Writing Strategies for Distracted Readers [SKIL] Traditional marketing approach

This famous "Man in the chair" advertisement from McGraw-Hill illustrate the problem salesman face

In the last post, the issue of distracted readers was introduced. It's not an idea which we talk about when writers and editors gather together. Most writers want to believe in their ability to get attention no matter what the situation. Yet in business, we need to be realistic (and effective.) It is simply a fact, not all readers are going to be paying full attention all the time. So what do we do to "make them read"? (or listen, watch?) Sounds like a line from an evil character in a bad B movie... Not really. It may seem silly to want to "make" anyone do anything on the internet. But we can still try to help more readers understand something.

Formal Blogs and Informal Blogs (or social media): What Look, Message and Style Fits You?

GE Aviation blog, slick design, corporate message, fits the image

The image of user contributed content, especially blogs (i.e. Blogger, Wordpress, TypePad, Tumblr) and social media sites (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) as informal and not useful in slick corporate marketing is not exactly true. For the most part, this is just an image. Some would say outdated and simply not useful. Looking carefully on how different organizations use blog formats, reveals a more complex landscape. Blogs started out as an alternative (and easy to use) publication platform. Quickly, they became the alternative opposition-voice in many areas, especially politics, technology, finance, and medicine. Blogs such as The Huffington Post, Giga Om, Engaget, TechCrunch, The Motley Fool, and WebMD became popular sites quickly. With their edgy writing and sometimes “big brother - conspiracy busting” style, it seemed like the internet would become a realm of popular writing with democratic leanings. Yet this idea, did not reflect the whole potential of digital media in government, corporate, media (written, audio, and video), and creative fields. While the out of favor and non-mainstream writers were enjoying complete freedom to say their piece, the more traditional media and corporate world took a wait and see attitude towards internet publishing. The traditional media channels simply did not need the internet as much as the other voices. They were also waiting for more reliable and better designed (i.e. look and feel) capability. That landscape has changed radically. Today we see the most slick and corporate marketing communicators using the blog format in creative ways, without the outsider leanings. The same is true for social media sites, where mainstream marketing is taking hold in a big way.