Why is Content Creation “Someone Else’s Problem” When “Anyone Can Write?”
I went to the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco yesterday. Had a good time – talked with all sorts of people, listened to some presentations. I was even surprised by a few things coming up soon in IT.
But one thing stuck out. As far as I could tell, I was the only writer there. (No, that’s not as good a thing as you think. Keep reading.)
What’s worse is, I heard talk about content. About aggregating it, managing it, distributing it…
But NOTHING about creating it!
Microblogging, mobile apps, social platforms, CMSes…
…so when’s the content enter the picture? You know, the stuff around which all of those are supposedly built?
“That’s Someone Else’s Problem.” Are You Sure?
I started asking people where they get their content. Who writes it, who photographs it, who designs it and lays it out all nice and neat?
The answers I got were slightly troubling.
- Blank stares
- “Marketing/Web Dev handles that. I don’t know.” (A sales rep at a major expo tells me this?)
- Acquired from customer
- “Not my problem.” (Yes, someone actually said this to me.)
Admittedly, I didn’t question everyone. But not one person told me that they or someone they knew directly was responsible for content creation. Arguably the most important part of any website, marketing strategy, or lead generation material (for, say, a big convention expo)…and nobody knew where it came from!
Look, I’m a writer. I admit that a lot of my livelihood is invested in this topic. But this sort of willful ignorance worries me. When there’s a disconnect between content creation and content use, its effectiveness is drastically lowered.
So “Anyone Can Write” But No One Is?
Let me change focus here a second. The second-biggest objection to outsourcing a content writer is the notion that “anyone” can write content. (The biggest is cost, if you wondered.)
With that in mind, consider the mindset of “someone else’s problem.” If you don’t care about content creation, and you think anyone can write about it? What does that mean?
It means you don’t value your own company’s message.
And if you don’t…then why would you expect customers to?
Worried yet?
6 Questions to Ask 30 Days AFTER Your Marketing Campaign Starts
I thought about writing a long article today. Then I remembered that my audience knows a thing or two about marketing in the first place.
So I decided on a short “reminder” post today. Reminders on what you should check after your marketing campaign starts (not before!).
- Is our marketing working?
(Are you getting anything like the results you aimed for?) - Are our goals the same now?
(Has a new goal or priority come up since this started?) - What do our customers think?
(See what’s said on social media. Collect email responses. Record phone calls. Put all of this in one place and analyze it.)
- Are we on track for the future?
(If the campaign response rate is already tapering off, you’ll need to pick up the pace.) - Is this adding value to other pursuits?
(The campaign’s responses should be usable in other pursuits, e.g. older lead revitalization.) - Should we change tactics, or keep going?
(Weigh your metrics against your campaign goals. If the content isn’t pulling well enough, try a different angle.)
That’s it. Just a few reminders. Success with content marketing these days takes much more than just good writing. But too often companies set the campaign up and just wait for leads. Or worse, forget about it and rush on to the next task.
Revisit those campaigns. I do it 30 days after start. Sometimes 2 months afterward is better though (for bigger campaigns).
And remember…no response at all? Is still a response.
More on that next time.
Why I Don’t “Guarantee” My Content’s Results
“Can you guarantee your content will help us out? Like, you’re sure it will boost our traffic?”
“No.”
Woah, woah, hold on. Why did I say THAT? Isn’t that like shooting yourself in the professional kneecap? Don’t I know how bad this could make me look to clients?
Sure I’m aware. But there’s a simple reason why I don’t “guarantee” my content’s results.
Because it’s impossible.
It’s impossible to guarantee a big result – or ANY result – from any one single piece of content.
Content Evolves With Your Results
It’s 2010. Content is no longer a “put it up and await the flood” item.
Everything must change over time. Testing, analytics, feedback…all of this is done to inspire changes in your website’s performance. Sometimes it works, and you get lots of qualified traffic. Sometimes it doesn’t, and you need to figure out where you’re bleeding visitors.
What gets changed for all this? The content. We have A/B tests for a reason.
No Phony Guarantees Please, We’re After Real-World Results
Anyone who claims they can guarantee X amount of traffic or X number of sales from content (or SEO, or emails)…is lying to you. They’re just after your money.
More importantly, they’re not interested in making a real effort towards effective content.
