Content is King. Service is Queen.
Your writing doesn’t mean a thing if your audience is not satisfied. You need to think of it as a package. Writing + Service = Satisfaction, if you’re into the whole math thing.
Consider the service side of things as you write to provide your readers with that same feeling they get when they spend money. Because when they read your content, they’re spending something even more valuable: time. And just like any customer service business, people need to feel like their investment is worthwhile. Here are some ways to do that.
It’s a good idea to follow the guidelines below. They’re based on customer service tips offered by copywriter Robert Bly. If you do, you’re guaranteed to be covering all the bases on the service side of things. And if your content rocks, too? Success!
- Do a great job every time- no slacking. Baseball players are the only ones who get to have .300 averages; sorry about your luck. Every time you write, you’ve got to prove that you’re worth reading. That’s a lot of pressure, but step up, anyway. If you care about what you’re doing, it’ll show.
- Never miss deadlines. There’s a big difference in setting approximate dates and setting deadlines. Deadlines are content specific, and if you have one, make sure you’re on time. I spent a year (successfully) making up for a missed deadline for a periodical- a year I could have spent in the good graces of my editor instead of having to prove myself over and over. Set a date, and meet it.
- Give your audience more than they expect. Every time you write, you’ve got to add more value than what your audience was looking for. As Brian Clark says, content is a war of attrition. To keep your reader going,make suer each sentence is more worthwhile than the last.
Put those together, and you’ve got a system. Plug that system into some ways to generate strong content. Then, let your customers be the judge.
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