Content Writers as Newscasters

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“Your social security log-in may change,” Elaine Silverstein warns in Kiplinger Personal Finance, explaining that the change is to both simplify sign-in and make the process more secure. For social security recipients, the headline is a grabber.

According to Social Bee, a “hook” is designed to entice readers to keep reading, and might consist of:

  • a credible statistic
  • an inspiring quote
  • an open-ended question
  • a bold statement
  • a figure of speech
  • an emotional connection

At Say It For You, one way content marketers can engage readers is by keeping them up to date with news that has the potential to directly affect them. Like newspapers, business blog content writing can balance feature stories with news. When it comes to content marketing for a business or practice, readers need to know about:

  • new products and services they can now obtain through you
  • any new partners or employees you wan tot introduce
  • your recent or upcoming activities in your community
  • any changes in company (or practice) policy, procedure, or rules that might affect customers, clients, and patients.

It’s very important, I explain to newbie content writers, to present this “news” in a way that appears to be “all about them” – is this going to demand action on their part?  Will their convenience be enhanced or diminished?

 If, in fact, the new information is likely to be perceived as ‘bad news”, offer alternatives that can help readers meet their goals.  End with a goodwill statement focused on the future, Jennifer Kahnweiler, Ph,d. says.

Showing that you are keeping abreast of the latest thinking and developments in your field is the key to earning “expert power”, showing readers that you are in a good position to spot both threats and opportunities. What’s more, as content writers, we must position our practitioner and business owner clients as leaders – not only are they “up on” on the latest developments in their fields, they themselves are helping bring about positive change and growth.

For readers, content marketers serve as newscasters

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So What’s My State’s Insect?

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Imagine – up until five years ago, Indiana was one of only three states with no state insect! Chronicled by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, legislation was signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb rectifying the situation, naming the Say’s Firefly our insect of choice after students in several Posey County and West Lafayette schools wrote proposals and collected signatures while learning about the legislative process. As things turned out, not only is the Angled Candle Firefly native to Indiana, it’s named after Hoosier Thomas Say, father of American Zoology.

Ever on the search for fascinating factoids to spice up marketing content, I found mention of Firefly in the book What Makes Flamingos Pink by Bill McClain. (The cover describes the tome as “a colorful collection of Q & A’s for the unquenchably curious”, which is precisely the trait we treasure at Say It For You ).Fascinating tidbits of information lend variety to blog posts, and can be used to spark interest, to help describe the products and services offered by the business or practice, and even to clarify owners’ point of view.

The thing about tidbits, though, is they need to matter to the reader. Plus, I’ve learned over the years, there needs to be a back story. Skimming through the McClain book, my eye was caught by the statement “Every state in the United States has a state insect.” So, what’s my state’s insect? I immediately wanted to know. Still, absent the wonderful back story about students gathering signatures to support their choice of a name to propose to the legislature, I would have lost further interest in the subject of state insects.

I often recommend including interesting information on topics related to your business (or, if you’re a freelance blog content writer, related to your client’s business). If you can provide information most readers wouldn’t be likely to know, we teach at Say It For You, so much the better. But there has to be a “back story” showing a) why the information matters to the owner or to the history of the business and b) showing how the information might matter to the reader..

Tie In Tidbits and “So What’s” in Blogging for Business

So what’s MY state insect? And, what was “the deal” with MY state finally getting on board?

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Interviewing Questions for Blog Posts

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Interviews are a vital aspect of nonfiction writing, Don Vaughn explains in Writer’s Digest. and freelancers often turn to subject matter experts or to everyday people with unique experiences, perspective, or opinions. Vaughn suggests five key questions be posed to interviewees:

  1. What was your inspiration for…..?
  2. Why is your accomplishment important?
  3. What were the greatest challenges you faced?
  4. What do you get personally from your work?
  5. Who else would you suggest I talk to?

In a sense, blog posts might be viewed as “reverse” or “flip-flopped” interviews, with prospects interviewing the business, rather than the other way around. At Say It For You, we teach content writers that searchers are recruiting help, evaluating the content in light of their own needs. But, as a blog-content-writer-for-hire by business owners and professional practitioners, I’ve found that actually interviewing the founders or principals of a business or practice can make for very effective marketing content, often more compelling than the typical narrative text. How does that work? In a face-to-face (or online) interview with a business owner, executive, or professional practitioner, I capture their ideas and some of their words. I then add “framing” to the post with my own questions and introductions.

Interviewing subject experts will give your content depth, credibility, and perspective, explains Dawn Wolfe of thesimonsgroup.com. For one thing, industry experts are in a better position to make a topic meaningful for non-insiders. As a side benefit, Wolfe suggest, the experts you interview are more likely to share the content with their own networks, increasing your reach. In fact, Wolfe recommends providing interviewees with “teaser copy” they can post to their own social channels, making sure to include relevant hashtags. Wolfe has practical suggestions for locating subject matter experts to interview, suggesting analysts, authors, consultants, government agency and nonprofit personnel, universities and professional associations.

