Getting Readers to Ask the Five Whys

Until they can justify the return on investment from building a training program, most companies generally do nothing, observes Eric Ries in his business book “The Lean Startup”.  Instead of going all-out, business owners opt to do nothing.

Individual consumers generally make the same “inaction” choice when faced with the overwhelming amount of information available on any product or service. As business blog content writers, I think we can take advantage of Ries’ advice about getting buyers to ask the five whys.

“When confronted with a problem, have you ever stopped and asked why five times?” Ries asks. Doing just that will allow a business to make small, incremental investments rather than risking one big decision. Repeating “why” five times helps uncover a root problem, Ries says, so that the steps needed to correct that problem are proportionate and less expensive. (The Toyota system has been built on this business practice, Ries notes.)

How all of this relates to business blog content writing has to do with the CTAs, the Calls to Action we use in our posts. The “danger” is that our target readers will have been so overwhelmed with information that they will make the “inaction choice”. The “five whys”-type solution:

• Have more than one CTA. Those ready to buy should be able to do that right away. Incremental buys need to be offered. Those readers who need more information before making a decision should be able to pick up the phone and easily reach a knowledgeable rep. For those not quite ready for even a phone conversation – perhaps the blog can include a brief video they can watch.
• The CTAs themselves can be scattered through the text, as well as in separate “boxes” at the bottom third of the page. In blog posts, I recommend having a link midway through the text.  If a reader feels ready to act or to find out more after reading only part of the blog post – that’s great – offer that opportunity!

In blogging about your business or practice, get readers to ask why five times – WHY has their current service or product not proven satisfying? WHY do they still have that problem? Only after they’ve gone through that thinking process will readers be ready to hear that you and your staff have the experience and information they need, plus the familiarity with the newest and most effective solutions available.