Content

Writing by hand - I'm pretty sure it makes me smarter

I love technology.  You rarely see me out without BOTH my iPad and my iPhone.  But that being said, if you saw me at a conference, taking a course, interviewing someone or planning out a strategy, you would see me with a pen and paper.

I’ve long thought that my brain processes what I write by hand much better than what I type.  I believe it’s a combination of using a different part of my brain and writing more slowly, thereby having time to really digest the words.  I can type faster than I can process.

I did a little research googling and found studies to support this theory.  It seems I may be right, writing things out by hand can really make a difference! (note: I can’t use a stylus on my tablet to solve this problem because the lack of sensory feedback from the pen on the paper bothers me - I’m difficult like that.)

Take out a notebook

Here is my challenge to you. Take out a pen and a notebook and start writing by hand if:

- You need to do some planning;

- You have writer’s block;

- You’re interviewing someone for an article;

- You’re watching a webinar;

- You’re writing anything at all really, just give it a shot.

Pay attention.  Did it feel different?  Did thoughts start coming to you in ways they don’t when you’re typing?

Leave me a comment and tell me when the last time you took notes by hand instead of on a device of some kind.  Do you find it make a difference the way I do?

Who are you talking to?

Do you know who your audience is? Have you ever sat down and thought about who it is you’re trying to reach with your business?

Who is your audience?

For social media (like any other communications and marketing initiatives) knowing who your audience is and understanding them sets the tone for all your messaging.

What do you know about your audience?

Once you know who your audience is, you need to figure out what makes them tick:

  • What do they like?
  • What do they want?
  • What do they need? 
  • How can you help?

“Social Media Simplified” is our tag line. A lot of our audience wants help understanding what they feel is complicated and, at times, overwhelming. They want simple, concise information. They don’t want to feel silly for not understanding when they come to us.

How do you say it?

Speak their language and at a level they feel comfortable with. Don’t talk down to or confuse them by talking over their heads. 

For us it’s avoiding jargon or information that is overly complicated when it’s not necessary knowledge. 

Example: Personal chef

Let’s go through it again with the example of two personal chefs with two different audiences.

The first specializes in catering special events, making delicious and complicated meals, and bringing haute cuisine right to your home.  The second makes home-cooked meals for your convenience.

The audience for the first is high income professionals who want to live an exquisite life.  They want to feel they are getting the best and they are willing to pay for it.

The audience for the second are busy professionals who are willing to pay for the convinience of not having to cook themselves.

The messaging to those two audiences would be very very different and for the most part, not interchangeable.  The first would be all about having the best, treating yourself to what you deserve and bringing a 5-star restaurant right to your home.  The second would be all about convenience, making life easier, and giving you more time and energy for the things that are important to you.

Same job title; completely different messaging based on audience.

Knowing who your audience is (and pick your IDEAL audience instead of saying “anyone who will give me money”) makes all the difference in the way you communicate.

Have you taken the time to figure it out? Who is your audience? Leave a comment and tell us who your audiences are and how you’ve gone about creating content for them - we’d love to hear!

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...Content

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Content creation can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. We can take the principles of sustainability in the physical world and apply them to the virtual world as well. This helps on those days when the ideas seem to have dried up. 

How can you apply these concepts to online content to support your content marketing efforts?

Reduce

Reduce the time you spend generating content (and thinking/stressing about it).

How do you do this? By thinking creatively about the content that already exists around you. Some other great words are reimagine, repurpose, refine.

Reuse

As you build a repository of content, you can bring old content forward with a refresh for your audience. The audience will shift over time, but evergreen content is always useful. 

Perhaps you’ve got old list posts that are partially out-of-date but partially relevant. Take relevant items and share them on Twitter and/or Facebook.

Recycle

…Ideas

  • Industry publications and thought leaders - respond to blog posts and shifts in direction,
  • Notes you made two years ago - expand on those thoughts, mature them into usable content,
  • Employees - they can offer unique perspective that may valuable to your customers and clients,
  • Competitors - they’re working to differentiate themselves; how can you do it better?

…Materials

  • White papers that need to be updated - turn them into a series of blog posts,
  • Brochure for the trade show - commission an interesting infographic to post online,
  • List of best practices for your industry - schedule updates for Twitter and Facebook,
  • Training manual - create a series of videos for clients to subscribe to for training,
  • Report for a client - case study of success; share your successes and how they happened.

Just as photographers walk around mentally framing images all around them, content marketers need to look at the world around them with an eye for content. Capture the moments of inspiration when they happen and your content will flow more smoothly.

What other marketing materials (traditional or online content) in your organization can be repurposed for online use?