Membership Overview
Learn what being a member does for you
The Seller Styles
NASP Programs
Catalog
See a summary of all our programs and certifications
Online Certifications
Certified Professional Sales Person(CPSP®)
Develop your potential as a certified sales professional
Certified Professional Sales Leader(CPSL®)
Grow your impact as a certified sales leader
Certified Master Sales Professional (CMSP®)
Join the elite group of sales professionals and leaders
Certified Master Sales Trainer (CMST®)
Online Programs
Advanced Sales Influence (ASI)
Take your influence and leadership to the next level.
Certified Professional Sales Associate (CPSA®)
Learn foundational sales behaviors, strategies, and skills
Power of Contact Marketing
Learn from marketing expert and author Stu Heinecke
ProSeries Programs
Join the top 1% of sales professionals in the world.
Next Level Virtual Coaching
Sales Mastery
Join our ongoing dynamic virtual coaching community
Career Center
Explore job postings from some of the best companies in the country looking for sales professionals
Training Resources
Daily Dose of Influence!
Enjoy our video series of influence tips and strategies
Leads To Growth
Dig into our podcast featuring industry leaders and experts
Coaches Corner
Learn from our high-level sales coaching video series
Women of Sales & Influence – Facebook Live Series
Be inspired by our Facebook Live series spotlighting top women influencers
Women of Sales & Influence – Video Blog
Enjoy valuable, high-level sales strategies to empower your sales goals
Sales Resources
The Growth Quotient
You’ve heard about IQ, but what is your GQ?
Our Commitment to You
We are here to help your approach to sales, how you interact with others, and how you perform and execute
Articles
NASP Sales Blog
Learn from our member-submitted articles for sales professionals
About Our CEO
Standards of Conduct
Testimonials
Common Questions and Answers
Contact
by Belinda Summers
Articles and blog posts have evolved (back) to its true form in the last few years. They are no longer lightning rods that aim to absorb all search results probabilities; rather, they are now reservoirs of electricity that can sustain itself with its own power — the power of quality.
This trend poses a problem for content marketers who are not “true” writers. Most of them have been accustomed to focusing on “keywords” and shooting for high SERPs, not giving valuable content its due worth. Now that readers have become more info-thirsty, content writers need to put their thinking caps back on and start writing real stuff, so they can drive away the bad spirits that inhabit their style of writing.
Take a deep look at these content killers:
1.Broad keywords. Blogging used to be like a use-this-word-in-a-sentence game. The objective was to scatter the keywords throughout the article as much as sanity could allow it. You can’t fool readers with such a petty tactic nowadays. You need to be specific with the topics you want to talk about. Broad keywords are difficult to focus on and take away the meat of it all.
2.Using the passive voice. The Reagan-popularized statement “Mistakes were made” is probably one of the most quoted examples of using the passive voice. This kind of phrasing is generally perceived as lacking in force and sense of responsibility. Saying “We made a mistake” reflects more ownership and honesty, don’t you think?
3.Unsubstantiated claims. There’s a fine line between giving an opinion and declaring something as true without showing proof. It makes your readers think that you easily jump into conclusions based on gut feeling and overblown gossips. Back it up with references.
4.Ankle-deep writing. You commonly stumble upon articles that, after taking you into a mental maze, make you realize that you’re actually going nowhere. That’s usually the signature of writers who don’t do research or even do a quick reading session before they start writing. If you don’t have a predetermined point in mind, it’s hard to translate ideas into words.
5.Poor repurposing. Kudos to you if you DO take time to read before writing. But if you plan to curate and repurpose stuff you’ve read, you need to make sure first that you got the point — and we’re talking about understanding it 100%. Misinterpreting articles (and worse, crediting the source for it) could make you incompetent in the eyes of readers, a blemish in your reputation that’s usually hard to wipe out.
About the author