Audience Engagement

Copy vs. Content: A Difference You Can Feel!

May 7, 2014 By Becky Tumidolsky Leave a Comment

By Becky Tumidolsky

For years, I called myself a copywriter.

I spent my days writing B2B copy—sales sheets, brochures, print ads, static web pages and the like. This was long before content appeared in the marketing lexicon and B2B marketers weren’t blogging or tweeting or any of it. In fact, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook—these were just a glint in someone’s eye.

I always enjoyed this kind of writing. Nothing could be more straightforward: a nice little company overview, smartly worded, with good flow and a professional tone. A wordsmith’s paradise.

What’s the company’s mission? What are its product or service offerings? Let’s add some punctuation (testimonials) and pizzazz (perhaps a colorful team picture and a few stock photos of handshakes and smiling couples).

Three folding panels of sheer beauty!

Have you ever felt this happy while reading a brochure? I’m guessing not.

I had only one tiny hang-up with writing this kind of copy. It often lacked, as Pink Floyd famously put it, “feelings—feelings of an almost human nature (this will not do).”

So you can imagine my delight when content marketing came into its own.

Copy Is Information. Content Is Human!

Today, I’m a content writer at heart and by trade. I’m writing in my own voice, reaching out to audiences in a spirit of empathy and camaraderie. I’m establishing relationships, building momentum, and making waves. It’s all very personal. And it’s a real joy.

The fact is, content writing has less to do with broadcasting self-perceived greatness than with meeting audiences on their turf and engaging them in an open, honest, two-way dialogue about what matters to them.

Content tells and copy sells. It’s as simple as that. – Elizabeth Campbell

Yes, “content tells” (a brand’s story, a brand’s heart) rather than “sells.” But for the benefit of B2B marketers who continue to make the mistake of stuffing their content with copy, I believe this notion could use some unpacking.

Here’s a tidy little graphic I made (courtesy of Canva) to summarize the difference between copy and content. It’s a pretty big divide, if you ask me.

A Distinction Without a Difference?

Do you see copywriting and content writing as fundamentally distinct practices? How should copy be deployed in support of content marketing campaigns? Please share your thoughts below.

Since 2001, Becky Tumidolsky has written awareness-building content for B2B brands and their discerning audiences. Her work has appeared in leading publications such as Forbes, U.S.News & World Report, Bloomberg Markets, Newsweek, and Inc. as well as corporate blogs, websites, white papers, and other content assets.

Becky loves writing fluid, error-free prose. She’s even more passionate about building the foundation for her work—uncovering core brand distinctions, framing them thematically, and developing fresh, compelling narratives that advance corporate strategies.

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5 Ways Your Content Must Engage

April 29, 2014 By Becky Tumidolsky Leave a Comment

By Becky Tumidolsky

“Engage your audiences.”

It’s the #1 commandment of content marketing. We’ve heard it repeated a thousand times, and we all know exactly what it means.

Yep, and I’m the queen of France.

I’m betting if you were to gather a half-dozen marketers in a room and ask each one to define the phrase “audience engagement,” no two answers would be alike.

In fact, some marketers believe the term “engagement” has lost its meaning altogether. (I highly recommend Jonathan Crossfield’s pointed takedown of this and other overused and abused industry buzzwords.)

Truth is, the word “engage” has many shades of meaning. In the interest of serving audiences and advancing marketing goals, content creators need to internalize them all.

“Engage” Is a Complex Term

If you look up the word “engage,” you’ll find these five definitions:

Enlist (someone) to perform a particular service.
Occupy, attract, or involve (someone’s attention, interest, etc).
Start fighting against (an opponent).
Establish a meaningful connection.
Move into position so as to come into operation.

So which definition is most relevant to content marketing? In my opinion, it’s a five-way tie.

Engagement Is a Many-Splendored Thing

When you engage target audiences, you’re doing more than enlightening or entertaining them.

You’re enlisting their help.

With every piece of content you publish, you’re asking audiences to give you their time and consideration, trust your authority and integrity, and share your message to help elevate your brand. Further down the funnel, you hope they’ll give you their business and become outspoken brand advocates.

Since you’re asking so much of them, you owe them the moon and stars—content that’s authentic, useful, entertaining, and superbly written. And that’s exactly what your audiences demand. If you waste their time with dull, insincere, self-absorbed, pretentious, or error-riddled content, they won’t lift a finger for you.

You’re capturing their attention and interest.

Doing so requires knowing your audiences well and being committed to serving them. If this isn’t your starting point, you might as well hang up your hat.

