The “King of Country,” George Strait, has taught us a lot of lessons about love, life and even content marketing over the years. As of 2012, George has recorded 59 No. 1 hit singles and holds the world record for more No. 1 hit singles than any other artist in the history of music on any chart or in any genre. He must be doing something right, and chances are it has to do with his content.
George follows three principles: use simple language, keep it short and make it relatable. Keep these guidelines in mind when you write content on a daily basis, and while you may not become a country singing superstar, you can create highly shareable, quality content.
- Use simple language: This is where George excels. His 1998 album, One Step at a Time, is a perfect example. The album produced the singles “I Just Want to Dance with You,” “True,” and “We Really Shouldn't Be Doing This,” which respectively reached #1, #2 and #4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks. All contain simple lyrics; all are great songs. When it comes to your content, instead of using “adjacent to” try “next to,” or rather than “witnessed” opt for “saw.” For more suggestions, check out these simple words and phrases.
- Keep it short: George often gets his message across in less than three minutes; this is a great lesson for content marketers. Make sure you have content that can quickly be absorbed in just a few minutes. Short paragraphs, bullets and lists are appealing options. Seth Godin recently published a post about getting to the point. He writes: “Shorter… doesn't mean less responsibility, less insight or less power. It means less fluff and less hiding.”
This doesn’t mean everything should be short. White papers and other advanced content can boast length, but give this content (and all content, really) a read-through to remove unnecessary words. Watch for phrases like “with the exception of” that can easily be replaced with “except for.”
- Make sure it is relatable: From heartbreak to having a good time, George sings about life experiences we can all relate to. Relevant content is crucial for creating a targeted audience and ultimately building a customer base online. Find out what problems your customers have and solve them. Offer educational or entertaining content that is significant to the people you are trying to reach.
Remember these three guidelines when you are writing, whether it is a blog, a download or a country single, and it’s sure to be a hit. Do you have other tips for making your content No. 1 on the charts? Share them with us in the comment section below.
Photo credit: whittlz
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