Mike Templeman: How The Rules of Writing Apply to Content Marketing

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The emergence of content marketing as a key strategy to gaining online presence and traction has brought marketing back to the basics.

The way to attract new customers to your website is to write great content and address it to your target audience.

There’s no secret regarding the process of writing content. The same rules of writing that guided 20th century authors also apply to content marketers.

If you’re having difficulties coming up with great content, then consider George Orwell’s six rules of writing:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

Applying these rules to content marketing can be a tricky task, albeit quite difficult at times. However, understanding that you only have the attention of your target market for only a few moments should be a guiding influence in your decision to choose one descriptive phrase over another.

Remember, quality should never be sacrificed for quantity. Get your message across, and move on – because if you don’t, your customers will.

Content marketing is a key tool for value creation for your product or company in terms of providing thought-provoking material above and beyond the typical sales pitch advertising. Leverage this form of engagement to motivate your target audience, not necessarily to just buy your product, but for them (the customers) to actually change something in their daily routine, as a direct response to your content.

At the end of the day, remember to stick to your guns, only publish something that you yourself would spend time reading if it popped up on your Facebook or Twitter news feeds.