The STAR method of conducting a “behavioral” interview has become quite popular, The interviewee is asked to describe a Situation they were in, a Task they needed t accomplish, the Actions they took, and the Results. But, whatever format our Say It For You content writers select for an interview with a SME (subject matter expert), the goal is to elicit new insights into the subject matter. Whether it’s business-to-business blog writing or business to consumer blog writing, the blog content itself needs to contain opinion and insight, not only information and products.

 

 

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Blog Content to Counter Those Second Thoughts

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A humorous little poem in the 2023 Almanac for Farmers & City Folk is a good example of the challenge we blog content writers face in trying to get readers to take action:

The strain of work has zapped my zest;
The doctor says I must have rest;
He ordered me to get away
And forgo everything but play.
But where to go? How near or far?
By plane or train or boat or car?

As the potential traveler struggles to decide among the myriad of destinations and travel packages, she thinks of all the preparations she’d need to make in order to embark on the trip – find someone to walk her dog and feed her cat, purchase luggage, defrost the fridge, stop the mail, get new prescriptions, etc, etc., etc….. The no-longer-interested-in-travel customer concludes:

In checking off what must be done,
The chores outweigh the future fun.
Before I even make a start,
I’m too exhausted to depart.

“Problems arise when, instead of caring for their existing customers and treating new ones respectfully to win their business, businesses force both to jump through hoops during even simple interaction,” lament Mike and Blake Dubose. “Most customer service issues boil down to a simple problem: a failure to give customers what they want, when they want it, and in an outstanding way.” The same make-it-easy-to-buy concept applies to B2B customers – the more overwhelmed customers are, the less likely they are to buy, and the more likely they are to regret any purchases made. A prescriptive approach guides customers through the buying process with the greatest level of ease, identifying the customer decision roadblocks that must be overcome.

Blogs don’t make up an entire marketing structure, as I wrote years ago, but blog posts serve as bricks in the “decision-making architecture”. Readers might be a different stages in the sales cycle, so it’s a good idea t structure your Calls to Action so that those ready to buy can do that right away, but still providing for those not quite ready for even a phone conversation (who might be guided to watch a video or read an article). Remind readers of the annoyances and hassles they’re experiencing with their present providers and products, then go on to describe the perfect, hassle-free solution to their problems.

Making a business’ or a practice’s products and services accessible and easy to acquire or use has to be at the top of our best best practices list when it comes to writing content for business blogs!

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Your Blog is Part of Your Customer Feedback Loop

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According to one Forbes study, 86% of consumers will actually pay more for a better customer experience, Devin Pickell, writing for helpscout.com, reminds business owners and practitioners; one of the best ways to put your customer first, Pickett urges, is implementing a customer feedback loop. Constantly collecting feedback from customers and readers and following up on that feedback allows you to improve areas causing user frustration and do more of what’s working well. Customers need to “feel heard”.

Agreed. As part of the business blogging assistance I offer through Say It For You, I’m always talking to business owners about their customer service.  The challenge is – EVERY business says it offers superior customer service! (Has any of us ever read an ad or a blog that does NOT tout its superior customer service?)  Fact is, individual blog posts can become a valuable part of each content writing client’s own customer feedback loop.

  •  Blog content should include stories specifically illustrating why your company’s customer service exceeds the norm.
  •  Surveys and self-tests can be used in blog content to find out what negative, “pet peeve” experiences may have caused reader to contemplate changing providers.
  • Messaging must offer the opportunity for personalized service – both before and after a purchase (yes, even in the online product purchase world of today).
  • Customers value the ability to gain new insights and learn new skills. Blog posts that take the form of tutorials and step-by-step instructions tend to be valued by readers.
  •  In Journalism 101, I was taught to “put a face on the issue” by beginning articles with a human example  A case study takes that personalization even further, chronicling a customer or client who had a certain problem or need, taking readers through the various stages of how the product or service was used to solve that problem. What were some of the issues that arose along the way? What new insights were gained through that experience, on the part of both the business and the customer?
  • The navigation paths on your blog site had better to be “easy to digest”. I caution new clients. You may have hired us for business blogging assistance, but keep thi important factor in mind: At the very moment that an online reader decides they’re ready to learn more, that they have a question to ask, or that they’re ready to take advantage of your products and services, you must make it convenient for them. They may want something, but not enough to spend extra energy to find it!

Whether you use survey tools, life chat, social media monitoring, or analytics tools, HelpScout reminds owners, what’s important is that you actually collect feedback so that you know what you’re doing well and what to improve upon.

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