Blog Simply and Carry a Big Stick

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simple or complex“The canonical rule of thumb for scientists speaking to nonscientists is to talk as if you were speaking to eighth graders, because a lay audience often has a basic, and certainly not specialized, understanding of science,“ advises climate scientist Ilissa Ocko. “If you want the information to resonate with the non-scientist audience, you have to strip down to the essentials, craft a story, provide big-picture context, and consider using analogies,” she adds.

Matching our writing to our intended audience is part of the challenge we business blog content writers face. After all, we’re not in this to entertain ourselves – we’re out to retain the clients and customers we serve and bring in new ones, so we try to use words and sentences to which our target readers can relate. We may even use a readability calculator such as the Flesch-Kinkaid.

But what Ocko argues is that even when we are speaking to (or, in our case, writing to) industry partners or more sophisticated and knowledgeable readers, we will be more effective if we simplify.

She names three reasons why knowledge transfer will be more successful even when there is a “high-level”, knowledgeable audience:

  • Even in a room full of scientists, not everyone has the same background and expertise.
  • The audience (our readers) has only a small chunk of time to digest the information (this is particularly true with blogs).
  • People are distracted by life. The more complex the talk (read “blog post”), the easier it is to mentally check out. Speaker acknowledgement of this audience inadequacy through simpler messaging and slides will be a win-win for all.

Less is more, Ocko teaches scientific speakers.  Use less jargon, less math, less text. Use more graphics, more analogies, more stories. As a corporate blog writing trainer, I couldn’t agree more with every one of those points. Our writing style should be clear and simple, direct, and easily understandable.

Writing simply will add big-stick impact to your business blog content!

 

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Show ’em the Juice is Worth the Squeeze

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Touting the tax planning advantages of tax-deferred annuities at our Financial Planning Association meeting, Tim Hays of Jackson National Life Fresh Oranges and Juicetalked about the relatively high fee structure that kind of investment typically carries. Is the juice worth the squeeze, he asked, going on explain why, in fact, it is.

Hays’ presentation made me realize how important it is for us blog content writers to focus on helping readers arrive at that same conclusion after considering the costs and benefits of the products or services described in the content.

Of course, in business blogs, it would be wonderful if all we needed to do was write about positive developments in our business or practice and about all the benefits that come from using our products and services. Problem is, prospects, are skeptical, having been exposed to the barrage of advertising messages that’s become part of our everyday existence. How can you demonstrate that the “juice” is, in fact, worth the “squeeze”?

Remind readers of their own concerns, calling to mind the costs, the risks, and the problems that drove them to seek information in the first place.  In other words, remind them they’re already suffering from a “squeeze”.  Only then can your blog content offer the “juice” and demonstrate that you and your staff have the experience, information, and the familiarity with the newest and most effective solutions available.

To be sure, there’s a little more “squeeze” to come for them (in the form of whatever time, expense, and trouble your new buyers will need to incur (in making the switch from their current provider to you). You might say your focus as blog content writer is to keep their focus on the end result, showing that the juice really is going to be well worth the squeeze!

 

 

 

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Blog About Both Kinds of Goodwill

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Fountain pen writing GoodwillWhen you’re looking to buy or sell a business, Troy Patton of Archer Investments explained at the Financial Planning Association, one really important factor to weigh is goodwill.  How much of the business’ goodwill is “enterprise” and how much is “personal”?

Professional business valuator Linton Kotzin agrees. “Segregating the intangible value of a company between personal and enterprise goodwill is becoming increasingly relevant,” he says, explaining that personal or professional goodwill attaches to a particular individual, while enterprise goodwill is derived from the characteristics of the business itself, regardless of who owns or operates it.

Content marketing through blogs needs to consider both those aspects of the company’s – or the professional practice’s goodwill. There are many different possible forms a blog post can take, of course. Hubspot, in fact, lists no fewer than 44 “fantastic types of content”, including:

  • How-to’s
  • Case studies
  • Charts and graphs
  • FAQs
  • Question/answer sessions
  • Guides
  • Glossaries
  • Opinion pieces
  • Surveys
  • Quotes
  • Quizzes
  • Book summaries

Patton’s presentation on valuing a business or practice, though, made me realize how important it is for us blog content writers to focus on creating “goodwill value” on both the enterprise front and the personal front.

