Is Three Perfection in Content Marketing?

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Aristotle taught it. Hemingway used it. Matthew McConaughey still does.  In “The Oldest Rule of Compelling Writing”, Linda Caroll is referring to “Omni trium perfectum”, meaning Three is Perfection.  With the human brain a pattern-seeking machine, the smallest number it identifies is three, Caroll explains.  As an example, in McConaughey’s Oscar acceptance speech, he said that, in life, we all need three things: someone to look up to, something to look forward to, and something to chase.

 

The laminated student guide “Writing Tips & Tricks” by quickstudy.com advises: “Ask yourself what you want the reader to know about your topic….Think of three details or three examples for each idea.”  Quick Study is referring to student essays, typically much longer, much more formal, and more detailed than blog posts. In fact, their sample outline format contains three main ideas, each with three details and examples.

In content writing for business, by contrast, I recommend a razor-sharp focus on just one story, one idea, one aspect of a business, a practice, or an organization.  Other aspects can be addressed in later posts. Focused on one thing, I tell business owners and practitioners, your post will have much greater impact, since people are bombarded with many messages each day. Respecting readers’ time produces better results for your business.

That doesn’t mean blog content writing shouldn’t make use of the “the three-legged stool” idea, with three examples or details supporting the main idea of each post, and using the three elements of:

  • Visual (images and charts)
  • Word content
  • Delivery (expression of the opinion clarifying the difference between the business owner and his/her competitor )

Three may be perfection, but all three of those must support one main concept in each content piece.

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In Content Marketing, Aim for Signal, Not Noise

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With 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created every day, the true test of leadership isn’t managing it all – it’s mining what matters, Jess Carter writes in the Indianapolis Business Journal.  The “noise” tends to derive, she explains, from three sources:

  • Internal (bottlenecks within your company or practice)
  • External (industry hype, competitor activities)
  • Data noise (metrics and un-validated insights)

True leaders do not chase each new trend, instead filtering the noise in search of signals, which tell those leaders either to remain on track to realize their own goals or that a “course correction” might be needed.

This IBJ article reminds me of the importance of including, in content marketing, owners’ opinions along with news and information. Whether it’s business-to-business or business-to-consumer content creation, the content needs to clarify what differentiates that business, that professional practice, or that organization from its peers. When online readers find have found their way to a post, article, or blog, one question they need answered is “Who lives here?” Providing information about products and services is important, but in terms of conveying meaning and offering perspective – that takes sharing opinion. 

At Say It For you, we know that, when we’re telling the story of a business or a practice to consumers, we choose, in each case, to “frame” that story a certain way. Chris Anderson, head of TED Talks, reminds speakers to do a jargon check based on audience research, eliminating technical terms and acronyms that will be unfamiliar to listeners. Beyond that, though, it is the “worldview” of the entrepreneurs themselves that must be “framed” in the content.

Carter refers to the “noise” that is created in any field, with a constant barrage of data and un-validated insights in the form of “news”. When it comes to content marketing, we’ve found at Say It For you, the word “news” can mean several different things:

  1. Your own news: You’re introducing a new employee or partner, a new product line or service. That news needs to be presented in such a way that readers will consider it relevant to their needs.
  2. Community news: You’re giving an update on “what’s-going-on-and-how-do-we-fit-in”.
  3. Industry or professional news that can affect your audience.

While content marketing provides the framework for sharing news, it’s the business owner’s or the professional practitioner’s opinion and perspective that helps readers “hear” the signals and ignore the “noise”.

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Getting-to-Know-Me Marketing

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In One Great Speech, veteran speakers’ agent James Marshall Reilly tells compelling stories about dozens of successful speakers, teaching how to hone a message so that other people will pay to hear it… As I noted in this blog earlier this week, as content marketers, that’s precisely what we’re aiming to do – position our clients so that “other people”, namely their target audience, will want what it is they have to offer…

Personal branding is incredibly important, Reilly asserts. Take any of these rising companies (he cites TOMS Shoes and Zappos as examples). and “there are strong leaders in front of the brand”, he says. We feel like we know the CEO personally. “When we like the company or brand’s leader, their businesses do well.”

At Say It For You, we know that getting personal is a huge element in the success of any content marketing effort.  As Practical eCommerce’s Paul Chaney says about blogging, “Blogging consists of one person – or one company – communicating directly with consumers in an unfettered, unfiltered manner.” In practical terms, what that means is that content writers must focus on personal anecdotes and on the personal values of the business owners and practitioners offering products and professional services.

Marketing content may be about business, but it had better be about people as well, and that includes both online searchers and online blog content writers, both buyers and sellers. In fact, “Getting down and human” in business blogs is so important that it becomes a good idea for a business owner and professional to actually write about past mistakes and struggles.

