Liz Sheffield Copywriting

Insider Insights for Raising ROI

content marketing

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How will I know this is the best solution?

After a nearly 20-year hiatus, I’ve started playing tennis again.

It’s fun. It’s fast-paced. And, it’s frightening. (Yes, that’s an odd combination of adjectives.)

Fun? I love whacking that ball. There’s nothing quite as satisfying…especially if it’s a good hit.

Fast-paced? My coach knows just how to keep us moving around the court.

Frightening? I’m returning to something I played when I was younger. I was faster. And I had all the time in the world to practice. Now I have some internal fears about the game:

  • Will I hit the ball out of the park? (Great in baseball, not so great in tennis.)
  • Can my feet get me to the net in time for that volley?
  • If I move up to the next level of play, will I be laughed off the court?

You may not be meeting prospects on tennis courts, but chances are they have some fears about your offering.

Questions that might be on their mind:

  • How will I know this is the best solution?
  • Can I convince the leadership team this is what we need to move the business forward?
  • What happens if this product or service fails us like the last one did?

There’s a lot riding on prospects’ decisions—feelings of success, fiscal responsibility, their professional reputation.

To be effective, your content marketing has to address the fears that come up:

  • How does someone know your solution is the best choice?
  • How can they convince leaders this is what they need?
  • What type of support do you provide when things go wrong?

Get clear about your answers to these questions. Then find a way to weave those answers into your content marketing. Communicate your commitment to their success.

Understand your prospect’s fear. Then, show them how to keep the ball in the park.

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What are you saying?

Recently I had the opportunity to travel to California with my younger son and my mother. As we sat in the Sacramento airport waiting to board our flight home, an airline gate agent’s voice kept interrupting my thoughts and conversations.

Within the span of about 15 minutes, she made the following update, not once or twice, but at least five times: “If you’re in possession of a boarding pass…please proceed to the gate.”

After I’d heard this phrase for the fifth time, not only was I annoyed, I realized there were a few issues:

  • The words the gate agent used were not simple enough for everyone to understand.
  • The plane which was boarding was not only a different airline, it was nowhere near our gate.

This experience brought to mind two important points: 

We must choose our words with care.

When you try to make your product or service sound complex, you risk losing your audience. Which sentence would make you take action?

Option 1: “If you’re in possession of a boarding pass…please proceed to the gate.”

Option 2:  “If you have a boarding pass, please come to the gate.”

Don’t use words like “possession” and “proceed” when you can communicate with much simpler language.

We must broadcast our message to those who need to hear it.

Based on your buyer personals, craft content marketing (a blog post, case study, tweet or other content) that will reach them. Regardless of the formant, make sure you’re directing your message to the right audience.

Regardless of whether your message is about boarding an airplane or purchasing HR products or services, make sure it’s clear. If it’s not, you may end up with an empty plane.

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HR Marketers: Got Bandwidth?

I remember well my days working under the corporate HR umbrella—especially those frantic summer months when directors and vice presidents realized it was time to get cracking on the projects they committed to complete by the end of the year.

What does this mean for you as an HR marketer?

This is the time when your prospects may be in panic mode.

Their strategies are set. Their list of deliverables is only growing. And, their employees are…on vacation.

(The phrase I remember most from those summer days was :We don’t have the bandwidth.)

This is the time when you need to share the services, resources, and tips you have that will make their life easier.

The only problem? You may find yourself in the same situation—with team members on summer vacation. Staring at the list of projects on your plate, you have no idea how you’re going to create the articles, white papers, case studies or blog posts that will intrigue your prospects. Your team may not have the bandwidth.

Regardless of the content marketing issue you’re facing: I’m here to help.

I’m currently booking my schedule for June – August. Contact me to schedule a time to about how I can support your content marketing needs this summer.

Let’s put a plan in place for how I can help you make timely, meaningful connections with your prospects so you can meet those goals you set at the beginning of YOUR fiscal year.