Why is a B2B Blog Post like a Birthday Card?
I appreciate receiving greeting cards and the time it takes to pick the perfect one with just the right message. However, if I receive a greeting card that is a bit wordy, I find myself not wanting to read it. I don’t like to receive the “sappy, sentimental, text heavy, idealized thoughts from the copywriter at Hallmark” cards. I like a card with a precise get- to- the-point message (bonus points for funny) and if you have more to say, your personal message, in your handwriting, is the place for that information. I don’t want to know how Hallmark thinks we should feel at this card worthy occasion in our lives, I want to know how you feel.
As I think about greeting cards, I can’t help but relate them to B2B content marketing.
Personalization, it’s important in birthday cards and blog posts. Mars Dorian has made several good points in his blog post titled, “The Anti- Blog Post to Writing Better Blog Posts.” I suggest you read the whole thing (or at least scan it) but let’s look at # 5 as it applies to writing for B2B marketing, he states “Keeping a cool, perfect and professional online presence seems to be the way to go, but it also got the emotional pulling power of a frozen brick. Marketing is all about evoking emotions.”
If I come across an interesting and relevant article/blog post I have to admit I start reading and after the first or second paragraph I start scanning. Don’t you? I, like many of us today, what with all the social media options constantly channeling information, have become a short attention span scanner. I recently completed the HubSpot Certification class on Blogging and they offer up 11 steps of best blogging practices to keep your reader engaged in which they suggest 200- 400 words. I wonder if sometimes you even need that many. I think short and sweet can be just as effective. If you think about it, if you do manage to write 400 words, you are lucky if half of what you spent hours agonizing over (just like picking out that perfect birthday card) is going to be read anyway.
Image Source: This card from Black & White & Red All Over, available at Urban Outfitters, perfectly illustrates the type of birthday card I would like to give or recieve.
