Words in Effect, LLC

Becky Tumidolsky, B2B Content Writer

Content Marketing

What Are Your B2B Instincts?

By Leave a Comment

B2B, content, marketing, copywriting, writing, editing

 

 by Becky Tumidolsky

 

We B2B marketers come in a colorful array of species.

We all have those avenues we know well, those spaces we’re comfortable in, those tactics we prefer, and those topics we continue to explore further. Each of us has different instincts about what works, what risks are worth taking, and how best to elevate our brands.

How do successful brands project leadership on all fronts on an ongoing basis? They employ diverse marketing teams whose members bring complementary insights and instincts to the table. 

 

Have you thought about where your B2B instincts lie–and how to keep them sharp? 

I’m primarily a nurturer, but my forager streak is strong. When I team up with hunters, show-offs, and pack animals, I come away with a much broader perspective and the wisdom and tools to create truly outstanding content. 

What kind of marketing animal are you?

Maybe this Prezi can help.

 

 

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.

Follow and connect: Twitter| Google+| LinkedIn| Facebook

Making Peace with Less Content

By Leave a Comment

 

Content Is King final

By Becky Tumidolsky

 

When I hear the phrase “content is king,” I imagine two very different rulers.

One is the overbearing monarch who asserts his authority by way of pomp and excess, issuing frequent proclamations to remind his subjects of his presence, prowess, and greatness.

The other is a quieter, nobler king known for his keen discernment, wisdom, and strength. He spends more time contemplating his people’s needs and their future than issuing decrees. When he does speak, he leaves listeners in awe. He naturally commands loyalty, reverence, and respect.

Both kings are expert at capturing attention. But only one understands that inspired and inspiring content (which demands significant thought and care) is the hallmark of great leadership.

 

The Content Carousel: How Do I Get off This Thing?

Many marketers believe that a fever-pitch cycle of publishing, repurposing, and transmitting content via social media is a requisite for market leadership. The more content you produce, the greater your authority. Churn, baby, churn!

To them I say, “Good luck and Godspeed.” But in my own experience, a constant deluge of content is neither realistic nor ideal.

For starters, it can be a logistical nightmare. For most small- and medium-sized businesses as well as solo service professionals like me, creating truly outstanding content day in and day out—in all forms, across multiple channels—is simply too demanding. B2Bers may have big content ambitions, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, most cite a lack of time and talent as the reason they can’t keep the party rolling.

I used to publish blog posts and create interactive presentations and design infographics at a furious clip. But that became difficult to sustain (client work + family life + pro bono work + political advocacy) and my creative stores were becoming seriously depleted. I was down to critical levels when a wave of panic struck.

My greatest fear was not that I’d miss a self-imposed deadline, but that I’d have a moment of weakness and wind up publishing something not worth anyone’s time—thereby forfeiting readers’ trust and doing lasting damage to my brand.

Folks, riding the content carousel round and round till our heads explode isn’t just unrealistic. It’s also a big mistake.

 

Here’s Why Less Is More

As I’ve previously argued, producing content that’s poorly conceived, poorly written, and/or poorly edited is worse than producing no content at all. Yet too many marketers succumb to the pressure to produce an insane amount of content without stopping to refuel (research and inquire) and recharge (allow ideas to percolate and simmer). If it lacks ingenuity, creativity, and attention to detail, content falls flat and brings brands down with it.

Content Marketing Institute founder Joe Pulizzi, in a post titled “Content Marketing: The Fallacy That More Content Is Better,” argues that “epic” content—not more content—is what’s required today to make a significant impact:

“Going back almost a decade ago, I believed more was better—more of any and all types of content helps us market all types of things (as long as it’s good content, right?). [ . . . ] There was a time for more, but that time has passed.”

In his blog post “Frequently Futile: How Often Should You Blog?” UnMarketing president Scott Stratten argues that “blogging is not dependent on how frequent, but more on how impactful”:

“When I read someone like Jay Baer, I know every post is going to be a grand slam. Every one. If he started to write one every day just to stay in front of me and ‘mailed a few in’ his impact would be less. I would stop jumping to read them. Seriously, when I get an email saying he’s written a new blog post, I read it. Immediately. Shouldn’t that be the same reaction for readers of your blog? Not ‘I’ll get to it’ not ‘that might be a good post I’ll read soon’ but ‘I HAVE TO READ THIS NOW!’”