To make audiences sit up and take notice, you need to:

Establish rapport and resonance by way of empathy, sincerity, and a flash of personality.
Enthrall them with a creative angle, a unique perspective, an intriguing position, and/or compelling facts.
Speak directly to their pain points and professional concerns while demonstrating the utmost respect for their intellect, needs, biases, and values.
Make your point clearly, dynamically, and confidently. Show that you’re fully engaged in the effort of content creation. Remember: Passion is contagious.

You’re fighting their cynicism by disarming it.

Every day, audiences are bombarded by shallow, self-promotional blather masquerading as content. Not surprisingly, they’ve developed a reflexive resistance to marketing. Their cynicism is your fiercest enemy.

Good content marketers know how to slay the beast in its sleep. They not only anticipate and address audiences’ questions and objections, but they also acknowledge audiences’ inherent distrust based on past experience—not explicitly, perhaps, but by virtue of delivering practical value and a uniquely rewarding experience.

You’re establishing a meaningful connection.

Making an emotional connection with audiences isn’t easy. But great content creators—those who love what they do and love meeting audiences where they are—make it look easy.

“Love works in business,” writes Brian Sheehan, a 25-year veteran of Saatchi & Saatchi and author of Loveworks: How the world’s top marketers make emotional connections to win in the marketplace. In his view, the most endearing brands share the following traits, tendencies, and abilities:

Purpose-driven
Inspirational
Emotional (offering an “irresistible human touch”)
Truth seeker
Creative leader
Driving “purpose to action” with a rallying cry
“People Power” (igniting passions or “capturing the popular imagination”)
Mystery
Sensuality (i.e., “gateway to the real world”)
Intimacy

If you aspire to make a meaningful impact and foster brand loyalty, it’s worth determining how well your content stacks up against this list.

You’re moving them into position.

Normally when we talk about engaging a piece of machinery—turning it on, putting it into gear, and locking it in place—we mean readying it for action. (How many times have Trekkies heard Captain Kirk’s order to “engage” the ship’s warp drive?)

Similarly, you should use content as an instrument to turn people on, to get them thinking about their needs (and how your brand can best meet them), and to solidify your relationship with prospects so you can convert them into buyers.

Andy Crestodina, strategic director at Orbit Media, offers some great advice for transitioning “suspects” into “prospects,” building trust, inspiring visitors, and starting a conversation.

Write stories that explain your brand’s deeply held purpose and mission.
Provide visitors to your site with concrete data and client testimonials.
Address prospects’ most common questions in a white paper or FAQ section.
Include links to marketing pages within blog posts to “guide visitors deeper into your funnel.”
Encourage contact by way of a quick call to action on every page.

While your content should be devoid of marketing speak, it should speak volumes about why your brand is worthy of your audiences’ time and trust—and should gently and amicably guide them toward the desired result.

What Does “Audience Engagement” Mean to You?

More importantly, how do you go about achieving it? Please weigh in below!

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Is Your B2B Blog a Real Snoozefest?

April 23, 2014 By Becky Tumidolsky Leave a Comment

By Becky Tumidolsky

The other day, I ran across a nice little post by Chris Brogan—“7 Ways to Bore the Hell Out of People.”

You’ll notice he did everything by the book.

The title promised a unique benefit, as all blog titles should. It included a number, as all blog titles should. The post gave readers exactly what they came for, as all blog posts should.

Oh, and it even included a colorful graphic. (Cool! A bunch of sevens. See what he did there?)

I love the way Chris turned the conventional blog post template on its head and gave it a sound flogging. His post was personal, genuine, and funny—like a beautiful oasis in a desert full of dry, dull, formulaic blog posts. He not only convinced me to click through, but he also made me a fan. I shared his post with great joy.

Sadly, gems like Chris’s are becoming increasingly rare.

In my RSS feed, I see a great many B2B blog posts that follow to a T the conventional rules for online writing (catchy title, teaser subheads, short paragraphs, bulleted lists, etc.). The writing is fluent and technically correct, in *most* cases. The substance is generally sound and (at least minimally) well supported.

But something is frequently missing in these posts. Call it a spark of personality, a streak of humanness, a personal stamp—that certain X factor that makes me want to stand up and shout, share what I’ve read with my social media communities, learn more about the author, and sign up to receive future posts in my RSS feed or inbox.

Stop Leading People Down the Beaten Path

In a world of never-ending content, playing it safe is a losing proposition. Parroting what’s already been written a gazillion times isn’t reassuring to readers; it’s mind-numbing. Using worn-out templates without investing an ounce of creative energy is going to leave readers feeling as though they’ve wasted their time (surely not the response you desire).

