DO YOU SUFFER FROM CONTENT SHOCK?

Guest Blog Post By Andrea Scoretz

I’ve heard from a few sources now that the appetite for quality content is diminishing, and that other factors too are playing a dominant role in what has been labelled as “Content Shock”.

I know there’s more to getting our message moving through social networks than content alone. But the message is in the content, so shouldn’t quality matter?

Experts are saying that if your specific market is already saturated, you’ve got some tough decisions to make.

Perhaps you’ll need to rethink your niche, come up with some hard cash for advertising, or brainstorm some next-level ideas to establish and maintain an audience.

Although I’m not questioning these perfectly logical suggestions, good content still remains a mandatory piece of the puzzle.

Because when we offer unnecessary, redundant, and insincere content to our audience, we risk eradicating the trust we worked so hard to build, and inadvertently question and discredit their intelligence.

Serving someone dog food and attempting to convince them it’s prime rib is a quick way to lose a customer.

If we want to keep our audience loyal and engaged, we need to do away with hollow content. That means no more made-in-China, one-time-use, throw-away content that’s destined for junk folder landfills.

Content that lacks connection equals lost credibility. And whether we choose to admit it or not, we are desperate for connection. It’s what we live for.

As a technical writer, I’ve produced my fair share of connection-less content. Instructional manuals anyone? Ugh. People avoid them like the plague, and they’re often considered a last resort read. And I get why: they cling so heavily to purpose that they leave no room for human connection.

Writing such dry technical materials has taught me first hand that people respond favourably to authentically written material. Content written from the heart, by someone who cares about the topic has far more potential to move than generic filler.

As a writer, it’s quite enlightening to see an honest, formulated-in-5-minutes post take off, while a topical, grammatically and logically sound article that took 5 hours to create stagnate. A frustrating, yet telling scenario…

The truth is, topics that intrigue you translate better on the page. So it might be a good time to stop fighting with that monotonous topic you’re just not that into it, and focus on subject matter that excites you.

Ultimately, content saturation levels are only going to rise and we really need to accept that. Moving forward we will need to work strategically in order to stand out and remain relevant to our audience.

For me, writing to connect and relate to others feels like the perfect place to start.

How about you?

Meet Andrea Scoretz

www.MustLoveCrows.com

Andrea Scoretz is a university-trained technical writer with a background in marketing, journalism and computer science. Located on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, she has been freelancing for over 11 years, and has created documentation for a wide-range of clients in various industries.

After attending Mount Royal University, where she majored in technical communications and minored in computer science, she began her writing career in the oil and gas industry, creating equipment manuals and various other instructional documentation.

Shortly thereafter she began freelancing as a consultant on website design and content, with a sharp focus on usability. Today, she continues to freelance, and is concentrating on networking and her modest yet growing social media presence.

In her personal blog, must love crows. she shares essays on life and poetry.

Her passion is writing to connect with others, and she dreams of writing a book one day.

Currently, Andrea is working on submissions to literary magazines, guest blogging, and networking with other motivated and driven individuals.