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For content that delivers results, do this…

Make it as good as you possibly can

Don’t say ‘That will do’ about a piece of content because almost certainly it will not do.

Your communication and marketing content has to attract, and then convert, your target audience to take action. For this to happen every piece of content created by, or for, you needs to focus exclusively on client needs. You have to be able to say ‘This is the best we can do’ about every single piece of content you publish.

All content starts with a script; make yours great

That script must be well-written, which means no typos or grammatical errors. Unless it is easy-to-read, factually correct and contextually accurate, it will fail to some degree. As an example, let’s say you’re in the health advice and well-being sector, is it better to be the NHS or the Daily Mail? Quite so…

Tricks are no treat

Never add keywords just for fake SEO results. You will annoy those people who find you while looking for something or someone completely different. The search wizards of Google and Bing are weary with fake SEO and punish its users. They stress again and again that appropriate, fresh and relevant content will work best. Leave tricks to scammers who measure success by clicks rather than sales engagement.

Reflect your values accurately

All of the above is neatly summed up by one word: quality.

Ask yourself this: does the content on your website, and in your marketing collateral, properly reflect your quality standards? If not, please give us a call for an informal chat.

You think you are in control. Wrong: you are under control

When M Zuckerberg appeared in front of Congress, his distress was almost palpable. What, his tense body language seemed to be saying, can you elected legislators not understand about the obvious fact that technical genius always trumps (no pun intended) your human wit, intelligence, experience and, well, humanity.

I was reminded of this by a joke and by the training lesson given to me by a car.

First the joke.

A computer programmer’s partner said please go to the shop and buy a loaf of bread.

Oh, if they have eggs, bring back a dozen.

The programmer came back with … a dozen loaves of bread.

I agree it’s not up there with Micky Flanagan or Katherine Ryan, though I’m certain Dara O Briain would get it immediately, chuckle, and improve it.

It makes a good point though.

This week I have been driving a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, and what a spiffing vehicle it is; quiet, comfortable and exceptionally fuel-frugal. Yet it too, in most of its operating systems follows the remorseless logic of our programmer friend. It is not entirely autonomous, merely nearly.

‘If this, then that’ is how digital systems across the machine spectrum function. And if you try to use human means to achieve what you wish, this may not be permitted by the machine in question.

Aeons ago, when people used either their fingers or a pocket calculator to do sums, the smarter and faster of these invaluable devices used something called Reverse Polish Notation also called Reverse Polish Logic to work their magic. It’s not complicated, it just saves machine time.

To add three and four you would input <3 4 +> rather than <3 + 4 =>. For simple calculations such as this, it makes no difference. For vastly complicated ones using binary notation, it does. Especially with financial trades (faster is better) or, back to Mr Zee, data scraping and selling access to both it and its owners.

Why is this important?

Well it depends: do you want one loaf of bread and a dozen eggs, or a dozen loaves of bread? And no eggs.

If the former, you are no longer able to trust Facebook, Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, other platforms, and some cars, to look after your interests in a human and mostly sane way. To take that path is to confirm that you are no longer in full control of your daily life processes.

There is an alternative though. Grasp the control as Stone Age man grasped the flint; if we make technology our tool in the same way, all will be well. But perhaps we need to restore balance in the power we have given the platforms which govern our lives. It is now pretty clear that they are not owned by folk who are smart enough to rule or manage us.

There are thoughtful alternatives and options outlined in this book https://scribepublications.co.uk/books-authors/books/the-digital-ape