Religion and politics.

They’re said to be the two topics to avoid when talking to others, especially people you don’t know very well.

Why?

Because those topics tend to evoke very strong, highly emotional responses.

Bad for parties and peace rallies, good for getting a conversation going.

Now, I’m not saying that you should include religion and politics on your web site, in your signature speech or throughout your marcom materials (unless that’s your business or life’s work).

No, the takeaway for communicators, writers, creative professionals and entrepreneurs like you is this:

Understand your audience’s emotional triggers so you can position yourself/your business to connect with them on an experiential level.

And that can make the difference in whether they choose you or your competitor.

So, how do you do it?

First, stop making assumptions about your audience. Get to know them on a real and personal level. Spend time with them. Ask open-ended questions and not only listen to what they say, but watch what they do.

Second, become real to them through storytelling. Some years ago I sat in on a United Way presentation at the company I worked for. It was a mandatory meeting and I had already made up my mind that I was not going to be coerced into donating any money. But during the presentation, the speaker invited a lovely young woman up to the podium. She shared a remarkable and heartfelt story of her traumatic brain injury and subsequent recovery thanks to the help of a United Way Agency.

It was impossible not to connect with her, feel her pain, understand her gratitude, and support her cause – all because she shared her story in a real and compelling way.

While your story may not be as dramatic, it can be every bit as personal. Stop limiting yourself to the all-business, all-facts copy that others default to.

Third, and finally, choose your words carefully. Pick words and create phrases that evoke feelings, while creating enthusiasm, energy, urgency or understanding. Use more descriptive, though not uncommon, words. For example, instead of saying “no maintenance,” try using the words “worry free” instead. See how the first choice is more factual while the second is more emotional?

By getting at — and responding to — your audience’s underlying values, needs, beliefs, feelings and experiences, you can help shape the way they feel about you/your business.

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Take a look at this B2B web site. Awful, isn’t it?

It’s a typical homegrown web site done by an in-house team of inexperienced digital marketers who probably had the best of intentions and a next-to-nothing budget.

Unfortunately, there’s no SEO strategy, the design is flat, and the content is not only lacking, it’s wholly and completely internally focused with “we” this and “we” that at every turn.

The truth is, this web site would be a lot more interesting – and a lot more effective – even without a lot of money if it had been approached more as a consumer site, than a B2B site.

Studies show that B2B web sites lag light years behind B2C sites and that visitors to poorly executed B2B web sites have less trust of those companies and their offerings.

So here’s the secret truth for B2Bs …

Businesses are made up of people who are consumers … so treat them like consumers. And, just like B2C web sites, create a web site that’s less about you and more about your customer.

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The all-time favorite question of kids everywhere is, “But, why?”

Every mom, dad, aunt, uncle, babysitter or neighbor who’s been inundated with “But, why?” will invariably answer (usually out of sheer frustration), “Because.”

But when it comes to branding, marketing and strategic communications, asking “But, why?” is not only important, it’s essential.

Talk to any of my clients, and you’ll quickly find that I like to ask questions. A lot of questions. (I consider it a badge of honor that in my former life as a corporate communicator, I got kicked off a strategic planning team for being “too enthusiastic” and “generating too many ideas” with my questions!)

For me, asking questions is absolutely necessary for me to do my job. I typically ask more questions than a lot of my clients expect, and certainly more than they have answers for.

I don’t expect them to know the answer to every question I ask. That’s part of what we work through together. It’s the thinking part of strategic communications.

We ask questions, explore various answers, and then come up with the best solution to the problem.

When it comes to marketing and communicating your business or product, become a bit childish by continually ask “But, why?” – and do so without settling for the pat answer, “Because.”

“Because” may get you a pretty brochure or a new web site, but, I promise it will never get you more sales leads, new customers or top-of-mind name awareness.

For that, dear readers, you must ask, “But, why?” until you can ask it no more.

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After a short spring break, I’m back today to continue my series on relevant content.

Let’s take a closer look at the second of my four characteristics of relevant content: timely.

There are plenty among us who subscribe to the belief that, when it comes to content, “once done, always done.” By this I mean they seem to think that creating content and posting it for all eternity is a good idea. I suspect that’s because they think of content as a one-time investment.

Wrong. I’m here to debunk that myth.

In order for content to be relevant (remember that relevant means meaningful, memorable and useful), it also must be fluid. It must change and grow and expand and shrink and live and breathe and … well, you get the idea. As I’ve said, people change and so should the content that’s geared toward those very same people.

Even content that’s relatively “static” — meaning the facts don’t really change – should still get a refresh now and then. Trust me, there’s more than one way to tell your “About Us” story.  A good writer can write it 15 or 100 different ways.

So, for the sake of argument, let’s just say that there is no need to keep content timely. What might that look like to a site visitor?

Well, a first-time visitor will likely not notice anything. But a repeat visitor, well, that’s a different animal altogether. They will notice same-old, same-old content. And because they look to you to be the expert in whatever field, industry or service you provide, you’ll look like a yam-head if you don’t. (And nobody wants that!)

By not refreshing your content, you’re essentially telling your site visitors that you know all there is to know and that there’s absolutely nothing new to know — or to share. That kind of thinking, I believe, is dangerous. It leads to your customers and potential customers thinking you’re out of touch or worse, not credible.

Blogs and social media are so popular, in part, because they provide fresh and TIMELY information. Not only do people want the latest and greatest news, product information, opinions and more, they EXPECT and DEMAND it.

Now it’s up to you to give it to them.

How, then, do you keep your content timely? Here’s my 3-step plan:

1. Dedicate resources. Everyone in the company ought to be charged with keeping up with trends and writing about them. Have an in-house or freelance writer/editor use their findings to create web copy, sales literature, marcom, etc.

2. Create a content strategy. Decide who does what, when, and why. How will you manage content, archive it and how often and when will you update it? All of this should be part of your content strategy.

3. Although this is an extension of my point above, I want to call it out special just in case you skip step #2. Conduct a yearly audit and refresh (minimum). Schedule time for your dedicated resource(s) to review content and revise it. Create a timeline and stick to it.

Remember, timely content is relevant content and it’s part of what will keep you relevant to your customers, readers, clients, whomever. It’s an opportunity to differentiate, to serve and to lead.

P.S. Here’s a link to a related post on making a commitment to your copy: http://www.janodaniel.com/blog/2009/01/old-new/.

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