Why would they be? They can just slap a guarantee on the front, deliver content and walk away. Oh, it didn’t work for you? Hey, I guaranteed the content works. What did YOU do to screw it up? Sorry, no discounts on edits.
This kind of behavior really burns me (and most everyone else I’m sure!). Fortunately it’s rare.
But the “guaranteed ROI” mentality isn’t.
So keep this in mind. I will gladly work with clients to improve their content. I’ll happily edit my own work for better effectiveness. (Believe me, there’ve been times when I look at older work and think, “What was I ON then?”)
But I don’t guarantee results from the vastness of the Web. Nobody can. I just write my best and revisit it later.
Speaking of, I think I’ll blog about things to check on after new content’s up. Coming up next.
Meanwhile, have you experienced this kind of situation? Did you receive a “guarantee” that turned sour? Please share it in a comment. Or send it to me on Twitter at @blueferret.
Does Your Online Sales Approach Match Your Customers’ Level of Need?
How many times have we visited a website when we’re somewhat interested in what they’re offering…only to have it try so hard to sell us we feel like we walked onto a used-car lot?
Too many websites try to act like big ads. In a few cases this works fine (mentioned below), especially if the reader’s need for your product is immediate. Or if it’s a niche audience and their time’s at a premium.
In these cases the need is acute. Visceral. So it makes sense to sell hard-and-fast.
However, that level of need is not always the case. In fact, I think it’s relatively rare online. When I visit a website, it’s for information. That may be information leading UP TO a sale – or it may not.
So I’ve put together four scenarios here, based on this idea:
- Little Need/Soft Sell
- Little Need/Hard sell
- Strong Need/Hard Sell
- Strong Need/Soft Sell
Each of these represents an approach you take in your website’s content (how strong its voice is, if you will), compared to the level of need your reader has while visiting the site. How well does need match up to selling approach? What happens in these situations?
Let’s find out.
1. Little Need/Soft Sell – Promotes Following
Your reader has a low level of need; you’re using a soft-sell approach in your content.
The reader may be here for a little research. Or a link brought him here and he/she isn’t quite sure why yet. The content is a light read. Seems to fit with some things they were thinking about.
They’re likely to bookmark the site, subscribe to email/RSS, or follow you on social media channels.
2. Little Need/Hard Sell – Used-Car Pushy
Your reader has a low level of need; you’re using a hard-sell approach in your content.
If web content tries to sell when there isn’t much need, it’ll chase readers off. It’s doubly worse if the content pushes hard for the reader to buy.
They’ll think, “Woah! Hey, who are you trying to convince here, me or you? I didn’t need this anyway,” and click Back.
3. Strong Need/Hard Sell – Short-Term High Sales
Your reader has a strong need; you’re using a hard-sell approach in your content.
There is a circumstance in which hard sell outperforms soft. That circumstance is the single-page online sales letter. You’ve seen these for things like specialized training programs. They’re popular with healthcare products too. These work because they’re hyper-targeted, usually sell one thing only, and do so (typically) for a short time.
Other circumstances though? If you can demonstrate value right away (and a lot of it), this approach can work. Otherwise…bye.
4. Strong Need/Soft Sell – (Many) Confident Buyers
Your reader has a strong need; you’re using a soft-sell approach in your content.
Now there’s something interesting I’ve found…
With little need/hard sell – i.e. you’re pushing something hard when people are just on your site for information – the content often fails. But with soft-sell content, the content succeeds regardless of the level of need.
If I visit a website with a product I’m a little curious about, and the site doesn’t push a hard-sell at me, I’ll remember it. It fits my future need. It forms an impression in my mind.
If I visit a website with a product I really need, but the site soft-sells me? I appreciate that they’re not pushy. It projects confidence. I think, “Wow, these guys must be confident in their product. I should get this one.” An even better impression forms in my mind. And so I buy.
Soft-Sell Wins Out Online
Content is, way too often, the last thing considered when building a new site or working up marketing campaigns. Sometimes when it’s last-minute, businesspeople will write from a hard-sell approach because they don’t have time to work on more finessed content (or to hire a writer).
Going for a soft-sell content approach, taking the extra time to portray your website as a confident educational resource instead of an ad? You’ll get a better response every time. Why? Because you’re finding out your customers’ level of need, and building a sales approach that matches it.
Which selling approach do you prefer? Comment about it.
