The other day, someone asked me about a new copywriting project.

It was brand-new. I’d only had two discussions with the client, about what content they needed and how we’d work together.

We hadn’t fleshed out the content’s message yet. I had written no drafts.

I had some marketing material, but hadn’t read all of it. Their current site was very much ‘Confusing Content’ – choppy, stiff, marketing-speak.

Obviously, I was not prepared when my friend asked me about the project.

And of course, what did they ask?
“What does the company do?”

My tongue flip-flopped around. Not wanting to vocalize.

No central idea came to mind. Quick, spew out something from what I DID read!

…Which resulted in a short, but very formal-sounding explanation.

Why did this happen?

Lack of Message = Others Can’t Share What You Do

I didn’t convey a good picture of the client’s product—and I knew it. I wasn’t paraphrasing the message well – because, of course, said message didn’t exist yet. (That’s why they hired me!)

But what if they did have a message, and I just didn’t know it?

That thought prompted this post. All to convey one powerful idea.

If your content can’t be easily paraphrased, it will not be repeated.

When creating content (or having a pro like me create it for me), make sure readers could turn to a friend or colleague and repeat your message.

Basic usability: Don’t Make Them (Your Readers) Think. Your content should convey a clear message that can be plucked from the webpage, stored in a reader’s brain, and retrieved in a conversation.

Intact.

Simple, Clear Content = Readers Remember and Repeat the Message

Show us an example, you say? Why certainly!

I pulled these lines from promotions at CloudConnect Expo 2012. They’re catchphrases. Bite-sized chunks of content intended to convey a message.
(That doesn’t mean they always succeed.)

The first:
“Get Private Control with Public Power.”
…Huh? I’m lost already. No idea what the company who uses this does, or how I could use their message in a conversation.

Next up:
“Build large-scale distributed applications with less cost, complexity and risk.”
Much clearer. I could repeat that in a conversation easily.

(It’d have to be a conversation with other technical people, but still!)

Give Readers Content They Can Paraphrase to Friends & Colleagues

The message can be one sentence or 5. The only thing that matters is, are readers able to take your message and paraphrase it in their own conversations?

If it is, they will.

If not, they won’t.

This may sound like a rant. In a sense it is – but one done as a serious warning.

A job ad appeared in my inbox a couple days ago. It matches one of my Google Alerts, so I glanced through. Cloud services provider in Southern California, okay. Looking for a Web Content Writer. I’m not looking for full-time, but I might know someone…

Then I saw this.

“Fresh graduates encouraged to apply.”

*Insert record-scratch sound here!*

No pay listed. But considering that line, I think it’s a low-salary gig.

Worse still – looks like they don’t value web content very much.

Going Cheap on Content Means You Don’t See Content’s Value

Wanting a fresh college grad to write content might make business sense, in terms of ROI and budget. But if you’re looking at content as an expense, your values are messed up.
Putting one college grad in charge of content creation just to save money? It means web content is “low man on the totem pole” at your office.

Let me say it another way.

You’ve placed the lowest priority on the most powerful marketing tool available.

(Please note – I’m NOT saying this to belittle college grads. We would not have Google or Twitter without them! I just don’t think they should be the ones writing content, if that content is not valued by their employer.)

Low Value on Content, Low Respect for Readers

There’s danger in devaluing web content.

More content is created now than ever before. Much of it is so poorly-written that it’s lost in the swamps of Low Traffic Land.

Why? Because the writers (and their work) were not valued by the organization.

The attitude isn’t new; Brain Traffic addressed it in 2009. It’s pervasive though. And it doesn’t stop there.

Not valuing content suggests one scary thing: You don’t value your audience either.

Giving content creation to someone fresh out of academia? Who’s had little (if any) real-world experience with marketing and user research?

Readers will think your company doesn’t know what they’re doing!

Don’t Dump the Foundation of Marketing (Content) on “The New Guy” & Forget About It

Content creation is not rocket science, I admit. But it isn’t easy either.

If you’re just throwing words on a webpage, you’re missing out on a huge chunk of persuasive power.

Content’s real power comes from:

• Understanding your reader (user research)
• Employing content strategy to convert readers, capture leads, develop them into sales, and build a regular client base
• Taking into account everything from audience interest points to SEO to future content

All of this is part of content creation. But you won’t reap these benefits if you don’t value it.

Throwing one inexperienced person at web content? You devalue the content, and risk insulting your audience. The people who keep you in business.

Have you encountered this before? Businesses that treat content like a low-value commodity?
Was your impression of their business affected as a result?

Listen to “The Battle Against Cryptic Web Content” on BlogTalkRadio

The transcript and audio recording of last week’s Product Management Talk, “The Battle Against Cryptic Web Content,” are now available!

Listen to the recording (or download it) here:
Product Management Talk 2-21-12: Chris Williams (BlogTalkRadio)

Read the (long!) transcript of tweets and talking points here:
The Battle Against Cryptic Web Content Transcript (Hosted on SlideShare)

One reason for the Product Management Talk, as Cindy says in her intro, is to “raise important issues all product managers should confront.”

Everyone who joined us on Twitter agreed – jargon-loaded, “cryptic” web content is one of those issues.

Content Creation Advice in Tweets: Tips from the Professional Masses

It’s comforting to know I’m not the only person who understands how critical Clear Content is! We were joined by several active tweeters, who espoused many excellent points about web content quality.

I’ve posted some examples from the transcript below. B2B companies, take note – if you use jargon-soaked business-speak on your websites, you’re fighting against these perceptions!

@brainmates: The communications challenge is to make the complex simple without treating the reader like an idiot.

