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Engaging Customers and Building Community with Copywriting and Content Marketing

How To Conquer The Curse That Kills Trust In Your Content

May 5, 2016 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

How To Conquer The Curse That Kills Trust In Your Content

 

conquer the curse that kills trust

My mom can make pie. Oh my goodness, can she roll out a crust! And her fillings: Fresh, bright, fruity, gooey scrumptiousness.

Her baked creations are the perfect blend of flakiness and fruit. The crust has invisible pockets of butter, and crumbles gently against your fork. The fruits sings flavor.

My mom can sure make pieGinger can bake a pie to beat all, but she cannot teach you how.

Nor can this talented baker reproduce one in a kitchen other than her own. She must be in her Nebraska farmhouse, at her own counter, with her own rolling pin and ice water. (Don’t ask me what she does with ice water, but when she bakes pie, there’s always a bowl of ice water nearby.)

Just once, I’d like to be that fly on the ceiling watching her work, because, you see, my dear mom has…

“The Curse of Knowledge.”

My mom possesses incredible skill and talent, but it’s the kind of expertise that doesn’t translate. She tried teaching me once, but it was if my presence ruined the lesson. If I’m watching too closely, something always goes wrong. I tried filming her once, but you could almost taste the frustration and self consciousness in the finished result. The video turned out great, even funny, and made for a lighthearted memory. But the pie fell flat.

The curse of knowledge alienates people. It does the most damage when you don’t know how to share your expertise.

Is there something you know how to do, that you just can’t put into words, or even video?

Usually, that thing you do so well is so ingrained that you forget there are steps, or that you ever learned how to do it yourself.

If you are affected by this curse, there’s a way around it. All you need to do is show a tiny bit of vulnerability with your customers, readers, and prospects.

Then the curse of knowledge will disappear like magic.

It starts by showing what mistakes you made along the way and how you corrected them. It starts by showing that there was a time once when you were not the expert you are now. You walked a path. You did not just come down from the mountain in all your glory.

“…I was born this way.”

There was a time when you had beginner’s mind, too, and to teach someone a skill or even to pass information along in the way of helpful content, you must remember what that felt like.

Your knowledge is not very helpful unless you can explain what you know in simple words to a non-expert. You know the sayings:

“If you cannot explain what you know or do in simple terms, then you don’t really know it.”

“Teach what you need to learn.”

The beautiful problem: no one knows exactly what you know in exactly the way that you know it.

They haven’t been where you’ve been, they haven’t walked in your shoes, had your experiences and worked with the same people. They haven’t seen the same movies.

You are your own unique creation. A one-of-a-kind recipe.

But if you try, you can share how you got here. Tell just one part of that story and you have a great beginning!

Start there. Share that in your copy or your video or blog, and you will have poked a minuscule hole in that seemingly impenetrable armor of knowledge. You’ll begin to make connections.

When you write about where you’ve been, you add a dash of empathy. Your content becomes trustworthy.

trustworthy content?

A few weeks ago, I had the rare opportunity to hover over one of the most beautiful islands in the world in a helicopter. I had met the pilot just moments before we lifted off, and I’d never been in a helicopter, let alone brought my family along for the joyride… I was a little nervous.

Helicopters crash, it’s a fact, so how did the pilot calm everyone’s latent, but unspoken fear?

He told us where he’d been.

When Brandon told us we were flying over the Kauai waterfall where the opening of the TV show Fantasy Island was filmed, I recognized it. In fact, when I was a kid, I never missed that show! Of course I knew that waterfall; I could hardly keep from saying, “Da plane! Da plane!

Suddenly, we connected. We discovered that we shared the common memory of watching the Saturday night lineup of Lawrence Welk, Hee-Haw, Love Boat, and Fantasy Island when we were kids.He said he always skipped the Lawrence Welk show because he was out riding dirt bikes or motorcycles before dusk. That comment led to a discussion about how he found his way to flying choppers for news programs on the mainland.

OK, so this was a guy who’s been getting into quasi-dangerous motorized vehicles his whole life — including flying choppers for the nightly news — and lived to tell!

Suddenly, we were in good hands.

See how that works? He gave us a glimpse into his experience and how he came about it differently than most — no military experience — and he built a solid case for his reliability without explicitly saying he’s been flying for 32 years.(He added that later.)

Trust inspires people to take the leap. Trust closes the sale, get you the referral, or earns you a nice big tip.

