The ultimate blogger’s writer’s checklist

When the idea of content marketing started being thrown around, traditional marketers handled it like it they were playing a game of hot potato. They passed it off as quickly as they received it. How is this going to work? Write some content, plunk up it up on your website and ta-da? Who thinks that will ever work…

Aren’t they surprised now?

Companies that embraced content marketing have been awarded a strong, sustainable voice. Done correctly, it’s allowed them to reach directly into the hearts of their consumers, long before the buying process begins. In many cases, they’re interacting consumers they may never have had the opportunity to otherwise reach.

Content marketing and the art of storytelling

A smart content marketer understands that the story is the pivot point. Anyone can buy traffic to a website but a well-crafted story entices the window shopper to venture further into the store, maybe invite their  friends to come and see what they’ve found. When the story evokes an emotional response and connects the brand to the consumer, those first steps can become the first steps toward a purchase.

It’s called good writing and it takes time to cultivate.

Natural born talent is a good starting point but it’s not enough to produce compelling content that people and search engines will appreciate equally. Being a good writer, story teller or content marketer takes time, practice and a lot of patience. If you want to be a good content marketer, start seeing yourself as an artisan. Treat your writing as a craft that you improve and grow with each new story. Be patient with yourself and be open to learning.

To help you on your writing and content marketing journey, have a look at my guidelines for being a better storyteller.

Writer’s guidelines for content marketers, aka storytellers

1. Invest in your writing. Care enough about your audience to continue to hone your writing skills. Learn how to use alliteration and metaphors, the difference between passive and active wording and the importance of eliminating redundancies. And while we’re at it, forget about word count – write what needs to be written and the word count will work itself out.
2. Find a good editor. Many bloggers and content marketers write and publish without another human being giving their work a quick read-through or copyedit. But an editor, a good editor, is a gift that can help take your writing from ho-hum to stellar. Embrace criticism and let it shape you into a stronger, more focused writer.
3. Research. Dive deep into your stories and read more than you’ll need to write the story. Find original, out of the box ideas to create your own original content. If you’re going to quote someone, give them credit. And this might be a no-brainer, but don’t plagiarize or steal content.
4. Be a leader. Build your reputation (and your site’s reputation) as an authoritative voice in your industry. Make it your dream to set the playing field rather than to follow another’s lead.
5. Prove your trustworthiness. Give more than you expect to get back and you’ll build so much trust, people will want to buy from you. Yes, it’s that simple.
6. Write for humans. And then optimize your writing for search engines. Keywords are important but they can be woven in after you’ve written from your heart. No one remembers mediocre and content marketers that only focus only on keywords and ignore the craft of storytelling are doomed to failure.
7. Avoid the obvious. If everyone in your industry is reporting on an issue, find your unique spin, your story. Remember, that emotional thing we talked about earlier? People want to hear your opinion – that’s why content marketing works.
8. Dial down the marketing. Yes it’s called content marketing but don’t overuse promotions, ads and calls-to action. Focus on telling a story that helps your readers through humor or learning. Remember, content marketing is about what your customers need – not what you need. A call to action at the end of your blog is enough to let them know that, by the way, you’re selling stuff they might want.

If you’re struggling with your digital strategy, I’d love to hear your questions and how I can help. Drop a comment below or shoot me an email and let’s start talking.

In the meantime, these posts might help you begin your content marketing journey:

• How to work with guest bloggers
• How to write persuasive blog content
• How to create a content calendar for social media