Is your website readable?  Think: Do your customers want to use it to find information?  The answer is important.  Because, most often, people are going to your site for two reasons:  (1) to find information and (2) to perform tasks.

A lot of our customers are making a transition from shouting to content marketing (we’re proud of you!)  Content marketing places a premium on good info, whether you’re telling a story or explaining your prices.

One compliments the other, and vice-versa.  Good content is informative.  And information is good content.  Like cereal and milk.  Like nooks and crannies.  Like George and Weezy.  They go together.

Good info- it’s clear.  Concise.  Crisp.  Just the facts.  Don’t bury it in long paragraphs.  Don’t hype it up.

Recognize that a lot of your customers are just looking for information.  Here are some good ways you can let them do just that on your website-

•    Use Active Space (the blank areas between the text).  Passive space rests in the margins, allowing readers to focus on the page.  But active space is found inside the main content area.  Your active space helps readers group and separate information.

•    Less Is More Better.  Be able to separate content that’s important to you from the content readers can use.  Before you write, go back to the reasons your customers come to your site, and ask:  Is this informative?  Will this help them perform a task?

•    Cut.  Cut Again.  Then Cut Some More.  Most web users don’t want to read- they just want information.  Focus on the facts, and cut the fat.

•    Make Your Point At The Beginning.  Traditional writing makes its point at the conclusion.  On the web, most readers won’t get to the end.  Put your conclusion first.

•    Use Bullets.  They’re nice.  They’re easy to read.  People like them.  Bullet it up.

So, can you censor yourself?  It’s the hardest thing about writing.  But I think your customers will thank you.

The (Same) Scenario

You’re sitting in front of your computer, staring at a blank screen.  You know you need to write.  An email blast, a newsletter, a blog.  New content.  But you are not writing.  Not a word.

You bury your head in your hands- it’s hopeless.  You decide to call your insurance agent to shoot the breeze about coverage plans.  You start browsing QVC…

Chin Up, Lil’ Buckaroo

Take heart.  Writing takes effort.   Just because you’re not flying through pages doesn’t mean you can’t write.  In fact, it’s probably a good thing- if you’re churning out content, it’s going to read like spam.  Think about this:  would you want to read what you’ve just written?

So make your work count.  After all (and here’s the big upside), content marketing is writing about your favorite subject:  you.

Write about what you like, what you don’t like, cool things that you’ve come across, a great idea that you’ve got.  Especially write about people that you love (read: your customers).  What made you get into the business in the first place?  Write about that.

Planning:  The Principle

Two things to think about before you start writing something:  Principle and Process.  Write them down, before you start, every time.  I guarantee you, it will make writing much, much easier to do.  And when it’s easier, it’s better.

The Principle is whatever idea you want to get across.  Want people to see the new cabins?  Fine.  Principle:  You sleep-tested the new cabins and here are your findings.  Getting a bunch of new logo items in the store?  Principle: Your favorite T-shirts and why.

The Principle is a guide.  It’s the point. You’re the point.  Whenever you’re stuck, go back to the Principle.   It’s the reason you’re writing what you’re writing.

Doing:  The Process

So, you’ve defined your Principle.  Now it’s time to think about the Process.  The Process is all the different ways you can explain the Principle.  The Process can be limitless, as long as it points to the Principle.

Let me explain:  Process can be an account about what you did yesterday.  Process can be a list of cool things about your customers.  Process can be an letter to a river, or a mountain.  Process can be your favorite customer story from ten years ago.

The Process is the fun part.  Tell your story.  Teach someone something.  Be not boring.  Even if what you’re writing is unfamiliar, it’s okay.  Acknowledge that; there’s really no way to hide it, anyway.  Does your style (Process) fit your goal (Principle)?  It should.

Practice

Here’s something cool:  Principle and Process work for everything, not just writing.  Teaching someone to ski, raking leaves, splitting atoms.  It can all be broken down into those two things.

The next time you come across something that you need to write about- an event, or a new facility, or product-  think about it in those terms.  Break it down. When you sit down to write about it, map it out first.

You’ll be surprised.  It’s a clear way to point yourself in the right direction, to create a base to work from, instead of just staring at the screen.  After all, that page isn’t going to write itself.