- Want something done fast at high quality – it’s going to cost you.
- Want something done fast and cheap – it’s not going to be great quality.
- Want something done high quality but low price point – it’s going to take time.
The same principles apply to content
Unfortunately, organisations don’t realise exactly how much time, effort and research goes into creating a quality piece of writing. Most content providers have learned to dread the words ‘can you quickly just…’.
The answer is invariably – no. Because great writing that listens to your brand, reflects your identity and carries your voice isn’t done ‘just’ quickly. It isn’t done with 24-hours’ notice and it isn’t throwing a few words at a page and hoping they stick in some semblance of order. This is because, like engineering and software development, content creation is a craft.
You can send off your content requirements to a content factory that will charge you USD50 for 1000 words and they’ll send you back a piece that challenges the laws of grammar, punctuation and readability.
You’ll get your key words and your message into the copy, but it is unlikely that it will be read or that your message will be absorbed.
According to a study released by Harvard Business Review, 81% of those surveyed said that bad writing affected the business. In another analysis by Acrolinx, 70% of brands produce poor quality content and it is completely ineffective. Badly written blog posts, papers, marketing collateral and websites don’t inspire engagement with your brand, they put people off.
Create captivating content
Personalised and targeted content that’s written with a specific audience in mind and that has been crafted with precision will deliver on leads, engagement and marketing goals.
The average reader only spends 37 seconds reading an article or a blog post so it is your content’s job to make sure that those seconds count.
To make sure that it pulls them past the half a minute mark and takes them right on down to the call to action.
Which is this….
Great content needs time and money. Like a suit that is carefully measured and stitched to fit your size and shape, your content needs to be carefully crafted to map back to your company and strategic goals. A great writer is a designer, a developer, a curator and a researcher – they’ll get you the results. If you let them.