Yes, it’s true: People are inclined to click on a “top 10 tips” or a “five worst mistakes” type of headline. Maybe deep down we’re afraid that if we pass this one or that one by, we’ll miss the boat. If it has a dramatic headline, it MUST contain some groundbreaking truth that will make us rethink our entire strategy and give us a sizable edge!

Alas, here’s what we often find instead:

Top 10 Tips for Writing a Blog Post

–Create a top-10 list.

–Include visuals.

–Share on social media.

[ . . . ]

Pinch me! I must be dreaming, because I’m deep in REM sleep mode.

If your blog marches to this same predictable rhythm, you’re not giving readers much to look forward to or talk about in their social circles. You might as well stop posting and revisit your purpose, your objectives, and what’s really driving your efforts.

If You Invest Your Whole Heart, Readers Will Respond

Person A loves grinding out blog posts so he can cross them off his to-do list. Person B puts her whole heart into conceiving, writing, and proofreading her posts. Naturally, these two writers are going to achieve very different results.

One blog that has a lot of heart—making it one of my favorites—is that of Birddog B2B, a London-based B2B marketing agency. This blog has everything: lively, pointed commentary; confidence born of experience; creative spin; irreverent humor; and plenty of useful insights and advice.

OK, maybe you’re uncomfortable with audacious and edgy. What works for one B2B blogger might not suit another’s goals and tastes. But to write a truly engaging and memorable blog post, you need to loosen up, let down your guard (yes, assume a little risk) and communicate authentically—with personality, authority, and passion.

Run-of-the-Mill, or Thoughtful and Clever? The Choice Is Yours

Your readers want to be moved in ways they might not have expected—e.g., awakened, entertained, provoked, inspired, cheered, bolstered, challenged—which isn’t possible if you color in the same old lines that someone else has drawn.

If you want your next blog post to stand out and make a real impact, you need to:

1. Go in with a servant’s heart. Ask not what your audience can do for you; ask what you can do for your audience.

2. Find a creative theme. Draw on your knowledge and experience outside the marketing arena. (I discussed this in an earlier post about the “Seven Creamy Layers of Effective B2B Content Writing.”)

3. Have fun with your hook. You need to whet your readers’ appetite before you launch into the meat and potatoes of your post. Give the opening line or paragraph your best creative effort.

4. Bring in a variety of elements to enliven your post. You can use virtually anything—data, metaphors, personal anecdotes, quotes, humor, mythical legends, industry debates, social science, historic events, cultural phenomena—to enrich the reader’s experience.

5. Be conversational. A blog post should feel like an intimate, two-way dialogue. If it’s stiff and reads like a lecture, you’re writing for the wrong channel.

6. Have no fear. If you’re sincerely committed to giving readers something they’ll enjoy and value (and you’ve proofread carefully), don’t second-guess yourself. Go forth and publish, and let the chips fall where they may.

Please Share Your Thoughts Below

What kinds of blog posts really stand out for you? Would you add any tips to the list above? Let’s continue the discussion!

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Why B2B Content Is a Crummy Vehicle for Sales

April 11, 2014 By Becky Tumidolsky Leave a Comment

By Becky Tumidolsky

C’mon, admit it: At some point, you’ve been tempted to promote your brand within your content. You thought, “One tiny plug can’t hurt. I’m just helping my prospects down the sales funnel a bit faster. I mean, since they’re reading my content, they’re already heading in that direction. Right?”

I feel your pain. I really do.

Most of us marketers have limited time to produce content; sometimes, we have a moment of weakness and crave an immediate return on our hard work. But the B2B audiences we’re targeting, they just refuse to go along with the plan. They can be stubborn that way.

I recently wrote a blog post that was, in essence, a fist bump to all my brothers and sisters in the content creation business. I discussed the writer’s creative process and the value we bring—a pretty self-indulgent approach. Sure, I enjoyed writing it. But I delivered virtually no value to my target audience. From an inbound marketing standpoint, the post was a nonstarter.

Sadly, I’ve seen other B2B marketers make similar mistakes. They start out offering a compelling narrative or staking out a well-reasoned position, and then they sully their content with self-absorption, canned puffery, or cheesy appeals.

When this terrible urge strikes, we content creators had best hit the brakes, or we’ll wreck our chance to engage audiences and earn their trust.

Your Prospects Know a Lemon When They See One

Your cute, sporty headline screams, “Come on over and take a test drive! This is the vehicle of your dreams.” So readers click through, only to find something cheap, awkward, clunky, and barely functional: a lousy sales pitch posing as content.