At the same time, as cantata.com/mavinlink cautions, it’s important not to fall into the “TMI” trap, boring or shocking readers with overly personal, trite information. Using first and second person pronouns helps keep the blog conversational rather than either academic-sounding or sales-ey, we teach content writers. In fact, as I often emphasize, whether, as a business or practice owner you propose to do the content writing yourself or collaborate with a professional content writer, the very process of deciding what to include and how is one of self-discovery.

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Avoiding the Uncommon is a Common Marketing Mistake

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To be considered for representation by an agency, aspiring speakers have to explain who they are, what they want to speak about, and why they’re qualified to do so, James Marshall Reilly explains in the book One Great Speech . While speaking agents don’t want to listen to your whole life story, Reilly notes, they are looking for something that separates you from the pack. Therefore, he advises, when looking for your magic bullet, consider pieces of information that you aren’t sharing with the agency and should be. Prior to becoming a biologist, were you a touring musician? An Eagle Scout? It’s not that you’re going to lecture about these topics, Reilly says.  It’s just that they help define you in a unique way plus make you relatable.

“Relatable” is the key word here.  As content marketers, we are interpreters, translating clients’ corporate message into human, people-to-people terms. People tend to buy when they see themselves in the picture and when they can relate emotionally to the person bringing them the message. That’s the reason I prefer using first and second person pronouns in blog posts and articles (over third person “reporting”). Marketing content that comes across as intimate, unique, even quirky, makes readers feel they’re connecting with real people. When content is filled with the company’s special brand of energy and passion, it is most likely to engage.

“Getting down and human” is so important, it becomes a good idea for a business or practice owner to actually reveal  past mistakes and struggles. Such revelations are very humanizing adding to the trust readers place in the people behind the business.  Why? What tends to happen is that stories of failure create feelings of empathy and admiration for the entrepreneurs or professional practitioners who overcame the effects of their own errors.

Like powerful speaker resumes, the key to powerful marketing content is to present experiences as accomplishments, revealing your personality, not only what jobs you’ve held. Assuming it’s not overdone, you’ll be rewarded for having a unique and authentic voice, particularly if personal stories are used as a means to an end – with the “end” being solving readers’ problems and filling their needs.

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Turnarounds are Content Marketing Treasure

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Rather than rethinking, one of the most annoying things people do is saying ‘That’s not what our experience has shown”, Adam Grant points out in his book Think Again. There’s joy in being wrong, Grant asserts. so he encourages business owners to “tout their doubt”. And, precisely because you’re pointing the finger at yourself, not at your clients and customers, Grant says, they are more likely to accept your business changes of direction as signs of strength and progress, not as indications of weakness. In fact, in hiring and promoting employees, he posits, agility will be more valuable than ability – we should bet on people with the flexibility to change.

It isn’t easy. “Communicating a successful turnaround requires a blend of honesty, strategic clarity and ongoing engagement with stakeholders,” Dave Platter writes in Forbes. “Any company in need of a turnaround will be under extreme scrutiny”. It will be important to “articulate a clear and compelling vision for the future.” However, “a well-communicated turnaround story can transform market perceptions and lead to a new lease on life…”.

Sharon Tanton asks, What if you want to shift the focus of what you do?. Maybe your priorities have changed, you’ve spotted a gap in the market, or just realized that you need a change of direction. Your move could make sense in a client’s mind, she says, especially if you find a way of continuing the service they’ve grown to rely on from you. Are there big linking themes that will help you make your new story feel like a natural extension of what people already know and love about you? Start telling people, Tanton advises:

  • Explain why the change is happening.
  • If there’s a back story (maybe a personal one), share it.
  • Tell how your clients stand to benefit.

Andy Mowat advises business owners to think about their work in two “buckets”: Run-the-business (TTB) and Change-the-business (CTB). Most business and practice owners spend most of their time on RTB tasks, Mowat admits, but ideally should be spending time and effort on both.

In a way, this discussion relates to a dilemma that faces us creators of marketing content. Sometimes we learn that information we’d posted months -or even years ago isn’t true, or at least isn’t true any longer:

  • Someone posted a comment that contradicted what you said, and, upon looking into the matter, you discover you’d been mistaken.
  • You’ve learned there’s some better way to solve a problem, a solution you didn’t know about then, or perhaps one that didn’t even exist at the time you wrote that content.
  • The “regs” have changed in the industry, and the old information is simply outdated.

What’s the best way to handle that situation? Some content writers make corrections by using strikethrough text on the original entry, followed with the correct version, while others use italics, bolding, or notes at the top or bottom of the original post. The method I prefer is to use new content to share what the business/owner now understands is the better solution to a problem or new knowledge that’s been acquired.

Readers will appreciate the honesty of the update. In fact, “turnarounds” can turn out to be content marketing treasure!

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