The effectiveness of your writing, your blog posts, your speeches, and all your interactions with people; all hinge on establishing trust. Yes, you are the expert, but until you share how you got there, you’ll always be a bit of a magician. (Come to think of it, magicians always keep their distance, too. Ever notice that?) You need to show your hands. You need to banish the curse that kills trust.

Bake trust into your content:

  • Start with something everyone knows.
  • Start with a story about where YOU started.
  • Talk about some problems you faced, how you overcame them…and work from there.

The curse of knowledge evaporates when you make a connection with your reader through stories. Those inroads lead to real understanding, inspiration, and ultimately…that closed sale.

I’m still not sure if my mom really bakes all those pies herself, or if she has magic elves working for her, but I can teach you how to increase trust in your content creating skills. If you want to learn how to instill trust in your client relationships and land the really cool freelance jobs, click here.

 

Filed Under: Content Marketing Tagged With: being believable in your copy, copy that reveals expertise, copywriting people believe, copywriting that shows expertise, curse of knowledge, Curse of knowledge in copywriting, expertise, how to be believable, how to be trustworthy, how to share your expertise, Jen McGahan, knowledgable copywriting, knowledge people trust, MyTeamConnects, sharing knowledge, sharing what you know, showing expertise in copy, trustworthy copy, writing for believability, writing that people trust

The One Thing That Will Move You Forward

February 1, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

The One Thing That Will Move You Forward
walking on glass - one small step
One small step at a time…

Last week at a business mastermind retreat, I participated in an interesting experiment and discovered something simple, but profound.

If you want to make headway through challenging circumstances, decide to make one small, intentional step at a time. Put your whole weight on it, and you can actually walk on broken glass without harm. 

Reasoning that no organization would allow it’s members to get hurt, I watched as others crossed through the broken wine bottles without incident — though much seriousness, and even tears. I knew this glass walk would be a cake walk if I just followed the instructions. 

The key instructional phrase for me (a distractible type) was to put your whole weight on it. Something about the pressure causes air pockets underneath to collapse, while holding firm at the top. That’s the one thing you need to remember to avoid cutting your feet. Once your foot is gently placed, you simply allow your center of gravity to drop in. 

Then you carefully lift your back foot up and do it again. Easy peasy. 

It’s been a week since my glass walk. While at first I thought it was no big deal, last week I found myself reflecting on the activity as I went about my daily routine, and I started to get point. (‘Scuze the pun).

  • Imagine if we put our “whole weight” into every task, every message, every opportunity to connect with others, and our spirit?
  • If we conversed with our customers, family and friends with the whole weight of our attention.
  • Savored a cup of coffee with the whole weight of our senses.
  • Sent email that advanced the whole weight of our intention to make a singular helpful point, or request for action.

The secret to doing more with less

Large agencies and huge corporations (Coca-Cola, GE) are churning out content, and hiring hundreds of reporters, journalists, and other creative people to contribute their voices and points of view. While still producing their products, some traditional corporations are tactically evolving into media companies and strengthening their brands.

They are touching lives, informing customers and non-customers alike, transitioning into “lifestyle brands” and generating revenue through nontraditional channels with the speed and reach of digital technology.

Now the question is this… Can a small company do the same thing? Can we replicate and multiply our own efforts to build a unique brand and reach thousands or millions of people?

Yes, we can, if we put our whole weight into what we know best, and take the time to share it.  

Think about why you’re in business. You developed the ideas, methods and products to advance the success (i.e. comfort, safely, mojo, efficiency, etc.) of your clients and to create a prosperous business with an income and lifestyle to achieve your personal goals.

For example, my dream for MyTeamConnects is to help happy companies grow, by showing entrepreneurs how to produce content that builds relationships and brings customers — so they can focus on what they do best.

Starting from there, with that mission clearly in mind, I’m able to choose the best next step I can take to allow me to do that. (While I’m still a fast moving, curious gal, at least I have a plan!)

You have a mission for your business, too.

Digital marketing is all about spreading those great ideas that profoundly impact people. Each piece of your content contributes to a story. Steps taken with movement and direction produce results. It’s kind of like that walk on broken glass. 

Whether it’s an email or a blog post, or a Facebook share, or a LinkedIn update; one thing is all most people can digest at a time. If the one thing inspires them at the moment, then your connection holds long-lasting value…and enables them to take that next step.

Some readers will move closer to becoming fans. Some fans will move closer to becoming customers. And you will build your business.

