Picture this for a moment: You have a great product, and you–a jack-of-all-trades marketer–have been asked by the powers that be (your boss or some boss like figure) to take charge of content marketing. You are familiar with the basics of SEO and know that there are some key elements that ought to be included in any content marketing effort, but you are no expert in content marketing. Even so, you (somewhat begrudgingly) embark on a new content marketing campaign.
Projecting The (Boring) Message?
Not exactly a rookie in this game, you take every effort imaginable to make sure you are getting the proper message out to the masses in regards to your product. You take the proper steps (like ID’ing your niche, focusing on your target audience and planning), and yet something is missing. The first several months of the Content Marketing Campaign are going ok, but your boss thinks the product should be doing better, and you find that you are getting some unwanted heat for the lack of clicks on your page, and issues with lead generation.
As you stare at your content, you simultaneously engage in some soul searching and troubleshooting. What’s wrong with your content? Why are your desired outcomes not being achieved? And most importantly, what can you do to make it better?
After hours of frustration you engage in the simplest of tasks and reread your latest blog post, and it hits you: it’s boring. You have described your product perfectly, the content you have created is well thought out and planned, and it speaks directly to your target audience. Yet you realize that the flair and passion that truly sets great content apart–that makes the difference in the vast gap that occupies the chasm between good and great–is missing.
Bringing the Passion
Does what’s described above sound familiar? Have you found yourself in a similar situation, either as the creator of content, the boss of the creator of said content, or even as a consumer?
Nobody ever bought a Porsche because it was dull, and marketed in a dull manner. If your content is boring, you are not alone–not by a longshot. We are bombarded with content in many mediums all day long. Consumers are savvy and have heard every pitch known to man and read enough content to go blind (or at least partially blind). Most of it gets ignored.
How do you set your content apart? And equally importantly, how do you get your message across to the unwashed (actually, they are mostly washed) masses?
The key for every tweet sent out, every Facebook status updated, and every bit of content created is bringing the passion, or as I like to call it, writing with flair. One can plan all they want (and don’t get me wrong, in the world of Content Marketing, planning is essential), but if the passion is not there, the content will fall flat.
Ouch.
Just Say “No” to Boring Content
It’s easy to create boring content. It says what it needs to say, but it doesn’t delight readers. It doesn’t inspire. It doesn’t get people to want to keep reading–to keep engaging–like this post does. (Right?!)
Whether you’re selling Ice to Eskimos or Basketball Shoes to Lavar Ball (well perhaps that is a bad example), if passion shows in the messages you produce, you’ll better connect with and engage your target audience–and clicks and sales will follow.
That’s why it’s important you work with writers who can understand what you’re trying to say and use their flair with words to make your content, well, less boring! They’ll infuse it with passion and speak in a language that represents your brand and sings in the ears of readers, enticing them to take action, share your messages, and convert.
It’s really that easy. Keep up with your content marketing efforts: strategize, plan, lay out an editorial calendar that delivers the goods. Just work with writers who can execute your vision without boring your readers to the point of tuning you out. Not only will you start generating results you’ll want to brag about, you’ll also begin demonstrating your passion and flair as a content marketer!
Find out more in 10 Writers, 100 Different Styles: How to Hone in on a Writer Who Has Your Perfect Voice and Send Your Army of Writers into Battle with A Content Marketing Strategy.
Jason D‘s writing experience is varied. He is currently finishing his dissertation in the field of Criminology on the relationship between psychopathic personality traits and lying. Please don’t let the academic background fool you, Jason will write about any and everything and is well versed in popular culture. He has written for Groupon, MarketResearch.Com, and a variety of other smaller outlets in addition to his academic work. Additionally, he has written a variety of works that he is attempting to get published including a women’s guide to the men in their lives, and a humor book (think something one would find at Urban Outfitters) on having fun at work.
