“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”  ~Jack Kerouac

Mr. Kerouac has it right. When writing marketing content, my number one rule is: simplicity is key. Small words, short sentences, imagery. Grab your audience and then get to the point. This isn’t a novel you’re writing. You don’t need a “lead-in” for the sake of plot development.

Here are my other rules:

Understand the customer. Who are they? What are their problems? How do they want to hear from you? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you may be writing in circles.

Do your research. (See “Understand the customer.”)

Use humor. More importantly, know when to be funny. Sometimes humor does not work, and you have to be able to gauge when you can take a risk. But risks can pay off- Remember the Kmart ad our own Nissa Grayson mentioned a couple of weeks ago? Real life scenario: A friend told me the other day that she joined Duluth Trading Co.’s email list (even though she is not in the market for their product) just because she thought their ad campaigns were so funny.That’s powerful.

Use visuals to tell your story. There really is something to that “a picture’s worth a thousand words” thing. Whenever you can incorporate strong imagery into your marketing content, do it.

Get social. Use social media channels to reach the intended audience. If your content is addressing a problem that your customer is having, that content will be shared. And if you keep your audience engaging with your brand after they have received your message, even better. Example: Remember the Happy Cows voting campaign several years ago? (Did you vote? I did.) Important! Make sure your message is consistent, clear and concise across all social media channels you are using.

Here are some more great examples of strong marketing content.

Do you have other ideas? I would love to read them; this is an area where I am always learning. Share your thoughts in the comments!