How to Produce More Creative Content, and Other Marketing and Writing Tips

As you might have guessed, this blog post is NOT part of my current series on effective editing.

Instead, I’m taking a quick break to bring you some recent, can’t-miss articles on editing, writing, and content marketing. You can check out my brief summaries, or click the links to get the full story.

How is editing like cake decorating?

JD Supra posted a fun article that compared writing and editing to a cake decorating contest. Some of the similarities:

• Baking and decorating are two different steps that work together, like writing and editing. While you can plan your cake’s design ahead of time, you can’t actually complete it until the cake is baked and cooled. Same with your writing (and just like how I recommend a “cool-down” period after finishing your first draft)!
• You need both for the best outcome. Just like you can have beautiful frosting on top of a dry, flavorless cake, you can have an impeccably edited article that is full of dull, irrelevant writing.
• Your audience will use both components to judge the results.

This article specifically targeted law firms, but you can apply this insight to almost any other industry.

Yes, you CAN make your content marketing more creative!

Fresh, interesting content is really hard to write (or record, or design) frequently, so a lot of organizations churn out bland content that offers nothing you couldn’t get elsewhere. This defeats the purpose of content marketing, so how can you break out of the rut and offer something engaging and helpful? This article from PR Daily offers some suggestions.

• Understand your audience’s desires and expectations, and combine that with what actions you want your content to encourage.
• Use emotion in your content, not just facts and jargon, and consider getting a little controversial.
• Aim to create content that you can repurpose in several ways, such as a white paper that can be turned into social media posts, an infographic, and newsletters.

What’s the REAL difference between Public Relations and Marketing?

PR and marketing often get lumped together, especially in smaller organizations that may have one person wearing both hats. But there is a difference between the two, and understanding those differences can help you recognize what each brings to the table, and how they can work together.

For example, marketing exists mainly to promote a product or service to eventually increase sales. PR promotes and preserve an organization’s public reputation, possibly changing minds or encouraging them to take action. Marketing measures success based on sales goals and return on investment, while PR bases success on positive press and social media buzz. These two fields can work together to promote brand awareness and company reputation.

How to pick an effective call-to-action in your content

Your call-to-action (CTA) is one of the most crucial elements of your content marketing. It anchors your conclusion. It also tells your audience what to do next—the whole point of the content. So you should make sure you include the most appropriate and effective CTA. This article in Entrepreneur offers tips on how to do just that.

• Include social proof, like quotes or testimonials from real customers, to help reduce objections.
• No social proof yet? Include an offer to minimize risk for the buyer, like “money-back guarantee” or “free trial.”
• Make sure the CTA is appropriate for the content and the audience. If someone is still gathering information (such as reading your blog post or downloading an ebook), don’t use high-pressure CTA’s like “Buy Now!”
• Try the “The Verb, Value, Urgency” formula to tell your audience exactly what to do, what they will get, and why they should do it now.

Following these tips will help guide your audience through the sales funnel, eventually turning them into real customers.

Need help with your writing and editing projects?

That’s what I’m here for!

I help marketing teams find the right words for their content, so they can save time and communicate more effectively.

I also provide editing and proofreading services, to give you a fresh set of eyes and help you get the most out of your existing content.

And if you’re trying to create a brand-new content plan, I can help you strategize and convey the right message to help you build your reputation and gain new leads.

Got a project in mind? Tell me about it and get a free quote!