I’m a lucky guy. I’ve worked with about sixteen or seventeen technology companies, from startup to Fortune 500. And as I’ve been hired to copywrite content, I’ve noticed something pretty obvious.
Companies have content marketing styles and they like being consistent.
- Some like to be semi-academic. Some like to be smart and sassy.
- Some like short-form. Some like long form.
- Some like serious written resources, some like chatty video and podcasts.
- Some like to go deep into the technology, and some don’t.
- Some have a clear structure, some just create anything they think of at the time.
But I have a question that’s not so obvious. Is there a relationship between your content marketing style and your business success?
Here’s what I think: different content marketing styles must attract different customers.
- Semi-academic content attracts semi-academic buyers.
- Harassed, busy buyers probably favor short-form content.
- Some customers like a clear path through content, others like to dabble, pick, and choose.
Imagine a company that almost exclusively favors short solution briefs, case studies, and videos. What happens when buyers need to dig deep into product configuration?
Imagine another company that has a disorganized web presence — content scattered everywhere. Will calm, thoughtful, deliberate prospects buy from them?
So here are some questions for you to chew on…free of charge.
- How would changing your style change your customer base?
- Can you bridge the gap between your actual style, and your aspirational style? Do you have the resources?
- How does your style help you, and how does it get in your way?