Creating Content for Challenging Industries
For most people, words like marketing, public relations, and advertising all bring to mind flashy campaigns and fancy events. But for anyone inside the business, you know that several clients that you will take on belong to what others might classify as technical or ‘boring’ industries. Working with such clients can be a challenge to your copywriting skills. There’s no doubt that it can be harder to write content everyday surrounding topics such as analytic software, test prep materials, sugar refineries, medical equipment, or the like, but while these topics might not draw the attention of the masses like a blog on the best beaches of 2019 would, there is a collection of deeply passionate people who care very deeply about what you have to say.
Follow these wiring tips to help get you started on connecting with your industry.
Network with Subject Matter Experts
This is especially important for those who are working in a new technical industry. You can comprehend material at a quicker and deeper level when talking with a real-life subject matter expert (SME) who has been in the business for years. It’s also likely that by talking to someone deeply passionate about the ‘boring’ industry at hand, you’ll see the importance of the product and become excited about your work subject.
On top of that, interviewing an SME can help you to work out industry lingo and jargon, process and procedures, and insider knowledge. You also can ask for clarification and questions. Creating relationships with SMEs can provide sounding boards to test for a compelling copy that will sell. As a bonus, with their permission, you can run highlights on your SME’s longevity in the craft.
Get a New Mindset
Forget the notion that boring industries exist! If a company or industry was, in fact, boring, then the company wouldn’t exist. Somewhere, people care and are listening to your content. To succeed, you will have to adopt the mindset of those listeners. Find out what makes them tick, what issues they face, and why they are so passionate about your industry. Once you achieve this, you will be able to effectively reach them and start seeing engagement.
Be Helpful
To help others, you must first understand what they need/want help with. Grab a notebook and head to Reddit, Quora, Google, and other sites to start researching what people are saying and asking and then write about that. Find angles, history tidbits, and interesting facts that help to shine a unique light on the industry.
Find Inspiration
No matter the subject, you can’t be the only one challenged with writing regular content surrounding the topic. Find others, start networking, collaborate, and study what has worked for them.
Play the Number Game
Facts, figures, statistics, and relatable references to a seemly distant topic have a long-standing history at turning heads and gaining attention. Mentions of how many miles of toilet paper are produced a year or how many cows it takes to produce 1 gallon of milk can be a great launchpad into a deeper discussion.
The Human Touch
As you conduct interviews and research, stay on the lookout for interest sparking ideas and topics. You should prioritize interest over expertise, no matter the industry, to ensure that you are telling people a story that they will want to hear. Humanizing a technical industry will help others to care about the trade, even those who work outside of the subject matter.
Remember, boring industries do not exist! As you create more and more, you’ll learn what areas to highlight and what to stay away from. Do your research, talk to others, and find angles that interest you and the rest will follow.
By: Miranda Hardesty Hoffpauir