Blogging for business has the potential to reach different groups, including new (recent transaction) customers, repeat customers, other companies’ customers, potential customers, and strategic partners (including vendors, colleagues, professional associates).

All of those readers need to know about enterprise value. In other words, have they come to the right place to find the particular kind of service or product they need, and is that product or service competitively priced and of good quality?

But that’s only the half of it. It’s the personal goodwill that’s going to invite readers to “connect” and “buy in”. If you’re to enjoy any success in content marketing through business blogging, I’m convinced, personal goodwill needs to be operative. Not only must searchers see your blog as a go-to source for ongoing information (the enterprise value of the business), but they need to feel engagement with the people who provide the product or service. Of course, the typical website explains what products and services the company offers, who the “players” are and in what geographical area they operate. The better websites give at least a taste of the corporate culture and some of the owners’ core beliefs.

Blog about BOTH kinds of goodwill!

 

 

 

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Bloggers’ Tidbit Challenge

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Since this week, I’m reaching into the “tidbit treasure chest”, I thought I’d issue a challenge to Treasure Chestmy Say It For You blog readers. The concept is to help blog content writers continually come up with fresh content to educate, inform, and entertain readers (and at least indirectly, get the “cash register” to ring). Tidbits, I explain at corporate blogging training sessions, can be used in business blogs in a variety of ways, including:

  • Defining basic industry technology
  • Sparking curiosity about the subject
  • Putting modern-day practices into perspective (relative to the way things were once done)
  • Explaining why the business owner or practitioner has chosen to operate in a certain way

OK, time for the quiz: I’ll give you a tidbit; you tell me what kinds of businesses might be able to use this in their blog. (I promise to publish the best couple of answers in a future post – anonymously if you request that, or I’ll be happy to link to your website).

Tidbits: (Source: Money Bags)

  1. Glass takes one million years to decompose.
  2. Gold is the only metal that doesn’t rust.
  3. If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water – when a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.
  4. Kits were used in the Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
  5. Nine out of every ten living things live in the ocean.
  6. The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
  7. Caffeine increases the power of aspirin.
  8. When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go.  The first sense lost is sight.
  9. In ancient times, strangers shook hands to show they were unarmed.
  10. The earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust.

Whether you take me up on my challenge or not, next time you’re at loss for new content ideas, reach into the tidbit bin!

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Reach Into the Tidbit Treasure Chest

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TFor freelance blog content writers, the tidbit “bin” turns into a treasure chest. If you’re working on a business blog and you can include interesting information most readers don’t know, that’s gold. Even if such information appears useless on the surface, if we get creative, we can put it to very good use in adding interest to our blog. One of my favorite sources for tidbit “ore” is Mental Floss magazine.

Take these three tales recounted in Mental Floss:

1.  Frank Humely, imprisoned in the Los Angeles County jail for forgery and miscellaneous other misdeeds, hatched a plan to escape.  An accomplice would mail him sugar-fronted cakes with a gun and ammo hidden inside.  Frank planned to shoot the guards, take the keys, and hightail it. The plan failed – the cakes attracted attention because they were so heavy…

(I can see a bakery using this story to illustrate the lightness of their own wonderful cake creations.)

2.  In the 10th century, the Vikings in Denmark had a special way of singing. They made a rumbling sound from their throats, described as “similar to a dog but even more bestial”.

(I can see this story being used in a blog for a cough lozenge company, a physician’s practice that treats severe sinusitis, or a voice studio!)

3.  During the Vietnam War peace talks, the North Vietnamese insisted on having a square table for the meeting room, so that all four parties would appear equal, while, for that very reason, the U.S. and South Vietnam wanted a rectangular table.

(A furniture store could do a lot with this story. I can also see this in a blog for meeting planners, or even one offered by a school architectural firm.)

Continually coming up with fresh content to inform, educate, and entertain readers is a pretty tall order for busy business owners and employees. Trivia can solve the problem.  Tidbits of information  can be used in business blogs for defining basic terminology, sparking curiosity about the subject, putting modern-day practices and beliefs into perspective, and for explaining why the business owner or practitioner chooses to operate in a certain way.

Reach into your own tidbit treasure chest!

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