For Every Myth, Be a Mythbuster

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Your business or practice may have nothing to do with joint pain, but in every field, certain “facts” are pretty twisted, as Kate Rockwood points out in “5 Myths About Arthritis”  Rockwood’s format of describing each myth, then offering “mythbuster” facts can be highly useful in content marketing on any subject.

Myth: If your joints hurt, it’s arthritis.
Mythbuster: Joint pain can be caused by infection, injury, or bursitis (swelling of the fluid filled cushioning in joints).

Myth: Exercise wears down joints.
Mythbuster: Low impact aerobic exercise doesn’t damage joints; staying active lessens pain.

Myth: Arthritis is an old person’s thing.
Mythbuster: Arthritis can be present at any age.

Discovered a mild case – or an epidemic – of counterproductive thinking when it comes to your industry or profession? Content marketing is the perfect medium for “mythbusting” to dispel that counterproductive thinking. The content offered in your posts gives you the power to clear the air, replacing factoids with facts, allowing readers to see their way to clear to making decisions.

Myth-busting is a tactic content writers can use to grab online visitors’ attention, we teach at Say It For You. Citing statistics to disprove popular myths gives business owners the chance to showcase their own knowledge and expertise.

On the flip side, since one of the purposes of online marketing is to attract potential customers, it would be a tactical mistake to appear as if we’re out to prove visitors wrong. The position you want to take is that sometimes reality is counterintuitive, and that you’re here to help, not do a “gotcha!”. 

You’d think “flushable wipes are flushable”, right?  Simply Green busts that one: Most wipes, including those labeled “flushable,” are made from a blend of materials including polyesters, plastics, and other synthetics. These materials create a fabric-like texture that does not dissolve when flushed.”

You might think washing your hair every day causes hair loss. Natura busts that one – Washing simply gets rid of hair that’s already fallen out.

You might think that employees leave for more money. Alignmark says that’s rarely the cause.Employees would rather stay with their company and grow than go to a new organization and establish their credibility from scratch.

You might think that content marketing involves campaigns. Not true, Ann Gynn of the Content Marketing Institute points out.  Good content marketing is an initiative, not a quick-fix campaign; it should evolve, but never stop.

For every myth, be a mythbuster.

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Don’t Lead Readers Into Content Word Traps

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My favorite article in the monthly Mensa Bulletin always seem to come from Richard Lederer, who excels in making witty observations about the use of language. In his latest “April Foolishness”, Lederer demonstrates how easy it is to unintentionally mislead readers….

  • “Pronounce out loud the words formed by each of these titles: B-O-A-S-T, C-O-A-S-T, R-O-A-S-T. Now, what do we put in a toaster?” (See how easy it is to answer TOAST? You don’t put toast into a toaster; you put in bread and it comes out toast!)
  • “How many times can you subtract 5 from 25?” (Only once. After that, the number is 20.)
  • What was the highest mountain on earth before Mount Everest was discovered? (Before it was discovered, it was there!)

Did you get all three answers right??

Mythbusting

Mythbusting is used in many fields to counteract what researchers suspect is counterproductive thinking, and I’m a firm believer in using debunking in content marketing. In the normal course of doing business, misunderstandings about your product or surface might surface in the form of customer questions and comments.  (It’s even worse when those myths and misunderstandings don’t surface, but still have the power to interrupt the selling process!)

The technique of mythbuting is not without risk, because customers and prospects don’t like to be proven wrong or feel stupid.  The trick is to engage interest, but not in “Gotcha!” fashion. In other words, business owners and professional practitioners can use blog, newsletter, and landing page content to showcase their own expertise without “showing up” their readers’ lack of it.

Engaging, but honest headlines

Don’t mislead readers by using sensational headlines, fastercapital.com cautions, because readers will be turned off if they feel they’ve been tricked into clicking on your content. It’s OK to use attention-grabbing words that evoke curiosity and emotion, but be specific about what readers can expect to learn or gain, Prova Biswas writes in Quora.

Unclear words and phrases

“On the surface, language traps refer to words or phrases whose meaning isn’t clear to readers and, worse, can potentially mislead them into thinking you mean something you don’t, hureywrite.com explains.

Mis/disinformation

“Knowing how to shield your company from mis/disinformation can be challenging. Your audience may lack the ability to critically evaluate media content, and this can negatively impact your brand,” Clara Doyle admits in publicrelay.com. “If you are not prepared to manage fake news, your audience may be likely to believe stories containing misleading information.” Since, at Say It For You, our writing team often functions as “communications director” for clients who hire us to bring their message to online readers, we know the important for mounting a strong defensive “play” in the form of blog content.

Content marketing is actually the perfect vehicle for defusing false news, correcting misunderstandings, and protecting readers from word traps.

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Blogs Playing Defense

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“Despite a negative perception, Mayor Hogsett insists that downtown is the safest neighborhood in the city, accounting for less than 5 percent of all crime,” Susan Salaz writes in this month’s issue of Indanapolis Monthly, mounting a strong defensive play that serves as a great model for blog content writers.

“Today it is harder than ever to protect your brand,” Clara Doyle admits in publicrelay.com, discussing crisis communications. Knowing how to shield your company from mis/disinformation can be challenging. Your audience may lack the ability to critically evaluate media content, and this can negatively impact your brand,” she explains. If you are not prepared to manage fake news, your audience may be likely to believe stories containing misleading information. Your response must be proactive and consistent, Doyle stresses. And, if the information is the result of a mistake you’ve made, be forthright and transparent in dealing with the matter. .

At a time when your brand is under intense scrutiny, you must defend it with facts, advises Latana. Make sure your response:

  1. respects confidentiality
  2. does not contain offensive content
  3. is thoughtful

“In a time rife with polarization and confusion, the world needs true authority more than ever,” observes Lisa Seidenberg in greentarget.com. “As a communications director, you have the opportunity to position your firm’s experts to respond,” she urges. Since, at Say It For You, our writing team often function as “communications director” for the clients who hire us to bring their message to online readers, we know the important for mounting a strong defensive “play” in the form of blog content. Precisely because of the consistency with which useful, informative content has been offered over many months and even years, regular blog visitors are inclined to trust the information when it becomes necessary to “play defense”.

Marketing blogs are actually perfect vehicles for defusing not only false news, but ongoing misunderstandings related. Each time you post content (or use a freelance blog content writer to post content), you’re adding to the overall power of the story. The online searchers who found your blog may have concerns and may be incompletely informed, but the very fact they were directed to your blog means they had an interest in your subject and are looking for the very sort of products, services, and information you’re eager to provide!

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