Global B2B consulting firm Leading Thought recently introduced its Slow Content Movement© based on the premise that “slow, nourishing, sustainable, wise and thoughtful content” is the key to brand differentiation and elevation:

“The issue with most [SEO- and shareability-obsessed] content is that it eventually: 1) kills creativity; 2) clogs the web with irrelevant stuff, making it increasingly difficult to find quality material; 3) creates content fatigue . . .; and 4) remains the polar opposite of thought-leading content: informed, thoughtful, novel content with meaningful insights.”

 

“Content Is King” Only If It Makes an Indelible Impression

Brand-centric. Formulaic. Ultra safe. “Me too.”

Sadly, we’re all too familiar with these content types, and we cringe when we see it (“familiarity breeds contempt,” as they say). But junk content continues to pervade, like weeds consuming a flowerbed—even in the marketing industry itself. Think about it: Our highest calling is to help differentiate brands, yet we’re not even differentiating ourselves!

Yes, we marketers can create a lot of junk content—fast! But there’s a reason for that, and it has nothing to do with talent or tenacity. Junk content takes little time, thought, elbow grease, or care.

That’s why it will never, EVER come to rule.

 

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.

Follow and connect: Twitter| Google+| LinkedIn| Facebook

Thought Leadership Is Powerful, Provocative, and Poorly Understood: An Interview With Dr. Liz Alexander of Leading Thought

By Leave a Comment

 

Thought leadership, B2B, content marketing

By Becky Tumidolsky

 

Some marketers believe thought leadership magically happens when brands start pumping out content that showcases their expertise.

Other marketers question or dismiss the term “thought leadership,” claiming it jumped the shark a while back or it’s too difficult to sustain or it’s too hard to quantify.

According to Dr. Liz Alexander, co-founder of the global B2B consultancy Leading Thought, the problem for both groups is that they mistakenly assume thought leadership originates in the marketing department.

A former journalist on both sides of the Atlantic, an international award-winning author on thought leadership, and the developer/instructor of a professional development course on strategic communications for a leading university, Liz has spent more than 25 years collaborating and sharing her insights with the likes of the Environmental Protection Agency, Google, and Transamerica Retirement Solutions. Liz says that despite marketers’ misperceptions and misgivings about thought leadership, she regularly finds herself in one-on-one conversations with CEOs who understand the value of true thought leadership and want to hear more.

“When we tell senior executives that Leading Thought’s methodology produces a pipeline of innovative thinkers and influencers who elevate the thought leadership platform of the corporate brand, they get it,” she says. “By taking a longer, broader view than most marketers do, these executives understand that once they’ve identified a unique perspective on a relevant challenge, they can use this to shape and lead conversations within and outside their industry. They see that as what’s valuable—not deluging clients and prospects with undifferentiated content.”

 

 

A Sad Case of Misuse and Abuse

 

“I’m a thought reader. I’m a thought needer. Given my love for blogging . . . I think it’d be fair to say I’m even a thought feeder. But I’m not a thought leader. Neither are you. Okay cool, we now know at least two of us here in cyberspace are not thought leaders.”—Barry Feldman

 

Back in the 1990s, when the Internet was still in its infancy, Milken Institute Senior Fellow Joel Kurtzman coined the term “thought leadership” to describe the business world’s most inspired thinkers and doers. He had in mind the rare intellectual like Steve Jobs—titans who think big to change the world rather than tinker around the edges to boost sales. (It’s worth noting that Jobs is said to have detested the words “branding” and “marketing.”)

Today, “thought leadership” is so carelessly bandied about, one wonders if the term has any meaning left. Surveying the current marketing landscape, Kurtzman has this to say:

“Every company has its thought leaders…in many cases (with) no real experience in the industry they are supposedly leading. They have barely scratched the surface in terms of their reading, their knowledge or ideas. And they are rehashing the past.”

Liz agrees. “Too many self-appointed thought leaders believe ‘content is king,’ thereby letting the tool be the master. They’re fundamentally misunderstanding the true nature and power of thought leadership and the path you must take to achieve it.”

 

 

What Thought Leadership Is Not

 

I asked Liz to describe, in her characteristically direct way, what thought leadership is not:

 

“Content panhandling.”

