Content That Connects Theme to Character

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“It might seem like nonfiction writers get off easy when it comes to developing characters; we don’t have to create them from whole cloth…the people we’re writing about already exist,”  everand.com remarks..True, but when it comes to creating content for online marketing, what I’ve found is that, while the “characters” certainly exist, readers too often have never been properly introduced to them!

In one of the very earliest books I read on content creation, Creating Buzz With Blogs, Ted Demopoulos posited that content creates buzz when people feel as if they know you, because “people like to do business with people they know”.  In other words, content needs to provide valuable information to readers, but that content needs to introduce the people who are providing the products and services being marketed.

Scott Greggory of Forbes calls it “highlighting your humanity to help your brand stand out”. “If your company sells a certain brand of tires, cell phones, or frozen pizza, you are literally no different from every other establishment that sells the same item,” Greggory says. What differentiates your company and builds loyalty is only a more human experience.

Writer’s Digest  contributor Sharon Short uses the Wizard of Oz  as an example:

What’s the story really about? Finding value and joy in home and family.  But that’s hardly memorable enough to entice a book purchase, Stone admits.  It’s the characters – Dorothy herself, Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Wicked Witch of West,  Aunt Em, who connect with and impact readers.

 There are many aspects to be considered in creating online marketing content, including offering how-to tips, emphasizing unique aspects of the product or service being offered, opinion pieces on industry issues, and offering “startling statistics” to emphasize the scope of the problem you’re offering to help solve.

At Say It For You, we know that, when searchers find your post or article, they already have an interest in (and probably some core knowledge about) your subject. To move them to the next step, you need to “prove your case”, demonstrating that you know a lot about the problem you’re proposing to solve, and that you and your staff have the experience, training, and degrees needed to solve that problem. You might even “get into the weeds” by offering specific recommendations.

But, as an integral part of “brand positioning”, highlight the “characters” in the story, we remind business owners and professional practitioners, those people who have been — and who will be — delivering on that brand. In marketing content, it’s vital to connect theme to character.

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The Four Elements of Query Pitches and Posts

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“You’ll need all four elements in your tool bag over time,” Amy Collins tells book authors in the Writer’s Digest 2024 Yearbook, referring to statements authors send to agents and publishers about their books. When it comes to blog marketing, content writers can use all these elements to attract and maintain the attention of blog readers.

1. Loglines:
These answer the question, “Would I like this book?”, using culturally relevant references to give the reader a chance to identify their potential interest.

The reason so many online searchers return to a particular search engine to find products, services, and information, is that they’ve found what they “would like” on that site before. The organic search process is the “logline”, delivering readers to your blog post who are most “likely to like” the information you’ve provided.

2. Elevator pitches:
These answer the question “What’s the book about?”, giving the reader “an idea of the premise and the stakes”.

When it comes to blogs, the “elevator pitch” is the title. We want the searcher to click on the link, and of course we want search engines to offer our content as a match for readers seeking information and guidance on our topic. More than that, though, a blog post title in itself constitutes a set of implied promises to visitors. In essence, you’re saying, “If you click here, you’ll be led to a post that in fact discussing the topic mentioned in the title.

3. Query pitches:
These add a few more compelling details to convince the agent that your book is different from – and better than – others in its category. What does your book add to the game? What are your future readers buying and reading right now?

To achieve success in content marketing, your having gotten to know your particular audience is crucial. While you may point out that your product or service can do something your competitors can’t, that particular “advantage” may or may not be what your audience is likely to value

4. Plot synopses:
These answer the question, “Does this book have the elements needed to be successful?” Here is where the author tries to prove that “the plot is not derivative or dull”. Collins cautions authors to focus on the main character arc and the story arc without over-cramming details. Just as “cramming everything about your plot into your synopsis will not help convince an agent to read your book,” cramming everything about your product or service into a single blog post is not going to help convince readers to take the next step.

In a sense, focus is the point in blog content writing. At Say It For You, we firmly believe in a razor-sharp focus on just one story, one idea, one aspect of your business, with the message geared towards one narrowly defined target audience.

Very much like authors pitching their book ideas to agents and publishers, at Say It For You, we know that the secret of success lies in skillfully using Amy Collins’ four elements.

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Proving Your Concept – to Blog Readers or Banks

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At a recent Westfield Chamber of Commerce meeting, I heard Spencer Russell of the American Bank of Freedom talk about his work with applicants for SBA loans. All too often, Russell lamented, individuals asking the bank for Small Business Administration-backed loans fail to qualify for help simply because they fail to prove their concept and communicate their “Why”.  Since “proof of concept” is precisely what we help our Say It For You clients achieve through content marketing, it seems natural to review the salient points of Russell’s presentation….

 

 

“Many buyers of a business applying for SBA financing simply don’t know how to tell their story, addressing things bankers need to know,” Spencer Russell laments. Too often, he points out, a handsomely bound, pages-long printed submission leaves bankers wondering why the most key questions have gone unanswered:

  1. Exactly why is your new franchise or business formation going to work?
  2. What in your past work history demonstrates experience relatable to – and transferable to – this new industry or enterprise?
  3. Just why might you be a good risk for the lender?
  4. What training have you had or plan to have by way of preparing yourself to handle this new venture?
  5. Are your projections based on historicals?

As content writers, we are telling the story of a business or a practice to consumers, framing that story in a way that addresses precisely those things online readers need to know.

In order to “prove the case”, a business owner can use:

  • factual proof – statistics about the problem this product or service helps solve
  • reverse proof – comparing one’s product or service with others on the market
  • credentializing proof – years of experience, honors or awards, degrees earned
  • evidential proof – clinical trial or field test results, testimonials from users

Just as it’s important for loan applicants to prove their concept and explain their “why?” to the bank, business and practice owners can use content marketing to prove to online searchers that they’ve come to the right place to find the precisely the products and services they need.

*For more information about American Bank of Freedom and SBA loans, contact srussell@myamericanbank.com or call 636 384 0182.

 

 

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