Does Your Business Website, Social, or Copy Need a Touch of Pumpkin Spice?

Rake up the excess on your old blog, and rake in new connections.

Rake up the excess on your old blog, and rake in new connections.

Ah, fall: my favorite time of year. I’m not a full-fledged drive-thru maven in yoga pants with an uncontrolled addiction to #PSLs, but I do love a touch of fall flavor. Interestingly, autumn is really a season of decay in some senses: the leaves wither and fall, the air turns colder, and warm ovens turn the harvest’s bounty into pie after pie.

Even though this season is about things falling away, it’s still impossibly joyful for many people. Perhaps it’s our collective recognition of the fact that when things wither and die, they will come back renewed after a winter of rest. Whatever it is, we can’t get enough of fall. And perhaps the world of business writing, copy, and marketing could use a touch a pumpkin spice.

Here are a few lessons we can all glean from some of fall’s most cherished pastimes and traditions. This is an excellent time of year to do a bit of “cleaning house,” just as we pack away the shorts and bring out the sweaters with October’s first chill.  

1. College Football teaches us that the best offense is sometimes a good defense.

Focusing on your competition is important. It’s worthwhile to pay attention to other businesses in your same industry and market. This is a healthy way to be sure you’re staying competitive by playing good offense. But it’s perhaps equally important to pay attention to defense: keeping things orderly in your own house. This fall, consider peeling back the layers of your website and other business writing and brushing up any aspects that are falling to the second or third string. Need a new website? Now’s the time. What about your social media efforts? Are they stagnant and withering like the leaves on a tree? Time to get in there and shake things around a bit!

 2. Fall hospitality traditions like hanging wreaths on the front porch remind us that first impressions are vital.

Welcome new and potential clients by rolling out the welcome mat with well-written copy that tells an interesting story about your people and your firm. These personal connections, like focusing on developing brand voice, help deepen your relationships with clients and enrich their experience with your business.

3. Corn mazes remind us that there’s nothing worse than feeling lost.

Give your website and blog a read from a different standpoint: might overly fluffy jargon leave your visitors feeling lost in the shuffle? If you were a customer, not an expert in your field, would you be able to make sense of what’s written on your business materials? I hate to break it to you, but if it’s like a lot of stuff we see come across our desks, the answer is probably “no.” Don’t let your potential clients get lost in a corn maze of confusing industry jargon before they can even find your call to action: take time now to add clarity.

4. Raking leaves is an excellent way to spruce up the appearance of your home without spending a dime.

Yes, it’s tedious and physically challenging at times, but raking leaves doesn’t set you back due to a large investment of time or resources. The impact can be impressive, however. Consider “raking the leaves” of your dusty old blog and cleaning out or getting rid of old, poorly written, and low-performing posts. Sometimes simplicity and precision are more impactful than an overflowing blog that’s sitting idly in the dustiest corner of the Internet. Time to rake up the excess!

 

These autumnal traditions are some of the best things about the season, and we can all apply the simplest aspects of them to our business sites and blogging efforts. So grab yourself a toasty, pumpkin-y latte, and spice up your business writing life with these simple shifts promising major impact.


Kathryn Cunningham is a professional writer and social media maven. Dividing her time between her home in midtown Manhattan and many homes on the road, she enjoys supporting the arts in small communities and advocating for rescue dogs.