If you draw readers in by promising a unique, important benefit and then make a big, screeching U-turn to your brand, you’ve pulled a classic bait and switch. As I’ve written before, B2B audiences are a sophisticated bunch, and they don’t like to be played for fools. You’ll be damned lucky if they ever return to your lot, much less buy from you.

“Bait and Switch” Content Will Hurt Your Brand

As consumers, most of us have experienced this unscrupulous practice, which tends to not only fail miserably but also sink brand reputations. Even the once invincible Facebook is being accused of a bait and switch: enticing marketers to set up shop before curbing organic reach and offering paid boosts as a remedy.

In fairness, some marketers argue that Facebook is a for-profit enterprise, so we should have anticipated this shift toward a pay-to-play model. (Writes Shelly Kramer: “They gave us their crack cocaine for free. And we bit, hook, line and sinker.”)

Even so, by pulling the rug out from under so many businesses after they became so entrenched, Facebook irked a lot of people. Some have even accused Facebook of fraud (raising revenue through fake likes). Consequently, its brand continues to take a major hit.

The point I’m trying to make to content creators is this: Don’t take audiences for a ride.

Selling is all fine and good, as long as it’s attempted further down the sales funnel. Ideally, your content should follow through on its promise to benefit audiences (with no ugly surprises and no strings attached) and, as a result, engender their goodwill.

In the B2B Realm, There’s No Shortcut to Conversion

Today, consumers set the pace of the buying process. B2B prospects, in particular, take their sweet time making purchasing decisions; they must be convinced the status quo needs changing before they’ll even consider researching the field of competitors.

It’s tough to build unity around an idea (much less a brand) and move businesses to action when their purchase decisions typically rely on input from end users, decision makers and influencers—three very different groups with varying needs and agendas.

This stultifying inertia is a tremendous challenge for B2B marketers; overcoming it takes much time, effort, and patience. Since our prospects are in the driver’s seat, we can’t just step on the gas and hurry the sales process. But we can create outstanding content (informative, not self-promotional) to help steer prospects’ attitudes and attention in our favor.

Where Do You Stand?

How do you react to self-promotional B2B content? How do you perceive brands that publish it? Please share your thoughts below!

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How Adventurous Marketers Strike Content Gold

April 2, 2014 By Becky Tumidolsky Leave a Comment

By Becky Tumidolsky

Is awesome content a lost art?

No, but it is getting buried in a growing avalanche of limp, lackluster “content” that’s giving content marketing a bad name.

Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, has repeatedly called attention to this phenomenon. Here, he unpacks it a bit. His take:

Let’s be honest. The majority of content produced by brands through blog posts, enewsletters, social media posts, print magazines and webinars is flat out awful. In many cases, the content is self-serving, not useful and, maybe the worst, pointless.

Ouch.

In fairness to content creators, this deluge of junk content isn’t necessarily the product of incompetence or laziness. Joe cites brands’ longtime reliance on mass media (“The ‘storytelling muscle’ in organizations has atrophied”) as well as their lack of strategy, focus, and accountability.

Also endemic in both the B2B and B2C worlds is a lack of time and talent. In survey after survey, content marketers complain about challenges such as “creating enough content on a regular basis,” “creating sufficient quality content,” and “limited staff.”

In light of these obstacles, it’s no wonder many brands seem to be championing mediocrity. They’re simply making do with the limited resources they have.

That’s a huge mistake. Huge. I said this before, and I’ll say it again:

Serving up B2B content that’s not ready for prime time is worse than serving no content at all.

Content Excellence Is a Journey

In a recent blog post, I discussed the content writer’s “mental journey,” which takes us far off the beaten path (if we’re doing our jobs well). Skill, passion, enthusiasm, and perseverance—these are the fuels that propel us. We’re always looking for new ways to elevate brands and delight their audiences, and we’re not afraid to take creative risks to achieve those ends.

In an attempt to capture this “content adventurer” mindset, I’ve created the following Prezi slideshow honoring one of the greatest cinematic heroes of all time. I hope you enjoy it.

Where’s Your Spirit of Adventure?

What are the steps you take on your content creation journey? What obstacles do you encounter along the way? Where do you draw your inspiration and energy? Please share your thoughts below.

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Go Ahead. Expose Yourself! (Warning: For Mature B2B Marketers Only)

March 28, 2014 By Becky Tumidolsky 2 Comments

By Becky Tumidolsky

For most B2B marketing professionals, the point of creating content is to build credibility, relationships, and trust. We expend a great deal of time and effort to ensure our content reads well and aligns with our branding goals. Once our content goes public, we hope audiences receive and respond to the message we’ve embedded between the lines:

We’re experts in our field.

