Social Media. Blogging. Texting. Twitter…
Guest Blogger: 
Kris the Scribbler is a content writer for businesses just like yours. She’ll tackle the writing and content needs a business needs to thrive, from website content to subject lines for social media. Don’t fight it; let me write it! www.kristhescribbler.com
More and more platforms are popping onto the relationship and connectivity plate that our minds sometimes swim (or drown) trying to figure it all out. What do we say, how do we say it and how do we write it in less than 140 characters or fewer than 25 words? Bill Ferriter, http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/2012/02/writing-25-word-stories-handout.html, and Ellen Britt, http://marketingqi.com/blog/2012/02/improve-your-copywriting-skills-with-the-25-word-story/, are two bloggers who have a few ideas to help.
I’d like to offer some additional ideas. Emotion is a big factor; if you can reach your audience by twanging a few emotional cords, then you’ll hook them. We all feel the pull to belong and that’s what we search for no matter what we need: health care, a new car, a good restaurant, tax breaks, whatever! We want to know we’re not alone and your blog is the tool that can get the message across—fast.
As a business owner, think about what your audience needs. What must happen for them to search you out? Can you narrow it to a word or two? Start with emotion words like frustrated, concerned, stressed, overwhelmed. These tend to be heavier on the emotional scale, but also consider cheerier words like excited, overjoyed, relieved. Depending on your audience and your service, the emotion words they seek will determine which ones you use will vary. You can also use opposite emotion words to add twists and irony to a message.
Next, how do you solve the problem or share the joy? Address the issue in quick bursts because that’s all the time someone will take to find you. Choose a few strong words that will matter to your audience. If you can talk and write like you KNOW what they are experiencing and what they need, then they will contact you.
Some critics will harp on the importance of power nouns and verbs or curse you for using adjectives and adverbs. Scribble some ideas down and see which grab you. Bill and Ellen give some examples on how to avoid these ‘weak’ words, but don’t worry too much about this. The focus now is to practice short, brief and emotional.
Once you have a sentence or two—that’s all your working on right now—then you can stretch it out into a longer blog post. Grab them with that first sentence then share how you KNOW what they’re going through in the remaining 300 words or so.
Thanks Kris for a Great post.. Feel free to connect with Kris through her website if you could use some help in writing your content. I would highly suggest Kris to bring her humor and expertise into a speaking engagement for you as well..
p.s. She is going to be a Grandmother any minute now!!! Go to her Facebook Page and leave her well wishes…
