Canned content is everywhere. It’s generic but lots of businesses use it, so it must be ok, right?
Well, no. Not really.
Although canned content is a quick and easy way to send out a monthly newsletter or post to your blog, that generic content doesn’t help your business. It can even hurt it.
Don’t believe me? Let’s see if I can prove my point.
I used to work in the real estate world in another life, so I’ll use realtors as an example. But don’t think you’re off the hook if you’re not a realtor. Real estate could be replaced with almost any industry. If you see yourself in this example, don’t be surprised.
I turn to one realtor when I need one. She’s great at her work, and she’s become a good friend. She sends out an email newsletter once a month with the usual information about buying or selling a house. All good in theory.
The problem is several other realtors send me monthly newsletters with almost identical information. Some actually have the exact same content. I’m sure I’m not the only person to notice this.
Let’s talk about a few ways this seemingly harmless shortcut can backfire on your efforts to build a successful business.
It does nothing to build your brand voice
Building your brand voice allows your business to stand out in a noisy world. It gives prospects a way to connect with you. Let’s revisit our example.
Realtors seem to be a dime a dozen these days. Using content to build a brand is key to gaining new business with millennials and standing out amid the rush of other realtors.
If you use canned content in your newsletter or blog posts, you lose the ability to inject your personality and your business voice into your brand.
What a fantastic waste of content space.
Your content should be special. It should be created specifically with your readers in mind. Using generic, run-of-the-mill content makes them feel like your business is, well, generic and run-of-the-mill. Ooph.
Don’t waste those valuable opportunities with prospects by giving them, I’m just going to say it, boring crap to read. They’ll tune out and won’t care what your brand voice is. They’ll be gone.
It offers no way to be the local expert
For some businesses, being known as a local expert is critical. Real estate is one of them. If your business needs to be tightly connected with your local area, how do you do that with canned content?
You can’t.
In order to be seen as an expert about your town, state or region, you’ll have to talk about it. Your newsletter and blog are the perfect places to do that. Don’t give up the space to junky, bland content.
Here’s a real estate example. Let’s say someone from another state is going to move to the city you sell real estate in. They do a Google search for agents in the area and check out their websites. One agent creates custom content that describes different neighborhoods in the city, great events happening in the area, and the types of job opportunities available.
The rest of the agents have canned content delivered from some far off company about all the same general real estate topics: staging, mortgage terms, pricing. All are good things, but none of those things set them apart.
Who would you pick? The agent with the local content would easily be head and shoulders above the others. It’s not even close.
You can’t tell the story of your business and yourself
When you don’t create custom content, how will your readers and prospects learn about you? The real you?
You can use custom content in your newsletter and blog to write the story of your business. This gives you the opportunity to show your personality and connect in a meaningful way with the readers you’re targeting.
Guess what canned content does? None of that. It shows zero personality and offers no way to tell readers about how your business runs, plans to expand, does great things in your community, or anything else for that matter.
You are surrendering the best place to let your readers get to know you, build trust, and eventually do business with you. Is it worth losing all that?
Custom content gives you an edge
Don’t keep giving up your best opportunities to connect with prospects and clients by using canned content. Get in there and create your own content for your newsletter and blog. The time it takes is well worth it.
If you really don’t have the time or ability to create custom content, find a good freelance writer to help you out. No, it’s not free, but the investment you make in this area will come back to you. You will stand out in the huge crowd and build trust with prospects. That’s half the battle.
If I can help, get in touch. I’d be happy to talk it out with you. No pressure ever.