Words And Attitudes To Cut From Your Writing In 2014
2014 is upon us and it’s time to analyze our content marketing and discover what did and what didn’t work.
Nothing is sacred.
If certain pet words or phrases crashed and burned, it’s time to cut them out. If we need to change our attitudes and actions, so be it.
It’s also a good idea to take stock of how Google’s update, Hummingbird, affected our work. Does your writing enhance SEO with REO (Reader Engagement Optimization)? We must find out if we need to change course or carry on full bore.
First on the chopping block – “One”
In 1968, Harry Nilsson penned the hauntingly beautiful song “One” with these opening lyrics: “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.” This probably dates me, but I was around when that song first aired, as well as the inevitable covers from groups like Three Dog Night.
Now I admit that this is a pet peeve of mine, but I don’t think “one” should ever be used as a subject in your writing: One needs to keep track of email metrics to quantify effectiveness.
Using one as the subject for a verb sounds both pretentious and impersonal. And those are not characteristics that you want in your content marketing. Instead, you need to sound personable, believable.
One destroys that intimate bond that you’re trying to develop with your reader. Your goal is to become a likeable expert, a trusted friend and advisor. Your writing must create that bond.
Write personably.
Do away with a “me first” attitude
You’re in your business to succeed. That’s a given. You’ve set goals that help measure your success. If you can just make X amount of sales and generate Y amount of money, you can consider yourself successful. So you plan your marketing strategy around techniques that you think will bring you the best return.
That’s fine . . . but don’t stop there.
Real customer service starts before the sale and continues long after the purchase. The most successful companies keep customer service a priority.
The renowned sales guru, Zig Ziglar, put it this way: You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.
So, don’t forget to include your readers, your target audience, and your prospects as you plan. What do you need to do to help them succeed? If you help them win, you win too.
But if they lose . . .
Tame your jargonaut
This is another of my pet peeves. Jargon should be eliminated from your writing as often as possible. While it might be of some use internally, with your readers it’s often detrimental.
I challenge you to look up jargon in the dictionary and then evaluate your writing. The majority of definitions have nothing good to say about it. Here are the third and fourth definition entries from the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary:
3 a: the technical terminology or characteristic idiom of specialists or workers in a particular activity or area of knowledge; often: a pretentious or unnecessarily obscure and esoteric terminology
b: a special vocabulary or idiom fashionable in a particular group or clique
4. language vague in meaning and full of circumlocutions and long high-sounding words
Do you see my point, why this is a pet peeve of mine? I want my writing to be anything but vague, pretentious or unnecessarily obscure. The easier your writing is to understand, the easier it is to believe.
Eliminate jargon . . . now!
Banish “We’ve Never Done it That Way” from your planning
While what you’re doing may be working, there’s always room for improvement. There’s nothing wrong with taking risks as long as they’re calculated risks.
But . . . just make sure you understand the tune before you jump on the bandwagon!
I’ll probably catch some flak on this one, but just because something’s new and innovative doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best thing for you. You need to study it. It really may not be new at all.
Content marketing – from paintings on cave walls to magalogs to today’s blog posts and articles, the written word has been used for eons to promote ideas and products in content form.
Social networking – quilting bees, barber shops, pubs and coffee houses were settings where social ideas were shared and circulated.
Information-based websites – think libraries and bookstores. All offline, all effective in their time. And still good sources of inspiration, ideas and information.
Video sales letters – sounds innovative enough. But live product demos have been around for a long time. And so have TV infomercials. Look up “traveling medicine show” for an effective, although somewhat unscrupulous example of live demos.
The real innovation has been in the delivery systems. And supposedly everybody has a great one for you; the next big thing.
So what am I saying here?
Am I telling you not to try new things? Far from it. I am cautioning you to study and scrutinize each new delivery model before you jump into bed with it. Don’t sign up blindly.
One of the things I look for is a free trial or demo. For example, content management sites like HubSpot and Uberflip offer free trials. That’s more than enough time to see if their offerings are a good fit for your program.
Why do they offer free trials?
They know their product, how it works and what it does. They want you to feel comfortable with it, to make sure it fits your needs and the only way to do that is to try it. Honestly, the new strategy may not be a good fit for your situation. So these companies let you try it before you buy it.
The same idea works with email delivery systems. MailChimp, for example, will allow you send up to 12,000 emails to 2,000 subscribers for free. You can upgrade if you feel the need and even buy stamps in their pay as you go plan.
Plan for success in 2014
The time is already upon you to plan for a successful new year. Go over your current strategies with a fine tooth comb. Eliminate problems, such as jargon and impersonal writing. Discover how you can be more effective and do it.
Be bold, be brave; but most importantly, become a likeable expert and watch your content marketing explode! Remember . . . it’s the success of your clients that ensure your success.