The original version of this article, “Why is Your Content Boring?” ran at the Vertical Measures blog.
“Our content isn’t producing the results we want.” As a content marketing consultant, I hear this one often.
As a content consumer, I see why—all day, every day. Most content is flat out dull.
And as a content creator, I hope to help you understand why your content is boring and how to avoid spraying more snooze-inducers into the atmosphere.
Content marketing strategy is only part of the battle.
Perhaps you get the general idea of content marketing. On most fronts, it boils down to delivering useful advice. You focus on helping prospective buyers make informed buying decisions, but resist the temptation to stuff your products in their faces.
However, adopting this type of “education first” approach won’t take your marketing to the promised land. Engaging the prospect will.
Face it, with “content is king” being shouted from the top of every mountain, the masses have joined the parade. Content is coming at us like a tsunami now, but most fails to make waves—or even ripples—because it’s boring.
“If you have the biggest budget, you can afford to be boring,” says Sally Hogshead, author of Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation. Sally’s “Fascination Advantage Assessment” helps you understand the qualities that make you fascinating. Hogshead submits, “You don’t learn how to be fascinating. You learn how to be UNboring.”