Talking Content Marketing – With Demian Farnworth
Talking Content Marketing welcomes Chief Copywriter for Copyblogger Media, Demian Farnworth.
Lets delve into the world of creating written content and the importance for businesses to possess a skillset that is vital for the mid point of this decade.
Six questions, six answers, lets get down to it with Demian.
Do you believe that writing is one of the few skills all businesses must have in the twenty first century?
I do. It’s important to be able to articulate your idea, promote your product, and educate people clearly, concisely, and persuasively. Otherwise competitors with inferior ideas and products, but superior communication skills, will win.
That may sound unfair, but it’s life.
How important is it to have a point of view/a voice and share experiences, rather than regurgitate articles seen from other posts?
The first thing a writer has to do is come to grips with the reality that he is not likely to come up with any truly original ideas. A quick look across the landscape and you’ll see all the themes have been played before. Many times.
What will get him attention, however, is how he re-packages those themes, and often that starts with his voice. His personality, his worldview, his courage, his perseverance. Some of my favorite writers are NOT great writers, but they have strong, well-defined voices — and aren’t afraid to use them.
Should businesses not become wholly focused on technical issues (SEO) but rather creativity (content that strikes a chord with a person)?
Yes. We’ve entered an SEO era where social plays a huge factor in driving traffic. Creating content that gets eyeballs, headlines that get shared, videos that get replayed will ultimately bring visibility and traffic to your site, build authority for your brand.
Having said that, when it comes to driving traffic that actually converts leads into paying customers, study after study has demonstrated that search traffic is the best (especially mobile). Because of searcher intent. So you can’t ignore the technical SEO. It is still important.
But when you combine technical with creative SEO you have a powerful combination.
What are the components of a well produced blog article?
Fantastic headline. Spend at least a third of your time getting the right headline. Great opening. A compelling story. Facts and statistics to back up any claims. Vivid demonstrations. Eye-catching images.
Then, format the article to be easy to read: short words, sentences, paragraphs. Lots of white space. Bullet points to break up the text. Intriguing subheadlines to guide the scanners down the page, and hook them.
And finally, a call to action. A compelling close.
You mention in your ‘Devil May Care Method‘ our senses always need to be on (and ‘swallow the world around you’ in your ‘Essential Mindset‘ article). What inspires you to create?
This is hard. I guess having something to say. The perfect storm would be when I have something to say but am not satisfied in the current form, and then stumble across a hook that takes the original idea and spins it in a new way.
Like everyone else I have opinions. But unlike everyone else I want my opinions to be art. So until I feel like I’ve reached that artistic level, then I try to keep my opinions to myself.
When it comes to inspiration for creating content should we look outside of our professions and delve into further areas ie. human behaviour, psychology?
Definitely. You will be surprised at how many times you find the answer to a perplexing problem off in some corner of the universe you never thought to visit. Writing is problem solving. It’s about putting pieces together. The more pieces you have in your inventory, the more likely you can solve any tough writing assignments.
The other thing you have to keep in mind is if you don’t look outside your profession, then you will end up regurgitating the same old. Look outside your profession to find examples, ideas, and objects that will help you repackage old ideas in new ways.
Here’s another thought: explore ideas and people that challenge your ideas. Don’t just look for facts that support your way of thinking. Look for ideas that upset the apple cart. You’ll be surprised at the authenticity that emerges when you embrace them.
Huge thanks to Demian for being part of the Talking Content Marketing project. To find out more from Demien’s space:
Demian on Twitter: click here
The Copybot: click here
Copyblogger: click here