@brainmates: There is often an assumption that the reader shares the same knowledge as the writer. Rarely true, leaving the reader lost.

@ProdMgmtTalk @blueferret says it’s a challenge to boil the complex down-but isn’t challenging for writers who listen to the audience.

@KellyBurroughs Stiff language makes me leave. I don’t enjoy talking to ppl who use stiff language, but will if I have to – reading I have a choice!

@ProdMgmtTalk Stiff language drives visitors away! They won’t expend effort to understand what you’re saying unless they get its relevance.

Had a blast doing this. Many thanks to Cindy Solomon for her diligent work setting up these talks every week.

Rejoice! I’m giving a talk February 21st on Confusing Content vs. Clear Content.

The talk is a Twitter Chat (plus audio), put on by the tireless folks at Global Product Management Talk. It’s been titled, “The Battle Against Cryptic Web Content.”

(I didn’t come up with that, but I really like it!)

The Details: Who (Me), What (The Future of Web Content), Why (Because it’s Fun!)

Global Product Management Talk hosts a weekly combination radio show/Twitter Chat session. They discuss product management, product marketing and related issues. Attendee numbers range from several dozen to the several thousand, depending on the topic.

Cindy Solomon contacted me a while back. She was interested in having me speak about jargon, what I mean by “Clear Content” and so on. Now who’d pass that up? Not this copywriter!

What We’ll Discuss: Jargon VS. Human in Content Creation

Like my blog, the focus will be on Clear Content (informal, more human-language web writing) and Confusing Content (jargon, business-speak, The Insufferable Evil, call it what you will).

It’s an interactive session – I’m here to talk about my work AND answer questions.

Will the B2B content standard shift toward human language in the future?
Will large companies fight for their business-speak?
Does the content’s voice influence buyer decisions?

All these questions are fair game. Log onto the Twitter Chat and join in the discussion!

How to Catch the Clear Content Chat

First, say that ten times fast. No, you don’t have to. Here’s how to take part in the Twitter Chat. Either:

Go to http://www.prodmgmttalk.com for the full scoop on how to join.
OR
Follow the hashtag #ProdMgmtTalk on Twitter. (You can also follow @prodmgmttalk or myself [@blueferret] on Twitter.)

If you want to hear me blather on, head to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/prodmgmttalk for the (live!) audio stream.

The chat will start on Tuesday, February 21st at 3pm PST.

The official press release is here: http://www.prlog.org/11799123-the-global-product-management-talk-on-the-battle-against-cryptic-web-content.html

Tune in on Tuesday at 3. And bring your content questions!

Bore Your Readers with Mindless Drivel, or Tell a Story and Engage Them

Does your “About Us” page tell a story? If not, you’re wasting a webpage.

Whenever I go through the website of a potential client, I make notes on what I see. What they’re saying. What they’re not saying.

I always visit the About page too.

After the homepage, it’s the most frustrating. Because 9 times out of 10, it’s just like all the others.

Is Your About Page “Unique Like Everyone Else’s?”

The core purpose of an About page is to tell readers what you do. And who’s doing it.

You’re introducing the people you think customers should know about. Who they’ll have a working relationship with.

The sort of information that shows you’re a good fit for them.

Thing is, most companies wind up wasting the page.

They throw up some names, add bios, and think that’s enough. All that does is create a clone of every other About page.

Worse still, a lot of these pages are written using the same thoughtless, jargon-choked statements.

Here, some examples. Any of these look familiar?

“We are committed to the highest quality service.”
So’s everyone else. Meaningless claim.

“We’re constantly upgrading our skills.”
So you don’t have any time for work, then?

“Real people who pick up when you call.”
(Ever notice that when they say this, it’s really hard to get a callback?)

“Your best choice for XYZ.”
Bold claim. Got any proof?
Oh, and see my “thought leader” post about why this type of thinking is bunk.

“Redefining quality service through world-class innovations.”
Wow. You took 7 words to say nothing at all.

An About Alternative: Tell Your Readers a Story

Chances are, “About Us” is the 2nd or 3rd most-visited page on your site. So why not give people content people would enjoy reading?

Like a story. You do know your company’s story right? How the business came to be, where the people came from, what motivated them to join your company?

This is the place to tell it.

Your story is your guiding principle. The sails for your ship.

Here’s an example of what I mean. This is an “About Story” I wrote up for a 2-man software startup. It was completely redone before it went live, so this version should be safe to post. (Some details altered/removed, of course.)

LicenseHound is a software license tracker app for Windows and Linux. Made by Jeff B and Mel C.

Jeff and Mel met through a mutual graphic-designer friend. Jeff wanted to start a side business doing specialty programming in C#. Mel worked for an SEO agency.

They hung out for a while, beat each other at videos games, and talked their way through lots of ideas. Eventually they found one they both liked. So they pooled their talents to make the app, and a website to sell it.

It’s now on the Android Market. (That’s probably how you got here.)

Welcome! Head to the App Details page to see how LicenseHound works.

I see this happening more & more with startups and newer companies.

For instance: “What is Spotify?”

This is a prime example of Clear Content. The About page tells you exactly what to expect from Spotify’s service. They show it to you with images & word paintings. And they encourage you to try it all out.

Another About Us example is MailChimp.

That giant monkey might scare a kid or two, but the content is great. Short, lively, and it talks casually about which customers are a good fit for them.

Both these examples also link off to subpages, too. Getting more specific. Guiding the reader on to further information.

In other words, they start telling you their story.

Does your About page do that?

Next post, I’ll share a framework to help you write your own “About Us” Story.