“Spewing out content without consideration for its relevance or quality is like begging for attention as the traffic speeds past you on the freeway. Nobody cares! A lot of what purports to be thought leadership is really just content marketing. True thought leaders recognize that content can be a valuable tactical tool, but it’s the strategic thinking that really matters.”

 

Having marketing-automated “conversations.”

“If I’m shouting undifferentiated, unfocused brand-centric messages to 50,000 people, that’s neither a conversation nor engagement.”

 

Staking a position without being willing to debate.

“It’s like the emperor’s new clothes: people who purport to be deep thinkers but refuse to engage with anyone having opposing views. Pontificating without a solid evidential trail or the stomach for debate is not thought leadership.”

 

“You don’t get to be a thought leader unless you’re willing to be a thought punching bag.”—Seth Godin

 

 

What Thought Leadership Is

 

Here is Liz’s take on the true nature of thought leadership:

 

A rare thing.

“Anyone can aspire to be President of the United States, but most of us will never be president. Similarly, very few people leave base camp and climb to the top of Mount Everest. Thought leadership is the same; only a select few will, or should, earn third-party recognition.”

 

Experts who listen, analyze, and project—and a culture that molds and values them.

“In our book Thought Leadership Tweet, we ask: ‘Do you admire the late, great Steve Jobs but no way in hell would you hire anyone like him? Do innovators thrive or die in your culture?’ A corporate culture that helps to develop deep, differentiated thinkers is more likely to establish the unassailable market leadership worthy of true thought leaders.”

 

A desire to have genuine, provocative conversations, regardless of frequency.

“Many thought leaders we’ve worked with and researched put very little content out there. They spend their time listening—researching clients’ concerns and challenges—and thinking deeply about what they find. When they do produce content, it’s provocative, highly valuable, and rare, because it poses perspectives no one else is offering.”

 

Many different spheres of influence outside one’s own industry.

“Thought leaders aren’t synonymous with experts. Certainly they need to know their stuff, but while you tend to find that experts are motivated to maintain their established position, thought leaders draw broadly from a variety of disciplines in their analyses of industry, business, and cultural trends in order to look at issues differently and consider different conclusions.”

 

No fear of risk.

“Risk aversion is antithetical to thought leadership. Thought leaders aren’t interested in staying within the drawing lines; they don’t fear criticism or failure. True innovators take the reins in their industries and challenge the status quo with passion and conviction.”

 

 

The Knowledge Bridge That Marketing Builds

 

Although thought leadership shouldn’t just be a function of marketing, Liz says, marketers can provide the invaluable role of translator and storyteller. By helping to package their internal experts’ critical analyses and game-changing innovations in ways that engage clients and prospects, marketers can demonstrate greater value than many currently are.

Citing the Egremont Group’s “Head Office of the Future” project and Dale Bryce’s work at Sinclair Knight Merz (outlined here), Liz believes that “marketers can take that expertise and create a bridge between their internal thought leaders and the issues and challenges their clients and prospects care about most. They can tell stories that make that expert material much more engaging, relevant, compelling, and provocative in order to serve rather than serve up information their market has no interest in or no idea how to interpret or apply.”

 

 

What Do You Think?

 

Have marketing practices over the past two decades devalued “thought leadership”? What issues would you take with Liz’s perspective? Please share your thoughts in the comment section 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.

Follow and connect: Twitter| Google+| LinkedIn| Facebook

Copy vs. Content: A Difference You Can Feel!

By Leave a Comment

copywriting content marketing B2B

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!

 

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-cheerful-relaxed-couple-reading-brochure-sofa-side-view-young-image33838954

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.

 

B2B copy vs content graphic

 

 

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.

Follow and connect: Twitter| Google+| LinkedIn| Facebook

5 Ways Your Content Must Engage

By Leave a Comment

B2B, content, marketing, copywriting, writing

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:

  1. Enlist (someone) to perform a particular service.
  2. Occupy, attract, or involve (someone’s attention, interest, etc).
  3. Start fighting against (an opponent).
  4. Establish a meaningful connection.
  5. 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. 

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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!

 

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.

Follow and connect: Twitter| Google+| LinkedIn| Facebook

Is Your B2B Blog a Real Snoozefest?

By Leave a Comment

B2B, blogging, content, marketing, copywriting, writing

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!

 

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.

Follow and connect: Twitter| Google+| LinkedIn| Facebook