We’re passionate about what we do.

We’re listening to you.

We understand your concerns.

We’re personally invested in solving your problems.

Thing is, if you’re not an open book—speaking in your voice, from your perspective, with your signature style—your audiences won’t bother reading between the lines. They won’t bother with you, in fact. You’ll fade from their consciousness as soon as they click away.

Think of it this way: In the content marketing arena, playing it safe is no longer safe. Writing lemming-like content that’s completely unoriginal (revealing next to nothing about who you are and what your brand stands for) is the quickest route to obsolescence.

I see lemming-like content every day. The headline might hold great promise, but what do audiences get when they click through? Another tired list of “tips” they could have culled from a million sources, a million times over? How many brands are following the same familiar template, eking out uninspired content simply to appease the “content beast”?

C’mon, people. It’s time to break free from the conventional wisdom that binds you.

B2B Authenticity Is Liberating

If your competitors are still stuck on dilbertesque corporate babble and marcom spin, you’ll materially distinguish your company and products/services.—Ed Marsh

As human beings, we all yearn to be ourselves, to speak our minds, to break the mold. As both marketers and consumers, we know that a brand’s true value originates with people and ideas, not transactions.

So why do so many B2B marketers hold back, preferring to deploy the same old industry spiel? It’s a bunker mentality: Authenticity carries risk. Open up too much, and we become more vulnerable and less in control of defining the brand.

That’s a crying shame.

The reality is that authentic marketing and branding free us to express ourselves in ways that capture and drive home our brand essence rather than our products, features, and price points.

Since audiences have made clear that they want (and reward) original, creative, clever, revealing content, let’s shed our inhibitions and lay bare our desire and capacity for real, purposeful, impactful B2B communication.

B2B Authenticity Is All-Important

It’s important to find your own personal voice in the social sphere to have an even bigger impact and be your authentically awesome self.—Sofie De Beule

B2B content consumers (particularly key decision makers) have no love for hacks, slick talkers, and sneaky self-promoters. They can spot these hucksters a mile away.

Although most content marketers aim for a higher standard, the demands of producing effective content on a consistent basis can, over time, make shortcuts look tantalizing. As authenticity takes a hit, so do quality, impact, and brand reputation. Increasingly sophisticated audiences thumb their noses at warmed-over boilerplate and spin in a slick package; they expect—nay, demand—a heartfelt dialogue that caters to them.

In his recent article for Entrepreneur, Jason Daley discusses what successful brands are doing well—irrespective of their dedicated marketing efforts:

Many of the top brands have little or no budget dedicated to marketing, or they don’t distinguish it from other initiatives such as sales or service. Instead, the best brands rely on something much more precious—authenticity. They deliver on their brand promises . . . in a way that shows a genuine interest in serving the customer.

We all know what happens when brands make promises they can’t or won’t fulfill. For example, letting clients’ and prospects’ feedback go unanswered or publishing ill-timed or tone-deaf social media posts aren’t just faux pas; they’re major breaches of trust. That’s because they convey a lack of caring: a cardinal sin in today’s consumer-driven marketing environment.

What does your brand promise? Is it a superior client experience? Exceptional value? Enduring relationships? If you have a deeply held purpose that fuels your enterprise and drives you to compete, you need to unveil it for all to see—and put it into practice with every communication.

B2B Authenticity: What Say You?

How can we marketers convince reluctant B2B brands to expose themselves to the world? If there’s such a thing as too authentic in B2B marketing, where would you draw the line? Please share your thoughts below!

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Audience Engagement

Copy Is Information. Content Is Human!

Content tells and copy sells. It’s as simple as that. – Elizabeth Campbell

A Distinction Without a Difference?

“Engage” Is a Complex Term

Engagement Is a Many-Splendored Thing

What Does “Audience Engagement” Mean to You?

Stop Leading People Down the Beaten Path

If You Invest Your Whole Heart, Readers Will Respond

Run-of-the-Mill, or Thoughtful and Clever? The Choice Is Yours

Please Share Your Thoughts Below

Your Prospects Know a Lemon When They See One

“Bait and Switch” Content Will Hurt Your Brand

In the B2B Realm, There’s No Shortcut to Conversion

Where Do You Stand?

Content Excellence Is a Journey

Where’s Your Spirit of Adventure?

B2B Authenticity Is Liberating

B2B Authenticity Is All-Important

B2B Authenticity: What Say You?

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