I’ve been watching the process unfold for a long time.
Businesses clamor for their audience’s online attention. It’s only natural. It’s the means that they use that don’t fit with the new mediums available to reach large swaths of people.
Businesses want to build a readership, and then use those readers to launch their PR machine. They whip out the largest megaphone they can find, and work to disseminate their holy message to the masses on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and anywhere else that they think readers will listen. The problem is their readers didn’t log on to read a commercial–they logged on to be social.
Next, business owners get it in their heads that if they use the same words or phrases in their content multiple times, that Google will begin to rank them higher for that particular phrase. It’s probably because there’s no shortage of search engine optimization “experts” out there shelling out this advice. Businesses then react like a lightbulb just went off in their head, and proceed to publish copy that is an insult to all who understand and use the English language to communicate.
Again, on the surface, the thought process seems justified. But both of the above approaches will drive away readers, quickly.
Think that no one pays attention or actually reads your content? Think that your customers will buy simply because they need what you sell, overlooking the Spam directed at Google that you’ve made public? Think again. The world is shrinking.
It’s easier and easier for consumers to limit their circles to those who they personally like and trust. There’s only one way to get on the inside of that circle. That’s to be genuine. You need to publish what they’re looking for. You need to be their source of entertaining and valuable information.
Now more than ever, you’ll need to stand apart from the competition. You’ll need to able to point at the factors that make you different from everybody else who does what you do. You don’t get there by bombarding them with sales and spammy drivel.
I’m sick of watching this unfold from the sidelines, while strong, quality content is undervalued in favor of an empty shell of a website showing up high in the search engines. The thing is, web traffic alone won’t pay your business’s bills. There’s no business model out there I’m aware of paying website owners for simply attracting people.
It’s what you actually do with that traffic that’s going to matter. It’s how you convince your audience that what you do is important, and that you know what you’re talking about. It’s how you use your social media platforms to create real, personal relationships that will become significant.
I’ve been running my freelance writing business for about three years, now. I want to show people that business content can be for people, too. There’s enough bad content online. Nothing obligates businesses to continue adding to it. Search engine optimization can be successfully implemented without damaging the integrity of your message.
The fact is, bloggers and marketers can learn a lot from journalists. They’ve been telling stories for centuries, and captivating readers. This is now what the public expects out of the commercial content that it consumes.
So I started publishing things like this guest post on ProBlogger about what bloggers can learn from journalists. I’ve also now helped several clients with meaningful blogs designed to add value for their readers.
I firmly believe that if you want to attract a customer, you’ll need to prove your worth, and your appeal. You need to be genuine and likable.
If you’re looking for a marketing writer with a strong journalistic background to help you sort through this, look no further.
When you make the decision to add value, your audience will be waiting for you.
Matt Brennan is a Chicago-based marketing writer and copy editor.
