How not to write boring "safe" content.

Stop creating boring content and wondering why you’re not getting likes, comments or shares. PAVE it instead!! As Steve Bartlett from leading global agency Social Chain observed, “mediocre emotions in your content will get you a lot less visibility than in the past, and you’re competing against other content that is topical, relevant and more emotional.” (This is paraphrased from one of his videos.)

So how do you do this?

When you think about your content are you thinking about the "why" of it? What I mean is, what are you hoping to get out of it, what is your customer hoping to benefit from it, and why would someone want to stop, look and engage with it.

Lots of posts are still self-serving, with the goal of "I hope someone clicks on this and buys from me". In my Customer Journey training it equates to skipping the value part that is so important and going straight from “Here I am” to “buy from me” in one jump, or leap as it may be. Most of these pitch posts are obviously thinly veiled sales pitches and as consumers have become more cynical of companies who are not showing their benefits first, it is harder to get true engagement. You must do more to stand out than just have an offer. Of course, there is a time and place for this, but not for the majority of the quality businesses reading this.

To overcome this, I teach my DM (digital marketing) apprentices a simple, yet exciting, way of thinking when creating content.

P.A.V.E. it.

It's a simple way of thinking about what you put out into the world, and if you can include all parts of PAVE, you'll be creating much engaging, connecting and memorable content that your audience will want to consume and share. And, it’ll be much better than your competitor’s boring, bland, “safe” material. Whether someone connects with your message themselves or not, who would share something that does not excite them, or make them think it will bring some semblance of value to others?

So, what is P.A.V.E.?

First, you must have Purposeful Passion in your posts. Get excited about what you sell or offer! Remember when you started your company, or first heard about it before you started working there, that’s how you want every new prospect to feel. Don’t get complacent in your marketing! The purposeful part is making it clear how you solve your customer’s problem. Is it clear? How can it be better?

Second, show Authentic Authority – Show that you are the expert, not by having a big ego, but by perhaps clarifying a point simply. 

“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” (Einstein!) 

Using examples of where something may have not gone to plan, and how you overcame it shows authenticity too. Basically, be human and humble, with a clear solution that makes sense.

Another thing to avoid here is trying to sound too intelligent by using big words or industry jargon. 

There are typically 3 main levels to bear in mind when writing long form content especially:

Beginner – Where you were when you first started in this industry, whether that was last week or in Uni. You didn’t know all the terminology and had to have things explained. If you start here, you'll lose the more advanced prospects.

Intermediate – Consumer level knowledge – knows enough to know what you’re looking for and to ask more detailed questions. Your content should be just below this level and bring people up to just above this level. Once you’ve got your prospect engaged, then you take them to a higher level as needed or appropriate.

Advanced – Usually expert level. You know the ins and outs of your industry and often want to get it all out at once! Your audience does not want this 95% of the time! I sat through a team training recently where the speaker before me (as in, I had to speak right after him!!) was a philosophy professor. Most of what he said was lost on the audience due to using terminology you’d only know if you were writing a paper on the subject! Lots of confused looks also did not clue him in! 

With your online content you can’t see the whites of your viewers eyes! 

If your viewer has to think too hard, they’ll start thinking of something else, something simpler, and then switch off to your content and go find something that’s easier on their brain.. 

I think Neil Patel is one of my favourite influencers in marketing because he exemplifies this principle of starting at a lower level, then bringing the viewer up. Whether deliberate or accidental, he’s got it down!

Add Value – It’s simple. Are you adding value to your audience? Or creating more noise? It doesn’t have to be detailed, simply a new perspective can add value, even for the most advanced people. I’ve taught my simple RAMP-IT™ model to Leadership & Management and other HE (higher education) trainers, managers and people with advanced degrees, and many comment on how this new perspective brings things together. It does not have to be complicated! It does, however, need to make sense.

Last, Entice Engagement – I still see a lot of posts that have no call to action (CTA). Depending on the objectives of the post or content, your CTA can be to like, share, comments, add UGC (User generated content), watch, follow, click, OR buy! 

Yet if you don’t make it clear and make people want to engage, they frequently won’t. Think about the last time you heard a good story, and were eager to hook the next person who unwittingly crossed your path and share it. How can you create that sense of wanting to share? (Clue: Use stories in your content. That’s another post though!)

If you keep PAVE in mind when creating or curating your next content, you’ll likely find more people will want to like it, share or comment on it.

Putting it together

Now that you know about PAVE'ing your content, how can you put it all together?

1) What excites you about your work? Is it the people you help, the product or service? the people you work with? The impact you have on people's lives or businesses? What could you talk about for hours? What is that "lighbulb moment" you see with your clients that gives you a rush?

2) What are ten problems you've solved for customers? Did they all go as planned? People know that no-one is perfect so talking about what didn't flow and how you overcame it give you more credibility.

3) What tips or tricks did you glean from the above? What can you share? Did you discover a new resource (person or tool) you could recommend?

4) What can your prospect do next? Contact you? Watch a video? Fill out a form? Share your story? Be obvious, but not desperate. (please, please please like me post and I'll love you forever!!)

Now, don’t let me down! 

If you found this perspective even remotely interesting or useful and know other marketing peeps will gain at least one nugget from it, please like and share this post and, for comments, what is one of your favourite pieces of content or posts you’ve experienced, and which part of PAVE stood out for you in that piece?

Thanks for reading and please follow me if you'd like to see more useful stuff about RAMP-IT™, digital marketing and other ways to look at finding solutions to, well, everything!