One small thing done with your whole weight has more impact than dozens of thoughtless, small movements. 

What is the one thing your customer needs from you next week?

Bring it forward with focus and generosity.

Drop in with your whole weight, intention and trust.

 

Filed Under: Freelancing, Inspiration Tagged With: build business, build relationships, business mastermind, connect with customers through conten, content, content creation, create content, entrepreneur, focus, goals, how to move forward, intention, Jen McGahan, marketing, moving forward in business, MyTeamConnects, next steps, one step at a time, tell a story, walking on broken glass, web content

Why People Use Your White Paper Expertise, But Take Their Business Someplace Else

January 24, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

smart white papers“Wow, that’s a smart company.” Is that what you want your reader to take away from reading your white paper? There’s nothing wrong with that.

Hire someone to write smart business copy. They’re around. They do good work.

Some companies want and need to put out white papers to make them look smart.

But for those entrepreneurs who would be just as happy with a phone call, a click, or a sale instead of just impressing them with your braininess, beware of sounding too smart.

(Even if you are.)

Being smart is NOT a negative. You want to show you’re competent, knowledgeable, and current with trends and technology related to your industry. People expect it.

But if the focus is on showing all that you know at the expense of the one reading your words then you’re shooting your entrepreneurial foot.  Sounding smart for its own sake delivers short-lived results and rarely fosters engagement with buyers. 

All you end up doing is making the case for a product or service, and lose the actual sale to someone else… someone who shows a human side and a genuine willingness to work with their customers.

When your copy merely informs, you only help your more personable competitor close the sale you helped groom. As that salesperson receives that contract, they’ll thank you for educating their new client for them. (One less thing.)

Most products and services don’t just sell themselves. Consumers need a little background and education about why they need it, why it’s important to their job, life, family’s happiness, health or well being.

A white paper is a great place to lay it all out. Injected with a spark of, well, YOU (and/or your company’s culture), and some seriously friendly follow up; that white paper does its job of educating an interested prospect.

As long as you remember…

People feel good about doing business with companies they like.

They remember them, they open their emails, and they trust them.

But first they have to like something about them. It’s personal. You could say it another way; they need to feel like you’re on their wavelength.

Authority is one thing. It gets you a lot of respect. Maybe even a lot of subscribers and a readership. But authority without warmth hardly nudges the needle.

Authority WITH warmth embodies charisma people want more of. And that’s crucial if you’re a business that serves clients over the long term with relationship services, coaching programs, products requiring service contracts, etc. If the idea is that you’ll be seeing a lot of each other, then your copy will need to gently (if you’re shy) or overtly (if you’re not) express your true colors.

Use a voice; the one that comes easy. Put some heart into it. Information is practically free these days, almost worthless without a personality behind it. So it’s okay to show at least a little of yours.

Relationships, now there’s the value. Liven up your copy with friendliness and authority. Here’s a thought…Smile while you write. It works on the phone; why couldn’t it work as you write? Try it and see.

Then…be sure and ask for the next action. Ask your reader to download something, ask for the sale, ask for feedback or comments…ask for something.

Which reminds me. Will you join me on Facebook today? Head over there right now if you want to chat about copywriting for the web, social media, anything related to making connections with people, human behavior (all these weird things that make us tick) and some other stuff I can’t predict yet. You just never know.

See you there.

Filed Under: Copywriting Tagged With: building relationships with prospects, content, copywriting, friendly copy that sells, Jen McGahan, MyTeamConnects, personable copy, web content, white paper, writing a white paper, writing web content

Writing Your Book In 2014

January 1, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

365-page-book-flipThe new year holds your story – the next 365 pages of it. You get to choose what to include and what to leave out. 

Want to grow your business, reach more people with your message, or branch out into a new segment of your market? Want to change the course of your life this year? 

It’s all in how you tell your story, to yourself (your internal voice is important!) and to your customers:

  • What you say
  • What you share
  • The words you choose
  • The social sites you use to communicate
  • The pictures you show
  • The comments you add to discussions
  • The emails you send 

All those little parts contribute to the cohesive story you tell each day about yourself and your brand. Honor those “baby steps” because they get you closer to your goal.

Resolutions are fine, as long as you break them down into little manageable pieces. This philosophy works whether you are creating content for the web — one page, tweet, or post at a time — or creating a life you want to lead and reaching personal goals. They are connected.

