Why I Don’t Dumb Down Content
If you read enough blogs for online marketing, you’ll eventually get the idea that it’s best to create posts that can be scanned quickly, have short sentences, and only graze the surface of a topic. There’s a reason I don’t follow that advice to the letter. Let me show you how I get more clients by bucking the trend.
No Dummies Here
The number one reason that I don’t dumb-down my content is that I don’t think my clients are dumb. I think they are overwhelmed and stunned by geek-speak and methods that are foreign. Imagine visiting a country where the language and customs are different from your own. The fact that you don’t understand what’s going on does not mean that you’re dumb. It means that you need a translator and/or guide to put it into words and a framework that are familiar.
Dumb is NOT Simple
In my world, dumbed-down does not equate to simple. I follow the KISS principle, which is an acronym for Keep It Simple, Silly (actually, the word is not Silly, but I like it better.)
If you are given the opportunity to learn the language and the methods in a structured way, where one lesson builds on another, then the whole process becomes very simple and gives you confidence.
The top comment I receive from my clients after their first class is, “This is so simple!” I love hearing that, especially from the previously techno-phobic folks. And, at the start of their second class, they tell me how they excitedly shared the experience with their friends, and how shocked they were at all they had learned. In other words, they sound to their friends now like I once sounded to them, and the intimidation factor is long gone. At that point, they feel like they can do anything!
Spend Your Money on Knowledge not Gimmicks
Make sure you pour the foundation before you try to raise the roof. The first thing most new site owners do is research themes. That should be last on their list because they usually end up paying too much for something that doesn’t work well. That’s how they get ripped off and why I won’t let my clients stay ignorant of that fact. (Read my post Why Site Design Should Be Last on Your List and get my book What Every Site Owner Should Know. It’s free.)
Spend your money and time gaining knowledge about content and marketing first. Get trained on your site platform. Then you’ll be qualified to choose the right design for your business and audience and create something that actually works.
Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day
You are not going to acquire all of the knowledge you need in a single class, or a weekend workshop. You’ll learn as you go and grow.
Even the most successful A-list site owners started from a place of not knowing anything. They built their empire by learning the basics first, then adding things in stages. You can too.
Don’t fall prey to the dumbed-down, hyped up stuff. Get a good guide and translator and you’ll feel like a native in no time.
BlogAid specializes in helping creative and artistic folks
with one-on-one training classes and video tutorials.
If you’re not a geek, get a friend who is.
MaAnna is a geek who can still speak in plain English and mashes up her background in both the techie and artsy worlds to teach non-geeks, authors, artists, and other creative folks the ways of WordPress.
