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Content Writing Mistakes to Avoid Like the Plague

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Mark Byrnes’ cautionary advice is meant for financial advisors, but some of the social media mistakes he’s telling his readers to avoid are warnings all content writers need to hear, and apply to blog posts, newsletters, and even email correspondence.

  • Not being authentic

Content that does not line up well with the firm’s brand or even the advisor’s unique individual brand will most likely be rejected by readers, Byrnes warns.

In your blog or newsletter, we teach at Say It For You, allow people to hear your distinct voice. Got limitations? Those may be precisely what makes you seem real to your readers. 

  • Being too salesy

Rather than boasting about all your own capabilities, put the target market first,  encouraging the audience by asking questions and conducting polls, the author suggests.

The tactic of using questions in titles is one I’ve often suggested to content writers, because often we can help searchers formulate their own questions by presenting one in the blog post or newsletter itself. 

  • Being too long winded

If content rambles on and on, viewers will click away and abandon anything that does not get to the point, Byrnes cautions.

Attempting to cover too much ground in a single blog post or even article, we lose focus, straining readers’ attention span.  Each post, I teach in content creation sessions, should contain a razor-sharp focus on just one story, one idea, one aspect of the business or practice.  

  • Taking the foot off the gas

Maintain consistency. Creating a steady stream of content takes time and patience. Interviewing other thought leaders and creating strategic alliances are ways to keep the content momentum going, Brynes suggests.

After years of being involved in all aspects of content creation for business owners and professional practitioners, one irony I’ve found is that consistency and frequency are rare phenomema. There’s a tremendous content fall-off rate, with most efforts abandoned months or even weeks after they’re begun. Yet, as online marketing guru Neil Patel stresses, websites that publish regular, high-quality content provide real value to users.

  • Hiding your personal side

Advisors should write about their involvement in community and in fundraising efforts, sharing their passions.

Content can focus on personal anecdotes relating to the owners’ community involvements and even to community happenings and concerns. 

  • Ignoring the trends

What are your clients and prospects doing online and why?  What has changed?

One rule of thumb in content marketing, we know at Say It For You, is to narrow down the target audience.  To be an effective marketing tool for your business, your content must be aimed at a specific segment of the market. Ask yourself : “Who are my readers?  What do they need?  Where are they ‘hanging out’ online?” 

All those “no-nos” listed in Financial Advisor Magazine? Content writers – take heed!.

 

 

 

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Can You Be More Specific?

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“Capitalize on the post-holiday rush by driving incremental purchases amongst shoppers redeeming gift cards, taking advantage of longer sales windows or making returns,” the 2024 Digital Marketing Playbook advises. Just two weeks ago, at the Business Spotlight, I recall one of the presenters doing precisely that kind of “capitalizing” on post-holiday needs. When it was Troy Larson’s turn to give a 60-second “pitch” for his Alder Avenue Home Handyman business, he offered to help all of us not-so-handy parents assemble all those Christmas gifts.

“When a business understands their customers’ needs, they can tailor their products and marketing plan to better serve those needs, momencrm.com explains naming five main needs: 1. price points 2.convenience 3.sustainability 4.transparency 5.control/options. However, successful marketing messages are delivered “across channels when and where each person is most receptive”, epsilon.com emphasizes.

Researching and understanding your target market is one of the ABCs of all content marketing. Read, read, read, is my best advice as a content marketer, from local business publications to your competitors’ marketing materials – it all helps you hone your own message, we teach at Say It For You.

Using blog posts and newsletter issues to highlight specific services and product uses is a way to achieve razor-sharp appeal to prospects with an urgent, precise need. Interviewed for the article “Tips From the Inside” in Inc. Magazine, the purchasing agents of mega corporation Northrup Grumman answered: “Be as specific as possible when describing what you can do for us.”

 In Digital Marketing for Dummies, the authors stress that content marketing works only to the extent it is specific; the more specific you are in describing the shortcuts and solutions, the more engaging that content will be. What we have learned over the years at Say It For You is that the benefit of describing specific solutions holds true even if that solution is not one that fits precisely into the searcher’s inquiry – the general impression readers get is that they’ve come to a place where problems get solved!

Assembling the bicycle your daughter received for Christmas is only one of hundreds of different tasks that Alder Avenue handymen perform. But the secret of the “pow” in Troy Larson’s 60-second marketing “pitch” was that it was so very specific.

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Featuring the Seconds-to-None in Your Blog or Newsletter

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“Secondary characters add depth and interest to the world your main character inhabits, helping to make the tale more memorable,” Ellen Bulkema writes in the writersinthestorm blog. As a source of support for the protagonist of a novel, secondary characters can also be used to present an obstacle or challenge, or to serve as teachers or guides. Supporting characters don’t need as much detail as you’d give to primary characters, Bulkema admits, but can help clarify the mindset and relationships in the setting.

