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Blogs Give a Quick Take

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Every half year, Bloomberg puts out a mini-magazine called “Quick Take”, designed “to give readers and even-handed explanation of the context behind the latest developments in economics, finance, geopolitics, and society”. Examples of the rather weighty topics include”

  • Can central banks tame inflation without triggering recession?
  • Why It’s Hard for Europe to Rearm
  • Why Copper is the New Must-Have Metal

In presenting its streaming video business network (also named “Quicktake”),Bloomberg explains that its purpose is to help viewers “make sense of the stories changing your business and your world”.

“When you think about your ideal reader, you may naturally think about demographics (age, gender, geography) and psychographics (beliefs, values, goals)—and those qualities are important to understand so you can connect with your readers,” Karin Wiberg writes in clearsightbooks.com.But also consider their current knowledge level about your topic.

The marketing team for the book Moneyless Society, Wilberg explains, identified two main audiences:

  1.  people who are interested in but relatively new to the topic
  2. people who are familiar with the topic and want to share the ideas but struggle to explain them to others

A useful tip she mentions is that, If you are writing for an audience well-versed in the topic, it may be appropriate to jump right into using professional jargon. But, if you define a term early on and then don’t use it for awhile, consider repeating the definition or putting it in a “callout box”.

According to the Writing Center at The University of North Carolina, “In order to communicate effectively, we need to order our words and ideas on the page in ways that make sense to a reader”. Assume your readers are intelligent, the authors advise, but do not assume that they know the subject matter as well as you. Using familiar words and word combinations gives readers a sense of comfort and “wellness”.

When it comes to blog marketing, the goal is to attract the “right kind” of readers (those with an interest in our topic and who will value our products and services and be willing to pay for them), In creating content, we remember that people are online searching for answers to questions they have and for solutions to dilemmas they’re facing. It’s all about them as potential customers and clients, never about the business owners and professionals for whom we’re posting.

As the Bloomberg editors so clearly understand, our purpose is to help readers “make sense of it all”.

 

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Oops! There Goes Another Misspelled Word

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The staff at my local grocery store obviously meant to convey the message that they don’t ACCEPT returns.  In fact, I found out later, the word “accept” did not make dictionaryscoop.com‘s list of 12 Most Common English Spelling Mistakes, which includes the words accommodate, apparent, acknowledgment, calendar, colleague, entrepreneur, led (past tense of “lead”), necessary, receive, successful, and withhold. CNBC adds conscientious, experience, guidance, occurrence, and fulfill.

“Spelling seems like such a minor thing,” Kathy and Ross Petras admit in the CNBC piece, “but It’s actually one of the most problematic issues we deal with in the business world.”  Bad spelling can put a dent in your professional reputation, the authors caution, citing a survey showing that 79% of recruiters and HR managers said spelling and grammatical mistakes “were the biggest deal breakers in job hunting.”

Along with spelling mistakes, grammar errors can make a content writer “look dumb”, as Brian Clark of Copyblogger emphasizes, pointing to your/you’re, it’s/its, there/their, and affect/effect.

“We’re all busy, and we all make mistakes,,” Clark admits, but if you want to be taken seriously, it’s important to get serious about grammar.

As a content marketer at Say It For You, my favorite recommendation to both business owners and the freelance blog content writers they hire to bring their message to customers is this:

Prevent blog content writing “wardrobe malfunctions”, including grammar errors, run-on sentences, and spelling errors. Blogs (as I’ve often taught) are more personal and more informal than formal letters or even home pages on websites, but they shouldn’t be sloppy.  Unlike your sixth grade teacher, internet searchers won’t “correct your paper”. They may very well navigate away from your blog and find somewhere else to go!

When it comes to common grammar mistakes, the pairs I find are most often confused are these:

Who/that

“Who” always refers to a person; “that” refers to a thing.

Between/among

“Between” refers to the space or difference between two things: “among” refers to the difference among three or more things.

Lay/Lie

“Lay” means to set something down; the verb “lie” means either to tell an untruth, or to assume a horizontal position.

Advise/Advice

“Advise” (with the “s” pronounced like a “z”) is a verb meaning you offer “advice” (counsel).

Allow the next spelling or grammar error to be something you find in someone’s else’s message, not your own!

