Recipes for Remarkable Content

Posted by Francis Raymond October 14th 09

So you already get that great content has the power to communicate expertise, raise your profile and generate leads. You know that it should be useful, credible, easily digestible and, if possible, entertaining.

And you think you've got a hot idea for your next blog post, whitepaper or ebook.

Before you click on "publish", check out this free whitepaper from Tippet called How Vendors Can Use Remarkable Content to Attract Real Buyers. The best part of the whitepaper is the "How to Create Remarkable Content" worksheet, because it helps you step away from your strategy and see it from a user's perspective.

The 5-question checklist asks that you ask yourself questions like: "Will someone re-Tweet it?", "Will someone hang it on the wall of his or her cubicle?", "Will the reader want to meet the author?"

Hmmm. What kind of content would YOU re-tweet or post in your office because it's so useful, unique or sophisticated? What is your target audience Twittering about and posting on the office wall? Are you ready to hang out with your readers?

Perhaps a little more research is needed, or perhaps a new angle on the original concept. Before you get overwhelmed by the task of producing something remarkable, here are some pointers for getting started:

• Producing remarkable content doesn't mean you have to come up with something that's never been said before. As Miguel Wickert writes on Simply Blog, "There’s only a certain amount of original content to go around. Remarkable content is unique and quickly shared because it rings different with the reader, even if others said it before."
• Put limits on it: To get into a more creative mindset, James Chartrand suggests choosing three random words, like egg, mystery and alphabet. "Write a three-paragraph blog post on copywriting, with each of your chosen words the focus of one paragraph." Constrained by these three words, you're forced to get creative and come up with a solution, which may help look at your subject differently.
• Re-frame the subject: Think about how your target audience feels about the subject you're addressing, and try to tap into those feelings. A post about "Marketing tips for people who really hate marketing," is likely to win more fans than "Strategic Marketing Tips". It's human and it reaches out to other humans.

posted in Reviews

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