Ag Communications is Changing – And You Need to Too

By Kellie Lasack, ACN Member and Owner of Roan Marketing and Communications 

Eek. That word. CHANGE. But as it was once said, “The most dangerous phrase in our language is ‘We have always done it this way'”. Not being open to doing new things can hurt you and the content you’re trying to create.

You’ll notice I include some of those changes in that first paragraph. Writing, content creation and how your audience is reading are all moving in new directions. This is exciting news, but it’s not always easy to adjust how you’ve been taught. For example, I was taught that you NEVER start a sentence with the words ‘and’ or ‘but’. Look at me now, throwing those ‘ands’ and ‘buts’ at the front of sentences all nilly willy. Another hard one (for me), is the Oxford comma. I’m trying. I’m really trying not to use my Oxford comma, but I believe I may go down as one hard-headed content creator. (I don’t advise this.)

Here are a few things I’ve noticed that are changing in the world of words:

• Punchy sentences are in. The fewer words the better. Get to your point and get out.
• Putting space between your sentences and within your sentences.
  • It’s NOT
  • grammatically correct,
  • but it grabs attention
• Apply different textures to your words – add bold, use italics (for things besides publication names), and even use the strikethrough option. (See that Oxford Comma back there? I’m leaving it.)
• Grammar doesn’t apply to design.
  • For anything from social media to website banners, grammar doesn’t apply. It’s all about the aesthetics of the image and what its job is. So, don’t take offense if a designer takes your copy and doesn’t use a comma or uses all caps in their graphic. They understand it’s not grammatically correct, but their job isn’t to have good grammar, it’s to have good graphics.
• Shorter is better. Period. No one wants to read anymore so the number of words needed in a blog, article, press release, etc. no longer applies. The newest, best practice is to grab their attention in the first sentence. When you’re writing, literally ask yourself how you can get the most information into that first sentence.

These are just a few of the newest, greatest changes in our worlds, but don’t think of them as bad or annoying. This is a great time to experiment, refresh your writing skills, and dive into a new way of capturing your audiences. Have fun!