I can’t recall the exact date this little gem popped up in conversation, but it stopped me in the proverbial tracks.
“She’s not a writer; she’s a content developer.”
It was all very innocent, a casual didn’t-you-know-that’s-what-it’s-all-about-now comment made to me by a colleague several years ago. Nevertheless, it cut to the core. Not because someone corrected me in my assumption over the proclivities of a potential hire. Rather, it was a moment that threw my head, heart and gut into a tailspin over the potential demise of the communicating arts.
If I sound overly dramatic here, know that is my objective. As one who has been in marketing and communications since the hot-waxed type, proportion wheels and rubylith days, I bring a longstanding appreciation to the craftsmanship that is the hallmark of effective communications.
Since the day the MacSE entered the marketplace, followed closely by online stock photography, we as marketers have been lulled into the belief that technology is the new currency of our profession. And that if we use it to make more and more marketing stuff, people will immediately notice us, hire us or buy our wares.
It’s a well-meaning, yet dangerous notion.
The enemy here is not technology, but the lack of intentional thinking behind it. The way we’ve allowed the beast and its mouse to marginalize the essential ingredients of effective communications: A well-turned phrase that can ignite action. Intuitive design that captures eyes, ears and hearts. Imagery that belongs to one brand, only.
What are we to do to protect ourselves from this slippery slope? I urge you to consider three truths that separate making marketing content from mastering the communicating arts.
The right words, in the right order, matter.
Don’t confuse this with an argument for flowery prose or corporate narrative. The technology that drives modern communications forces us to be more selective with our language than ever. Gifted writers are adept at articulating a brand’s truth with relevance and brevity. And it’s not because they have a big vocabulary or well-worn thesaurus. It’s because they have the imagination to transport themselves to the consumer’s point of view, and to speak with honesty and clarity.
This skill is increasingly important as we’re faced with the need to engage audiences within content marketing programs. Effective writers know how to shape artful conversations that are centered on consumers’ needs and interests, as opposed to producing an endless stream of it’s-all-about-me content from an organization.
Design controls the eye and moves the heart.
Brands are fighting for their share of attention in a world of stimuli that runs roughshod over a consumer’s brain. Each of us is paralyzed to some degree by an overabundance of news feeds, emails, texts, digital and mobile ads.
Thoughtful and intuitive design is not worthwhile merely because beautiful is better. As the palette gets smaller and smaller every day — from television to desktop, tablet and mobile — the designer’s understanding of visual flow, typography and color becomes more critical than ever. It demands more — not less — judiciousness from trained and talented designers.
No one person can do it all, well.
While the appetite for content developers — those who can seemingly write, design and command marketing technology at the same time — is at an all-time high, marketing managers will be wise to align their expectations with these combined skilled sets. To believe one person can command all three skill sets equally well is to short-change the power of effective brand communications.
So what’s the answer for a marketing leader seeking to balance the scales of content volume with well-honed communications? Consider the resources you have available to support your marketing program and determine where you can make the highest and best use of distinctive marketing talent. Then give your team the time and space to approach their work as purveyors of the communicating arts.