Company Content Reviews Emphasize Copywriting Skills

Content writing reviews from Hubspot and Mashable caught my attention this week. They both cite companies that rely on copywriting skill to achieve business objectives.

In a blog post the folks at Hubspot describe the copywriting at 10 different companies as amazing. The copy succeeds in the following ways:

– Describes how everyone feels while in the midst of whatever you offer

– Gets people to open their emails: “A few ways to …”

– Is clear, concise and crisp with a touch of whimsy

– Uses puns and stories in product descriptions to bond with buyer persona

– Says a lot with few words

– Spins customer service issues by being playful, helpful, and informative

– Crafts powerful taglines that explain the value proposition

– Strikes a balance between professionalism and humanness

– Employs data to prove a point while still telling a story

– Is humorous, timely and relevant

– Positions brand through themes and is highly personalized

Sivan Cohen reports on the Mashable blog that fewer than 21% of technology companies have a corporate blog. She cites five company blogs that work and why. A reason for each of her choices is given:

– Includes relevant tips and tricks for navigating the online world

– Offers a platform for users to tell their stories

– Connects event attendees to people behind events

– Provides unique insights

– Emphasizes creativity and fun

When skillful copywriters understand business objectives and audience interest everybody benefits.

Content Trouble – What’s Your Approach?

Content trouble can delay projects, reduce traffic, and miss the message when not properly managed. Content troubles often appear in the following areas:

Content creation – generate original ideas, write, edit, curate, add keywords

Content quality – find good sources of information, good writer, variety, high interest, meet business objectives

Content management – schedule, publish, integrate, re-purpose

Content priority – projects may involve a team of professionals: manager, web developer, graphic artist, photographer, and videographer who need to see the big picture and how/when their expertise fits.

Every content project manager hears the word “trouble” sometime in their career. Singer/songwriter Ray Lamontagne embraced “Trouble” as a title for one of his songs. His initial “trouble” lyric is quickly followed with “….worry, worry, worry…” then he gets saved. What saves the content project is often a combination of planning, talent, and interpersonal communications skills.

When trouble comes my way I tend to take the following approach.

Seek to understand. Were priorities set and understood by all? What went wrong and why? What other problems might this create?
Build some kind of rapport with the problem. This reduces worry and increases focus. Ask lots of questions of yourself and others.
Evaluate expectations for a solution. Like a doctor, do no harm.
Pursue the solution. I usually do this in phases to assess progress and make observations as we move away from trouble to solution.
Understand what’s needed, nurture, and deliver.
Be grateful for your ability to learn from the experience.

What’s your approach to resolving content troubles? Anything I forgot to add?

Writers Need Answers Before Content Creation Begins

What happens before and after content creation may be just as important as the act itself. Content creation is a process. Below are questions a content writer needs answered at the beginning of that process. I will address what’s needed during and after content creation in upcoming posts.

Who is your audience?

Writers write for people. They want to know how familiar your audience is with your brand, product, or service. Share what you know about your customers’ preferences, interests, behaviors, and demographics. Knowing this, the writer can create content that best serves your audience’s needs and wants.

Content targeted to existing customers is different than that for prospects or first time visitors. The writer can help you decide if segmenting audiences is a good content strategy.

What are your business objectives?

If you want to expand revenues, sensitivity to the purchasing cycle is necessary. If your objective is to widen your reach to global markets or narrow it to a region, content can be customized to reflect that. Increasing brand awareness requires lots of relationship building through multiple channels including social networks.

What do you want your audience to do?

Think about it. Your answer determines content prominence, priority, and navigation. Each piece of content serves a purpose. Don’t confuse your intent (educate, influence) with audience action. The latter is measureable.

Who are your competitors? Or, what websites do you like?

Oftentimes companies avoid the question about competitors. I add the “Or” question for those squeamish or uncertain about competitors. Market research is important for content writers. Not so they can emulate your competition, but so to differentiate your company.

A favorite website can give a clue on what you like and the tone of voice you may be receptive to, if you haven’t already determined that.

Who will act as sources for information?

Finally, I ask for the names of subject matter experts within the company and whoever interacts most with customers. I also ask for the names of two or three satisfied customers who are willing to share their stories.

Not until I have the answers to these questions do I begin the tangible aspect of content creation. Do you need help getting the content creation process started?

Content Strategy Applies Focus to Content Creation

Staying focused is a problem for people who have lots of interests, are generous and unable to say no, get distracted easily, and are just plain busy. Most of us fit into one of these categories. When a business loses focus on its content, a content strategy is needed. Erin Kissane, author of The Elements of Content Strategy, believes there is only one guiding principle of good content: “It should be appropriate for your business, for your users, and for its context.”

For the content writer, the best way to stay focused when creating content is to have all the peripheral stuff (including strategy) taken care of before any writing begins. The process then becomes simple: topic + length + purpose + channel. This allows the writer to get right to the heart of the matter – connecting with people interested in your products or services.

What to write about? Go to your monthly editorial calendar with topics listed. Plan ahead and don’t repeat. All the writer has to do is develop the idea listed on the calendar, not think one up. These topics should be aligned with business objectives and audience interests.

How many words or minutes? This depends on the objective. If you want people to bookmark what you write, it should be more than 500 words. If you want them to share on social media networks 200 to 400 words may be best. With video and podcasts keep it to two minutes or less.

What is the purpose? Are you trying to gain support, attract business, educate, promote something, get links, or start a conversation? Choose one. Being helpful is a given.

After knowing your topic + length + purpose, choose a channel. When writing for particular channels answer one question to keep the writing focused (though the question may change depending on your purpose):

Blog posts: How will this topic start a conversation with my target audience?

Landing page: What do we want the viewer to do?

Website: What do our buyers want to know?

Social media: Does this effort help us achieve our strategic goals?

Email marketing: Will the content help solve a customer problem?

Relying on a focused, efficient content strategy saves lots of time and frustration for the writer, the business, and the audience. What ways have you and your company found to help focus the content creation process?