How do you know if the content you’re writing for your sales team is any good? Well, aside from the obvious attempt to attribute your content back to actual sales/dollars, it can be a little tough to place the appropriate amount of value on your hard work. However, it is quite a bit easier to spot when your content is falling short. Bad content isn’t going to sell well, it isn’t going to help your sales team, and it certainly isn’t going to help your writing reputation. So, what can you do to avoid the bad content and contribute to content that helps sell? Avoid these three cardinal sins to write the best d@mn sales content out there!
Missed Connections
Content that supports making sales is a little more complicated than just putting pen to paper. Your language has to be persuasive, but not too pushy. It has to be informative, but avoid being considered dull. And most of all, it has to connect with its intended audience. How, you might ask, does one attempt to make this connection? The answer is simple: do your homework. Before you start crafting your email, brochure, or blog ask the right questions to get to know who you’re marketing to. Who is the intended audience? Are they a decision maker (the boss who writes the checks) or are they an end-user (the person who wants to demo the product/service and share it with their boss)? Is this a really serious audience/topic, or is there some room to infuse your brand’s personality? How far along is your audience in the buyer’s journey? Do they need a high-level introduction to your brand or are they interested in all of the details? You have to put in the time BEFORE you start writing to make sure you’re speaking your audience’s language and giving them the right kind of message. Sometimes you only get one chance to connect with your customer, so don’t miss out because of a lack of preparation!
Going Over
Finding a connection with your potential or existing customer isn’t always easy, but it pays off in the end. If you can avoid “going over,” you can establish a sense of trust with your brand and build a relationship between them and the way you communicate. What do I mean by “going over?” There are essentially two ways to “go over” when you’re writing content. You can overcomplicate or oversimplify. Finding that happy medium between the two “overs” is your sweet spot when it comes to customer communication.
How do you avoid the “overs”? Content communication is just one step in the sales process. You don’t have to explain everything in one email, blog, or brochure. Attention spans are short, and customers don’t have the time or interest to read a 2,000-word essay from our friends in Marketing at Company XYZ. It’s not a good use of writing resources, and moreover, it’s not going to sell. Highlight key points and make room for customers to reach out and ask follow-up questions. When you’re thinking about condensing your text into a more consumable format, be wary of taking it too far into the other end of “over”—oversimplifying. Don’t be so quick to pull out the juicy details that inspire curiosity and interest in the product or service. While you don’t want to write A Tale of Two Cities, you still want to provide enough detail to make it worth the customer’s time. If all else fails, put yourself in their shoes. What would you be willing to consume?
Spellcheck
It’s right there and it barely takes any extra time. But believe me, there is a lot of marketing content out there that hasn’t run through a quick round of spellcheck. Maybe you’re not building your content in Word, so the screaming red squiggly line isn’t staring you in the face, but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. There are way too many technologies and resources at your disposal to have spelling errors in your content. It’s sloppy, unprofessional, and almost entirely avoidable. It would also be great if you could use the correct “there”, “their”, and “they’re” while we’re at it, but let’s start with the easiest thing you can do—run your spellcheck before you send out customer-facing copy!
Avoiding these three cardinal sins when you’re creating content to support your company’s sales efforts can help ensure that you’re creating sales-minded content whenever possible. Don’t let your hard work go unnoticed. Avoid these three cardinal sins and keep building awesome content!
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About the Author: Andria Kelzenberg