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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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Blog Titles of All Types for All Types of Readers

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Thought it’d be decades before any material in the AARP Bulletin might be of interest to you? Think again. For content writers of every age, the October issue of the AARP publication serves as a complete 301 course in creative titling…

  • Newsy titles
    “Medicare Costs Rise Slightly for 2024”
    “AARP Launches Disaster Prep Site”

The word “news”, when it comes to content marketing, can include several different things: a) “your own” news about you and your business or practice (new employee, new service offer or product line, an award, participation in a community event, etc.) b) news from your industry or profession.

  • Topic titles
    “Fixing the Caregiving System”
    “Super-Agers: How They Live Longer, Think Stronger, Enjoy Life More”

Each of these is an example of offering solutions to a problem, with the second title using the theory of social proof, meaning that, as humans, we are simply more willing to do something if we see that other people are doing it, referencing the behavior of others to guide our own behavior.

  • Question/Challenge titles
    “Are You Addicted to Junk Food?”
    “Can a Crook Steal Your Entire Home?”

People are online searching for answers to questions they have and solutions for dilemmas they’re facing, and often we can help searchers who haven’t specifically formulated their questions by presenting a question in the blog post title itself.

  • Huh? Oh titles
    “Punch In, Pay Taxes”: Programs Allow Older residents to Work Off Property Taxes”

From all my “reading around” – magazines, books, blogs, textbooks – you name it, I’ve come to the conclusion that many titles have – and need to have – two basic parts: the “Huh?” and the “Oh”. The “Huh?s” need subtitles to make clear what the article is about; “Oh!” titles are self-explanatory. In the AARP article, the “Punch In, Pay Taxes” part grabs our attention, but doesn’t tell us enough about what we’re about to learn.

  • List titles
    “Ways to Save at Department Stores”
    Property Deeds: 4 Things to Know”

That lists and bullet points in general are a good fit for blogs is actually something I stress in content writing sessions.  (By most accounts, search engines like lists and bullet points, too.)

You don’t have to qualify for membership in AARP to realize one thing – there are titles of many types to attract readers of all ages!

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Make Them See What You Mean – Put the Right Pictures With the Right Words

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(Guest co-author: David Kale with imagery from Kale Design, Inc.)

David’s passion for creating fine art is grounded in his belief that every single mark on the canvas matters. Abstract or realistic, for a piece of artwork to communicate successfully, it must embody three key principles:

  1. Graphic impact:  (focusing attention and hitting the viewer “between the eyes”)
  2. Design sensibility: (making sure the design utilizes all the medium has to offer)
  3. Totality: (delivering the message  so that it holds together in and of itself, as well as with the other assets)

When artwork (photos, graphics, and illustrations) is used in advertising and marketing communications, these parameters become even more critical, since today’s viewers are bombarded with so many different stimuli.

While the content we create for our Say It For You clients is presented in the form of words, we know that the more closely the images accompanying  the text combine to affect the audience’s hearts and minds, the better chance our clients will have of making their enterprise stand out relative to its competitors.

Kale elaborates on this effect: “When the intended message of an image harmonizes with the keywords in the headline and text of a a blog/article, website, video, advertisement, brochure, postcard, video, or trade show display), there is a better chance of engaging the audience’s attention not merely for moments, but of connecting with them on a much deeper level.”

Just as is true for artwork, to communicate successfully, content must aim to embody those same key principles:

IMPACT

 

 

At Say It For You, we prefer “I-you” (first person to second person  pronouns) writing because of its power to create impact, revealing the personality  of the “I’ behind the posts, ready to serve “you” (the reader).

SENSIBILITY

 

 

 

At its best, a blog post will   demonstrate a uniquely  sensitive approach to  the needs and  concerns of searchers, showing that those very needs and concerns are what has motivated  the owner or practitioners to make their product or service more user-friendly..

TOTALITY

 

 

 

When it comes to blogging, we at Say It For You firmly believe in “the Power of One”, with one core message delivered in each post. The content must be focused on one audience, with one desired (and well-defined) outcome.

At Say It For You, we agree with David Kale’s maxim:  Great words and wonderful pictures love to “dance together” — from conception to completion!

 

 

David Kale, founder and owner of Kale Design, Inc. helps businesses and entrepreneurs with creative thinking for their branding marketing, advertising, website graphic, printing, and trade show design.

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