Does Your Halloween Marketing Content Need an Exorcist? Common Demons Worth Banishing

 No matter how old you are, you probably remember going trick-or-treating on Halloween. You might even remember that it wasn't always about receiving candy. Back in the day, it wasn't uncommon for tricks to rival treats as a seasonal tradition, from papering trees to egging houses. Yes, Halloween can get ugly -- and if you allow the following evil spirits to sneak into your marketing content, you may find that the fourth quarter of the business year yields the equivalent of Charlie Brown receiving a rock in his treat bag instead of candy. So let's look at some of the worst demons you want to eliminate from your marketing efforts.

The Ghostly Audience

In movies and literature, ghosts are usually depicted as vague, translucent beings that shimmer in and out of existence, resisting all attempts to photograph them or get specific details about them. If you don't have a clear image of your target audience, how can you hope to direct your marketing content toward mere vapor? It's time to draw up a comprehensive buyer persona that aggregates all the available data on your ideal customer's demographics, hopes, fears, frustrations, income, and purchasing habits. After all, if you were a medium performing a seance, you wouldn't call out for just anybody, would you?

Frankenstein Messaging

If you're like many business owners putting together your own marketing content, you may have assembled that content piece by piece over a lengthy period, pulling from this or that source as you went. But just as dr, Frankenstein eventually found himself appalled by his creature, you may shudder when you see the hodge-podge of messaging inconsistencies you've stitched together. Do you perceive differences in tone and style among your web pages, blog posts, brochures, sales letters, and other marketing pieces? If so, hire an experienced copywriter to smooth out those jarring inconsistencies and bring all your content in line with your brand.

Mechanical Gremlins

This creeping menace doesn't just sabotage your marketing -- it also embarrasses you in the process. Elementary errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax can worm their way into your writing with surprising ease, leaving you with egg on your face just as surely as if you'd been looking out your window on Halloween night after denying candy to juvenile delinquents. Even if you manage to avoid the most cringe-inducing mistakes, your content may harbor more subtle imperfections that impair its effectiveness. When in doubt, ask a professional to proofread and edit instead of just throwing that gremlin-ridden content out there for the whole world to see.

This Halloween, banish the tricks from your marketing content so you can reap the treats of greater success. Consider me your copywriting exorcist -- and summon me to do your bidding!

How to Have More Fun With Your Marketing Content

Does content writing feel like a joy or a slog to you? I've worked with countless clients who used to stare at a bank screen and growl, "God, not more of this!" So if you'd rather do anything else in the universe than draft that blog post, email campaign article, or promotional piece, you're hardly alone. But you can turn that frown upside down by making your marketing content creation more fun, both for yourself and for your target audience. The following tips should help.

Amuse Yourself

 If you follow this blog, you know that I've spilled my share of virtual ink about how you must write for your audience, not for yourself. After all, you're probably not your own target market; your personal likes, dislikes, needs, concerns, and shopping habits may not intersect at all with those of your customers. But I honestly believe that when you enjoy creating your marketing content, that enjoyment shines through by lending the content more sparkle and vitality. So by entertaining yourself in the content creation process, you can energize your audience by osmosis. 

Think of some of the funniest things that have occurred to you in your business or personal life. While you're giggling over that, ask yourself how you can leverage that into a story -- a story that you can then relate to your audience's experiences and struggles.

Lead With a Joke

You've probably seen or heard this approach used by all kinds of narrators, from preachers and teachers to journalists and keynote speakers. It's a powerful way to break the ice and get your audience on your side from the beginning. A humorous anecdote or elaborate joke can set the stage for a lighthearted romp, grabbing audiences' attention, tickling their emotions, and encouraging them to read on. If you enjoy the story as much as your audience, you'll be that much more eager to keep producing more of the same.

Get the Reader in on the Act

What's more fun and interesting -- being talked at, or having a two-way conversation where your thought, insights, and opinions matter? Yeah, that's what I thought -- and I guarantee that your readers feel the same way. That's why you should add entertaining interactive options to your marketing content wherever possible.

Simply asking leading questions throughout the body of the content can do wonders to create that interactive feel. Then when you get to the end of your blog post, email, podcast, or video, reach out for direct input in your call to action. Add a quiz, ask for feedback on a particular point, or provide a link for readers to enter a contest. You can even challenge your readers to send in their own short videos or stories as part of the fun!

I understand, of course, that even fun can occasionally be hard work, especially when you're not in the happiest of moods. (As Steve Martin famously said, "Comedy is not pretty.") There are times when you could use an influx of outside ideas, energy, and creativity to keep the good times rolling. But you're in luck, because I enjoy giving business's marketing content that extra kick in the pants. So contact me today -- and start having more fun with this essential element of your success!