Monday, March 11, 2013

Bad Advice (But I know better)

Ick. I just read a blog post by a "marketing expert" that convinced me she's not. The article took a contrarian viewpoint that content isn't king. Such headlines are gimmicky, sure, but they often work - and well-written contrarian pieces typically offer a different perspective. I like that.

That said, the blog in question (and you'll notice I won't link to it) used as its hook research from 2004.

Folks, that was nearly a decade ago.

Calling yourself an expert based on data collected when Pluto was still a planet is rather old-hat. 

The writer's premise was that design matters, more - or at least as much as - content, because if viewers "don't trust" a site based on looks, or it loads too slowly, they'll click away and never read your content. Unfortunately, the writer did a great job showing how NOT to illustrate that point.

The formatting of the blog was clunky; the graphics didn't enhance, but distracted from, the message, and the grammar was sloppy.

Don't be that guy. 

I had to giggle at another writer's Tweet last week about a blog from a professional writers' group - that had a typo in the first 'graph. (Whoops.) The writer's kind comment lamented the fact that whenever she posts about someone else's bad grammar, guess what? She's sure to include a typo. Hey, it happens. Fortunately, a single typo or clunky transition doesn't mark you as a wanna-be writer.

The blog I read last week was thoroughly sub-par.

It's been my experience that those things happen, too, but they're less likely to happen if you write, wait, and then read it again with fresh eyes. It's not rocket science, folks, it just takes a little patience and self-discipline. Which brings me to my last piece of advice:

Do your homework, write once and edit twice. 

In other words, try to be that guy




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