Lucky 13 and the Golden Age of Content

[Jim Vogel]

Fresh content all across the Internet and beyond has never been more important in our personal and professional lives. In the age of apps, devices, and smart phones, the printed word is more paramount than ever. It truly is the Golden Age of Content.

Everything from e-mails, text messages, blog posts, Google+, and tweets is filled with words and meaning. Good content is the key ingredient to viral visibility and it can make the smallest of businesses and the least known of bloggers front page news if the post is indexed by the right sources.

This is great news for our small businesses. The not so great news is that few people can write like they speak; and that conversational style is not only necessary today across the platforms but mandatory. This conversational style, coupled with excellence in grammar, brings your writing to the forefront. Regardless of curation, distribution, placement, ranking, or feed, content is the game changer.

Businesses are only as good as the quality of the writing. Mistakes, errors in punctuation, spelling and grammar, can make you and your organization and your message look unprofessional.

Here is the “Lucky 13” Golden List of Golden Content:
• Good content has a plan and a purpose associated with every comment or article
• Always focus on your message and keep the blog posts short (300-325 words)
• Edit what you write until it sounds mistake free and conversational
• Yes, read it out loud before you hit “post”
• Know your primary and secondary audience and the important differences
• Engagement is top priority not the amount of likes and followers
• Likeability is a distant second
• Be a leader and an expert in just one field, industry, or trend
• Never, ever sell, only share
• Ask questions and give answers
• Join groups on Inside 919, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google +
• Keep your message and your focus local and relationship driven
• Broader markets beyond local is just a message and a strategy away

Always feature events, people, and commentary that will resonate within your community. Make your business the voice of your organization. Yes, make your business the voice of your organization. It will create loyal clients.
Success is in the printed word.

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This post was brought to you by the team at IMU Social Media, your small business strategy and content organization, located in the Triangle NC.

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Photo Credit: tipwell.com

[Fred T. Gruber Jr.]

Awesome info!

[Pat Howlett]

Featured! Very timely with the focus we're doing on Distributing member contributions.

I would add 1 piece of advice:

- Emailthe Article to yourself before you click submit - when you read this later in your email client you will be taking a "Fresh" look and will find errors or possible confusing story line.

I've even advised people to use their Email client to create the Article and send it to themselves as if sending to an Editor - once you read it via email and make any corrections/improvement then simply cut and paste directly from your email to your Blog or Inside919 and create any external links or formating.

[Edward Anderson]

Sound advice on all fronts be it articles or general posts responses! Particularly for us novice content authors!