In a business or practice, the employees, who, while seemingly “secondary” to the business owner or practitioner him or herself, are key to the customer experience. Featuring those players in blog posts and newsletters help humanize a company and create loyal fans. As Disney Parks’ Thomas Smith explains, “…we like to go behind the scenes to show the dedication and inspiration that make our park experiences so magical for our guests.”

A corporate blog is the “space for your company employees to help prospects , providing customers with practical solutions,,” greatcontent.com explains. “It will help customers relate to you even more because they will see human faces and names behind the blog posts.” Sproutsocial agrees. “Real people are the key to authentic relationships,  Consumers want to learn more about the people behind their favorite brands.”

At Say It For You, our writers understand that, because the employees are the ones in the field and on the phone with customers and clients, they know the strengths and best uses of the company’s products and services and it is they who can best supply the anecdotes that are so useful for marketing content. One way we involve employees is to highlight specific accomplishments in a blog or newsletter. When readers learn about an employee’s enthusiasm and how that person put in extra time and effort in serving customers, that cements the customer’s relationship with the company or practice.

Featuring those “seconds-to-none” employees in the company’s or the practice’s communications can be a gift that keeps on giving.

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“Facing Up” Blog Content is a Great Idea

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Webpages with lists of staff are often one of the most-viewed pages on a company’s website, yet some companies don’t have any people represented in detail, Karen Carlson of LRS Web Solutions regrets. “They say it’s too much work to maintain, they receive spam emails, or that they’re worried other companies will pilfer their best employees.” While acknowledging those very risks, Carlson emphasizes that “The bigger risk is leaving your business faceless.”

AARP editors agree, recognizing eight senators, among them Thomas TIllis of North Carolina caretaker for his grandmother, and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, caretaker for her son who has cerebral palsy. The photos, along with the stories, serve to make real legislators’ tireless efforts to improve the U.S. healthcare system.

“Today’s users want to do more than just purchase from a company,” Carlson explains. “They want to put faces with names.” At Say It For You, we translate that into “authenticity blogging“, using the content to provide readers an intimate look at what goes into providing your products and services. After all, it’s the employees who are in the field and on the phone with customers and clients. Although often employees see blogging as just one more task to make their work load heavier, my team members want to interact with those employees and, in fact, highlight their accomplishments and insights along with their photos.

For some business or practice owners, a combination blogging plan turns out t be just right, with my Say It For You team providing professionally written content, thus maintaining the regularity and research needed to win search engine rankings, but with employees providing their very special touch when their time and their regular duties allow.

Blog content marketing based solely on the features of products and services is simply not likely to work. Yes, for blogs to be effective, they must serve as positioning statements and describe a value proposition. But blogs cannot do that without connecting. Showing the “faces” and the people behind those faces has the power to “amp up” the connective power of marketing content.

“Facing up” your blog content is a very good idea!

 

 

 

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Use Unlikely Comparisons as a Teaching Tool

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“From turtle doves to lords-a-leaping, the price of the ’12 Days of Christmas’ just hit a record high,” CNN observed in what I found to be a wonderfully effective use of an unlikely comparison to make an important point. In fact, every year, PNC Financial Services publishes the Christmas Price Index, measuring the average change in price for each of the items in the classic Christmas song. The tongue-in-cheek index, CNN explains, is meant “to highlight market changes over time while educating consumers about the economy”.

Years ago, I’d read a review of a band playing at a restaurant near me on Halloween, telling how this band was able to keep the crowd dancing and singing along. The reviewer had mentioned something that I continue to think is good advice for content writers: “It was especially fun to see Tammy dancing with Elvis, and a ladybug dancing with a monster”. To help capture interest, we suggest at Say It For You, put “ingredients” together that don’t seem to match.  In fact, suggesting a totally new way of using your product or service may open up new possibilities for that potential customer to do business with you.

“Turns of phrase catch readers by the curiosity,” I realized years ago. Putting ingredients together that don’t seem to match is not only an excellent tool for creating engaging business blog content, but also a good teaching tool. Going from what is familiar to readers to the unfamiliar area of your own expertise, allows your potential customers to feel smart as well as understood.

The caveat though, is that, when it comes to blog content writing, misdirection needs to end up by offering direction; if it’s overdone or too far-fetched, it can come across as “bait ‘n switch”. The unlikely comparison must clarify and help readers get the answers they came to find.

The 12 days of Christmas price index being up again concept sparked my curiosity, but, since turtledoves and French hens are not on my shopping list, the fact they’ve risen in price doesn’t really reflect my own buying patterns. Still, learning that 2023 was the first year in history in which the cost of buying all the gifts in the song passed $200,000 – that got my attention. I was now ready to learn about retail sales, wage growth, savings rates, and consumer sentiment….

Try using unlikely comparisons as teaching tools in your blog posts.

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