This unusual year is about over and I think we'll all be happy to see it go. Before we do, here's a quick look at our most-read posts this quarter:
3 writing tips from a nonfiction editor, wherein professional book editor Hannah Bennett shares her advice for any kind of nonfiction writing, not just books.
If you asked me for the most common pitfall in nonfiction writing, I would tell you that prospective authors often fail to consider the needs of the reader. It’s an odd thing to say—presumably, any author writing a nonfiction book is writing it for readers. They hope to entertain, educate, and connect to an audience. But in the excitement of telling their own passionate stories, in their fervor to research the most up-to-date articles, in the chaos of squeezing writing time into their busy lives, it’s easy for writers to forget who they’re writing for in the first place.
Hannah Bennet, non-fiction editor
Customer experience: The value of a simple thank you, which explains why you don't always need a fancy martech stack or anything too advanced to make an positive impact on your customers.
I was so struck by the simple email I got from a small business in Asheville, North Carolina. I'd found Throwin Stones on Instagram a while back and have placed a couple of orders. After my last transaction, I got the usual automated confirmation and thank you. Then I got a personal email (above) from shop owner, Nicole James. No fancy formatting. No stock photos. No promo code to encourage me to buy. Only a genuine message of gratitude. Powerful.
3 content marketing tasks to complete before year-end, in which I share some low-drag, high-impact tasks you can complete before turning on the virtual yule log.
1. Optimize web content.
2. Identify potential pillar pages.
3. Diversify images.
We're off for the rest of the year. We'll be back in the office on 4 January and will resume our weekly blogs on the 5th.
Please accept our warmest wishes for the close of the year and a healthy and prosperous 2021. Thanks for reading!