It’s the little things that make a big impression. You don’t always have to produce perfect white papers and fancy reports, although they speak volumes to the right people when they need that information from your company.

People notice when you dribble out the essence of your brand in tiny portions, consistently and with enthusiasm and commitment. 

One page at a time. That’s how you write your book this year.

Commit now to create something good; something worthy of your purpose. I’m rooting and praying for your blessing to reach the world. 

You get to begin with a beautiful blank page today.

Happy New Year! May 2014 be filled with small, fulfilling moments so that your big goals spring to life. Every page matters. 

By the way, that’s my daughter in the gif above. I had her flip though 365 pages of a book. (Thank you, Katie, for humoring me!)

Filed Under: Content Marketing Tagged With: baby steps, creating web content page by page, Jen McGahan, MyTeamConnects, new years goals, reaching goals, reaching goals in 2014, small steps, web content, writing web content, writing your book, writing your book in 2014, writing your story, writing your story in 2014

#JJJRH: Small But Mighty Microcontent Anyone Can Create

December 16, 2013 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

#JJJRH: Small But Mighty Microcontent Anyone Can Create

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

― Mother Teresa

do small things with big heartReading Gary Vaynerchuck’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook (#JJJRH) tonight, and enjoying the motherlode of case studies about the right and wrong way of using micro content to drive engagement and sales. 

The big takeaway: this stuff doesn’t have to be like giving birth. Creating content can be easy. Put another way: it doesn’t have to be time consuming and expensive. It can even be fun. At least @GaryVee makes it seem so. He painstakingly illustrates all the parameters for exactly how to go about creating and posting content on all the really big sites. It’s like a picture-filled guidebook for micro content 2013…and I’m hoping he comes out with volume two in 2014! 

Micro content creation will work for you.

Most people I get to talk with are running a small business while at the same time, serving their customers. There’s no disconnect. A lot of solopreneur brands are pretty much their own personal brand.

There’s not a clear division between “real life” and work and social media, which means that whenever you pick up your phone or laptop you lose an hour or two.

Too much information? Just enough? Why do these little pieces of content suck people in for so long when they have other things to do anyway? Because they’re scrolling fast, pulling in content and instantly deciding whether to read it, or even look at it for longer than 3 seconds.

All of that information and visual candy drives you forward — bit by tiny bit. It’s movement: blurring fast movement of eyeballs over images, text, headlines, hashtags…zoom. You get hooked, almost as if you are carried along down a swiftly moving stream. 

You know you do it. So why would you expect your customers to pay any more attention to you than to Christina Aguilera’s new cell phone case, or the video of your friend waterskiing? Truth is they don’t. They don’t care unless it grabs them. Or they know you already.

When you’re thinking about marketing in 2014, you have to think small. Think tiny, Think MICRO.

Tiny, little bites. That’s how your customers consume content. If your content grabs them, they click over and look at your website, or read your bio on LinkedIn, or even read a blog post. 

Micro content is the easiest way to reach the customer of your heart-centered small business

The way people grab information is perfectly suited to the type of content someone who’s busy — but passionate about their business — would create it. Quickly, not a huge investment of time, not too “over-done” or studied.

That’s what’s so cool about the way marketing is going!

Can you make this work? Seems like it could be easy, right? Just snap a photo every now and then and pop it on all the social media sites you’re on, with hashtags, of course…right?

Gary Vaynerchuk's book, Jab Jab Jab Right HoookGaryVee says NO. Each piece of content should be created for the stream you’re tubing in. And that’s the best segue I can offer for why you should read @GaryVee’s #JJJRH…so you don’t go blasting all that micro content to everyone, everywhere.

With a marketing strategy, and knowing what content goes where, you gain confidence and engagement with potential customers. Best of all, you can do this with a small team and not a lot of money.

No big deal if something doesn’t stick. You can turn around and post something new next time. And that “next time” can be right after lunch.

In this fast-moving, mobile, connected age, anyone –literally anyone — can do this. All you really need is heart, and a good understanding of your peeps.

“Small things with great love…” A weird way to describe a book whose title refers to boxing, but a suitable analogy for marketing your small business in 2014.

Filed Under: Social Media, The Book Pile Tagged With: @GaryVee, #JJJRH, content, content creation, digital marketing, Gary Vaynerchuck, Jen McGahan, marketing strategy, micro content, microcontent, mobile content, MyTeamConnects, online marketing mobile marketing, small business, web content

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