Functional Writing: An Interview With @Josepf

Functional writing is a phrase I am using to describe the intersection between content generation and purposeful presence online.

 I believe as writers, we need to have integrity in what we express; this comes across in our writing style or voice. The other component is the idea of practical and functional expression, if what we are doing is to be relevant in digital marketing.

Interviewing Josepf Haslam

This is an interview with @Josepf, well known for SocialSEO, strategy and his Udemy courses among other things.

ME: I was teaching a workshop the other day, and one of the participants mentioned that he had been advised not to write for keywords. As an SEO expert, I thought I would ask you what you thought of this.

J: It’s more accurate to say ‘search phrases’. If you’re not writing to be found then you can completely ignore key words and search phrases, but if you do want to be found for either a key word or a search phrase, you damn well better write for it.

ME: I understand you are presenting at the Intelligent Content Conference (ICC) in March. I look forward to hearing you speak. Would you give us a snippet of what your seminar will be about?

J: My approach is that most people have learned how to use toilet paper and clean up after themselves. I’m giving away 10 expanded pro tips on how to optimize your content for SEO and Social before you publish. Each of these tips is as easy and necessary as using toilet paper. If you’ve mastered the first part, I’m sure you can master these tips. 

ME: What is the number one misconception about SEO out there?

J: Unfortunately SEO has been likened to a snake oil salesman and there is a lot of truth to that stereotype. The best way to think about SEO is that you are actually writing for 2 audiences; the search engine spiders and people. You need to understand how to write for the spiders of you’re never going to be found by the people.

ME: What do you feel makes a good blog stand out?

J: A good blog is one that understands the 4 “S’s” of content marketing 

1. Segmented: who is the micro-segmented audience you are writing for?
2. Searchable: people are actually looking for the content and you know how to make the engines find it
3. Snackable: Like a great snack, people are always reaching for it; you want your audience to consume your content
4. Shareable: the #1 KPI for content is “was it shared”

ME: How did the nickname Godfather of Social Media come about?

A twitter friend of mine @optioneerJM interviewed me about the future of digital marketing and she coined the phrase in that interview 

ME: What is your favorite social media platform and why?

J: My favorite platforms have changed over time, and each serves a different purpose. Today my top 3 are Instagram, Linkedin and WeChat, all for different reasons.

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