associating with professionals and business owners who give back to the local community and who are actively participating in home town events.

The more focused a blog is on connecting with a narrowly defined target audience, the more successful it will be in converting prospects to clients and customers. “Leverage your community, Susan Solovic of Constant Contact advises. Blog marketing, we teach newbie content creators, is really nothing more than “meeting” strangers and helping to turn those strangers into friends.  Blogging really is all about community!

Blog to bring it “home”!

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More Farm-Grown Content Marketing Insights

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This week, my Say It For You blog posts were inspired by the 2024 Farmer’s Almanac…

“Harvesting” tidbits of information will always prove useful to content writers, and this issue of Farmer’s Almanac contains some wonderful examples of information that readers either never knew or which they’ve likely forgotten. In content marketing, these very tidbits can lend variety to blog posts while reinforcing information we want to convey to prospects.

The Farmer’s Almanac piece “Why the LEAP in Leap Year” is a perfect example: (Everyone knows that in a leap year, an extra day is tacked onto February. But what is it that “leaps”?) The calendar organizes each year into 365 days, but it actually takes our Earth 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to orbit the sun. To correct this calendar “inaccuracy”, Julius Caesar added a day to the calendar every four years. (Back then, February was considered the last month of the year, so that’s where they added the day.) The adjustment meant that what was Monday on the first non-leap year would be Tuesday on the next year, and Wednesday on the year after that. It’s the day of the week that does the “leaping”!

While the “tidbit” about leap year would certainly add interest to a blog offered by any business or practice, what is needed to make it work is a tie-in or “trigger” relating that information to the business or practice being marketed to online readers. For example, air conditioning companies or appliance venders might use the Mental Floss Magazine story about how, when President Garfield was shot and lay dying in the White House, inventors rushed forward with devices they hoped would help, using a contraption to blow air over a box of ice into a series of tin pipes, eventually using a half-million pounds of ice.

At Say It For You, we remind content writers that, however fascinating the tidbit or story may be, in content marketing the information needs to make a difference to the target readers. Meanwhile, keep “harvesting” those valuable “Did You Know?” facts and anecdotes!

 

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“Did-You-Know?” Content Marketing

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This week, my Say It For You blog posts were inspired by the 2024 Farmer’s Almanac…

“Growing up a city girl, I thought many people were farmers because they were incapable of doing any other work. Then I moved to the country and made a bumbling discovery: To be a successful farmer, you need to have the smarts – and not just in one area.” A good farmer, the author belatedly realized, is a jack-of-all-trades – a) ace problem-solver b) soil scientist  c) marketer  d) mechanic, someone who knows how to fix a range of low-tech to extremely high-tech equipment such as drones and water sensor devices.

One of the most important “powers” of content marketing, we’ve found at Say It For You, is the ability to turn a false perceptions – of an individual, of a business, or even of an entire industry – on its head. Not only can the myth-busting power of blog content correct misinformation reflected in customer questions and comments highlight a business’ strengths, myth-debunking makes for engaging -reading!
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In just the way the information in Farmers’ Almanac about farmers using high-tech drones, did-you-know content “teasers” can spark interest when used in blog post titles. Little known details can be used to describe a unique business policy, to clarify the way in which a product works, or explain why one of the services provided by that business particularly effective in solving a problem.

“Harvesting” tidbits of information will always prove useful to content writers. While “tidbit” posts are just one of the dozens of different “genres” we can use to lend variety to out posts, unusual tidbits of information put writer and reader on the same side of the presentation, with both experiencing wonder about the unusual “byte” being shared.

Online visitors searching for a product or a service, I explain to business owners, typically have no idea what it takes to do what you do and how much effort you put into acquiring the expertise you’re going to use to their benefit. Did-you-know content has the power to close that gap, showing the level of preparation and effort on the part of both owner and employees which will be devoted to delivering the expert advice, service, and products they can expect.

As the Farmer’s Almanac shows, “did-you-know?” content marketing is a great way to “plant” trust in prospects!

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In Your Post, It Pays to Explain Why

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This week, my Say It For You blog posts were inspired by speaker and humorist Todd Hunt…

 

Both signs outside a store convey essentially the same message – but do they?

  • Sign #1″ No dogs allowed!
  • Sign #2: Unfortunately, the Chicago Health Department will not allow us to have dogs in our shop.”

In content marketing, calls to action (CTAs) often use imperative verbs. Why? To provoke readers to take immediate positive action, from requesting further information to actually signing up for a newsletter, to actually making a purchase. The CTA aims to create a sense of urgency around the offer.

But, just as Todd Hunt demonstrated, the “No dogs allowed” sign is a big turn-off. Online visitors who’ve found themselves at your blog want to know why they ought to keep reading and why they should follow your advice. Because the second sign answers the “why”, it overcomes resentment and skepticism, Todd Hunt explains.

Some of the answers web visitors are going to need include:

  1. Why me?  Why did you target this particular market?
  2. Why you (the author)? What is your expertise and experience?  Why do you care?
  3. Why this (the offer)? What are the specific solutions you provide?
  4. Why now (the urgency)?
  5. Why this price (the value)?

Even more important, we teach at Say It For You, can be explaining the reasons behind your policies, your way of “running your shop” as compared with others in your field. There’s one caveat – while you want to compare your products and services to others’, it must be done in a positive way, explaining why: We offer…..We believe…. We value…….  Rather than devaluing other companies’ products and services, stress the positives about you and yours.

In store window signs and in blog posts, explaining the “why” can make the difference between a turn-off and a turn on!

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