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Tuesday 19th March 2024

Is Your Blog Just Too Damn Complicated? – Try Kissing!

Tue 6th Oct 2015
By Todd

There’s a phrase in marketing that I learned a while back and I’m going to share it with you.

 

It’s ‘K.I.S.S.’ – Keep It Simple, Stupid.

 

Too much marketing that I come across is complicated and over-cooked.

 

Too many blogs are written to impress rather than to teach – and I’ve been guilty of writing some of those in the past, too.

 

When it comes to blogging you need traffic, right?

 

You want people to actually read your posts, yeah?

 

You would, in an ideal world, like it if all your posts did as well as that really popular one, yes?

 

Well here’s a really quick way to make that work for you

 

Your Blog Is Just Too Damn Complicated - Try Kissing!

Is Your Blog Just Too Damn Complicated? – Try Kissing!

One thing that I’ve learned over the years as a blogging addict is that there are no hard and fast rules and that sometimes you just get it right.

 

One thing I’ve got to know about blogging is that length and style are very important… but length can change and so can style…

 

It’s not about the length – it’s what you do with it that counts!

 

Some of the blogs I come across in the business world tend to be show-off pieces that are really only impressing the competition… the one type of reader that you don’t need to attract or impress.

 

Let’s not forget that the average reading age of someone trying to understand your content is 12.

 

Yes, the average person has the reading ability of a child.

 

Think about that when you’re flicking through your thesaurus, won’t you?

 

I’d also like to hazard a guess at the ‘average age of understanding’ about your business and I bet that’s pretty low too.

 

The point I’m getting at is this: not many people know much about your business; precisely why you exist, right!?

 

If everyone knew all about it then you’d be out of business, right!?

 

When you realise this you suddenly see how little your potential customers know… and how much you know.

 

It’s only easy if you know the answer, right?

 

So with your blogging you need to dumb it down and there are several reasons for doing this.

 

The Simpler It Is The More People It Appeals To…

 

Think about it.

 

You want lots of people to read your blogs.

 

You do.

 

There’s no doubt about it: if you get more targeted people to read your blog, that helps.

 

What you need to do is appeal to as many of your audience as possible.

 

What you should do is fix a large problem in a large audience and do it in a simple way and many people will come to your content.

 

Take this training shoe tip for example:

No one would have been able to charge you to teach you how to tie your trainer laces properly but it’s a very simple tip that got a lot of traffic to Buzzfeed… and then in turn they earned money off the YouTube ads.

 

 

Another Bonus: The Simpler It Is, The Easier It Is For You To Write It…

Writing a blog is hard sometimes, isn’t it?

 

You have to bash out content and come up with ideas and it can really become a drag to find fresh, new content to write about.

 

But I bet you know some really simple stuff about your business that could help me as an outsider – and I bet you could write it quickly.

 

You could write it quickly because it’s easy and you don’t need to research it or link to complicated articles and journals.

 

You could just write it.

 

The Simpler It Is, The Less Likely It Is That You’ll Be Giving Away Billable Advice

If you think blogging could put you out of work or you’re worried if you’re not careful you’ll give away all your knowledge then you’ll want to blog simple.

 

(But don’t worry about it if you have blogged complicated in the past, because if people COULD do those things they would – they’ll see you know your stuff and they’ll hire you anyway.)

 

OR, just save the complicated stuff for those invoices.

 

Save the big things, the complicated things, for those great clients of yours.

 

A blog is a honey trap, some fishing bait; it’s just an article of interest for people who might be interested in what you do.

The Shorter And More Concise Your Blog The More Chance You Have Of People Reading It All

Feel free to keep it short.

 

It’s hard to keep it short sometimes. (I’ve tried to here, but I get carried away.)

 

When your content is short and it looks simple to read then people are more likely to read it.

 

Don’t post two paragraphs and call it a blog. But equally don’t publish eBook sized blogs when a short one would do and could save you loads of time.

 

Short, sharp blogs work.

 

You won’t be able to replicate Seth Godin’s blog though.

 

Seriously: he posts one sentence posts sometimes and it’s still one of the most read blogs in the marketing world!

 

He’s so pragmatic and philosophical. His short but sweet content really makes you think.

 

Check him out if you haven’t already.

 

Anyway… Keep it simple, stupid!

 

Save your time, energy, advice and best knowledge for your clients and gain interest with simple posts that help many.

 

Remember: it’s only easy if you know the answer. You’re an expert but your customers are not… that’s why they hire you!

 

What do you think?

Do you blog too complicated? Or do you think it’s not content-rich enough?

 

I’d love to hear from you in the comments about your blogging or kissing.

 

Todd x

 


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4 comments on this article

  • Tom at 9:57am on October 6th 2015

    Point taken! I’ll try, I promise.

    1. Todd at 10:24am on October 6th 2015

      Haha. I wasn’t pointing the finger at anyone I know. Honest.

  • Geraldine at 12:37pm on October 6th 2015

    Useful reminder, thanks!

    But I reckon you missed a trick here as this sentence was crying out to be a Click To Tweet (guaranteed to get you traffic – although maybe of the wrong sort?!): It’s not about the length – it’s what you do with it that counts!

    1. Todd at 13:04pm on October 6th 2015

      Haha… I think that would have attracted unsightly types!

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