Calls to Action are Not Eye-Opening in Business Blogs

It’s eye-opening, the blog content marketing tips one can pick up at one’s eye doctor’s’ waiting room!  A LensCrafters™ advertorial titled “Computer-Related Vision Problems Are On the Rise”  in the AAA Magazine caught my attention, triggering the uncomfortable thought: that all of us freelance blog content writers spend far too many of our waking hours in front of computer screens.

As for the article itself – the structure, I thought, presents a perfect template for an effective post for a business or professional practice:

The opening line, “Suffering from eye strain after long hours in front of the computer?”  That question tells the reader that the blog writer understands the issue and that the content will be dealing with the precise topic that triggered the search in the first place.

The next couple of lines establish a baseline of shared knowledge ( “You probably already know…. that a long day staring at your screen can sometimes lead to tired eyes and headaches…)

The writer then offers little-known information to add to that baseline:  “But did you know these issues could be signs of CVS?” The author uses footnotes to properly attribute information which came from the American Optometric Association. In Say It For You corporate blogging training sessions, I explain how to use links (the equivalent of footnotes) for curated materials that were taken from other blogs, from websites, or books.

The next few paragraphs of the article provide usable information about steps readers can take to protect their own eyes and questions readers can ask their own eye doctors about UV coating on eyewear.

Only at the very end is there a Call to Action to visit LensCrafters™ and take advantage of a special discount.

So, does that last section, in which LensCrafters™ is asking for the customer’s business, invalidate the good information provided in the piece? Not in the least. When people go online to search for information and click on different blogs or on different websites, they’re aware of the fact that the providers of the information are out to do business. But as long as the material is valuable and relevant for the searchers, they’re perfectly fine with knowing there’s someone who wants them for a client or customer.

Calls to action are not eye-opening in successful SEO marketing blogs!