The content bottleneck has several causes:
1) No Dedicated Resource — Every organization needs one person to maintain responsibility for managing and releasing content. Spreading the job around several members of staff leads to confusion and lack of focus.
2) Functional Confusion — Each individual function of a company may have identified a staff member to create content, but when functions don’t talk to each other — which happens more often than not — the result is confusion.
3) Time Management — In the hierarchy of essential day-to-day priorities, content development is often put off. By the time the dedicated resource is ready to get started writing, the day is over.
4) Value Acceptance — Every staff member assigned to content creation, as well as management distributing those tasks, must accept the value of the output. Content value buy-in is essential.

Does your company suffer from these causes of content bottleneck? Fortunately, you can do something about it:
1) Accept the Problem and Seek Solutions — The first step is to accept that your company doesn’t generate content at the rate necessary to stimulate growth. After coming to terms with these deficiencies, take actionable steps. You can focus on solving the problem internally or determine that the best solution for your business is to contract with an external vendor.
2) Hire an Expert — If you’ve determined that your current internal resources don’t have the skill to generate the content, the solution is to find an expert to do it for you. Take steps to get content; then decide how you want to use it.
3) Create a Schedule — An editorial calendar, when adhered to, will ensure that your content delivery process avoids many of the bumps that lead to content bottleneck. An outsourced vendor can help you build a schedule that is ideal for your company.

Generating quality content doesn’t have to be taxing. Websites should be written in a few weeks; not 6-8 months. Case studies can be wrapped up in 1-2 days. You can knock out blogs daily. Content bottleneck is frustrating — the key is implementing a solution.

Is your organization creating engaging content? Contact ZBC today!

Through March 28, ZBC is offering 15% off all written content needs, including:

Case Studies
Press Releases
Blog Packages
Website Copy
Proposals
SOPs
Newsletters
Marketing Collateral

You don’t want to do the work — let ZBC do it for you! Words Matter.

Contact us today!

Phone: 317-965-5590

Email: jeremy@zuckerbc.com

*Discount applies to new projects initiated March 15-28 only.

Your clients can always find someone cheaper than you. But that’s not necessarily a good thing.

I saw a billboard recently for Circle K advertising their .99 coffee. Circle K is a national chain, but just because their coffee is .99 doesn’t mean I’m going to buy it. I’d rather pay .75 more and get a good cup of coffee.

Use that same logic for your small business. How are you worth what you charge and, more importantly, how can you get your potential client to see that value?

Here are a few suggestions:

1) Provide better customer service — Clients put a lot of stock in trust and quality communication. If your client knows that you’re responsive and that you want to do what’s best for them, that gives you an advantage.

2) Solve problems simply and efficiently — Large companies have a lot of process they’re bound to adhere to. If you’re small, you should be flexible. Your timeline from problem to solution should be quicker.

3) Use social media — A good portion of big business is still scared of social media. In regulated industries especially, treading into undocumented waters is cold sweat inducing. Offering your clients what the big boys won’t or can’t gives you an advantage.

Unless you’ve completely priced yourself out of the market, don’t worry about cost. You get what you pay for? Still true.

With that in mind, here’s another bit of old advice that’s worth repeating: Less is More. I’m not a big fan of word counts. If you can get your message across in 200 words, I see no reason to stretch it to 300. I appreciate good writing, but I also appreciate the time your audience devotes to reading your writing. I prefer to keep it short, snappy, informative and entertaining.

No perfect formula exists for audience engagement. Your readers have thousands of opportunities every day to learn something. Consider why they should spend that time with you.

Message delivered in about 225 words. Not bad.

The month began with a quick reminder that when you have a mascot, you have to find time for the fun little things. In this case, it was giggling in a corner. We then explored modifications to the language thanks to new media, followed by our second post in The Basics series on the importance of reading to inform writing. July concluded with a piece on the importance of identifying your audience.

August also saw the launch of the ZBC-sponsored Indy Rock Live, dedicated to the Indianapolis live music scene.

August looms large. Vacations end and kids go back to school. The business cycle is set to kick back in. ZBC is here to help your business keep it moving smoothly.

I have to assume that somehow I ended up on a mailing list, which was purchased by the organization that distributed the letter. But that letter was not meant for me.

Understanding your audience is crucial to delivering quality content. The letter I received was fairly well written, save for a bit of hyperbole and some vague conspiracy theory. The problem was that I wasn’t the intended target for the message. The copy could have been the most impressive collection of words ever assembled. Wouldn’t matter. I wasn’t the right audience.

When I sit down with a client to discuss writing needs, I usually start by asking two questions:

1) What are your goals and objectives with this project?
2) Who is your audience?

I need them to help me define the person or group they want to attract. I can then strategically craft the copy that will improve the opportunity for engagement and deliver the desired results.

Meeting audience expectations is what makes writing valuable. Suppose you’re writing a simple letter to your grandmother. She probably wants to know what’s new with you, your family, or your career. Telling her about your recent trip to Best Buy for a new printer — I’m guessing that story wouldn’t resonate.

Always consider your audience. For the right person, the letter I received might have been spot on. For me, it was a good laugh and a one-way ticket to the trashcan. And, it turns out, a blog post.

But writers also read. In fact, writers probably need to read as much, if not more, than they write. While writing can be arduous at times, reading is easy. And what you read heavily informs how you write. Reading helps you learn flow, it supports your writing instincts and helps you identify your deficiencies. By absorbing how others write, you’re better able to establish your style.

I write predominantly for business. I read mostly genre fiction. Why? Because I don’t like to be bored. I want to be entertained. I take what I learn from the stuff I read and I let it become an aspect of what I write. Good copy, like a pop song, relies on a hook. Give me the message and make it entertaining.

If you want to write, you need to read. But enjoy what you read. Then, when you sit down to write, you’ll want to entertain your audience as much as you expect to be entertained.