Business

3 Reasons Content Writing May be More Important Than Ever

Published

3 years ago

May 17, 2021

When the Covid-19 pandemic first began, businesses across virtually all industries were forced to limit spending however possible. This naturally impacted content writers. Many business owners, from the heads of major corporations to local shop owners, felt they could reduce spending by limiting their content marketing efforts until they were able to financially recover.

This worried many content writers. However, current trends indicate content writing is poised for a major comeback.

This is relevant news for both writers and business owners. For writers, this trend indicates more work will be available in the coming months. For business owners, the resurgence of content writing illustrates the value of coordinating with strong writers to publish valuable content. This can give a business a significant edge over the competition, when many have scaled back their content publishing.

The following points all support the belief that content writing and publishing will become increasingly important in the near future:

Increased Internet Usage

Content writing has long been valuable in the digital age because people tend to find businesses by conducting relevant online searches. When a business publishes strong content, its pages have a better chance of ranking high in search results, leads will be more likely to perceive a business as authoritative, and the business can cast a wider net in general.

These points may be truer than ever. Research indicates that Internet usage surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, with many Internet services seeing usage rise by 40% to 100%.

This surge likely impacted the degree to which Internet users engage with content. Quite simply, the more time someone spends on the Internet, the more digital content they’re going to consume.

The Startup Boom

Given the degree to which the pandemic has impacted businesses across the globe, understandably, many assume that fewer startups are emerging in recent months when compared to pre-pandemic trends.

Surprisingly, though, we appear to be in a “startup boom.” In fact, according to John Haltiwanger, an economist at the University of Maryland who coordinates with the U.S. Census Bureau to monitor new business creation, applications for new businesses reached a record high in the third quarter of 2020.

Those businesses will rely on content marketers to help them grow their customer bases. Thus, the current startup boom is likely to provide content marketers with abundant work opportunities.

Limited Experiential Marketing

Content writing is likely to play a critical role in the marketing strategy of any successful business for decades to come. Publishing quality content for Internet users to engage with is an affordable and effective way for a brand to attract and retain customers. With smartphone ownership growing more ubiquitous, leads also have more chances than ever to discover and read content online.

That said, before the pandemic, business owners were also experimenting with other marketing strategies, such as experiential marketing.

Experiential marketing often involves hosting events or setting up branded exhibits that leads can interact with in the real world, rather than the digital world. Predictably, Covid-19 had a significant effect on the experiential marketing trend. While some businesses and marketers are adjusting their strategies by organizing online and virtual reality experiences, experiential marketing has still taken an undeniable hit.

It’s unclear how post-pandemic behaviors will affect experiential marketing in the long term, but it is clear that written content will play a greater role in marketing plans now that in-person experiences are less viable.

Again, both content writers and business owners should prepare for these developments. While the immediate effects of the pandemic may have yielded a reduction in the demand for content writing services, there’s good reason to believe that trend is reversing already.

Business

Turning Tragedy into Triumph Through Walking With Anthony

Published

14 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

On the morning of February 6, 2010, Anthony Purcell took a moment to admire the churning surf before plunging into the waves off Miami Beach. Though he had made the dive numerous times before, that morning was destined to be different when he crashed into a hidden sandbar, sustaining bruises to his C5 and C6 vertebrae and breaking his neck.

“I was completely submerged and unable to rise to the surface,” Purcell recalls. “Fortunately, my cousin Bernie saw what was happening and came to my rescue. He saved my life, but things would never be the same after that dive.”

Like thousands of others who are confronted with a spinal cord injury (SCI), Purcell plunged headlong into long months of hopelessness and despair. Eventually, however, he learned to turn personal tragedy into triumph as he reached out to fellow SCI victims by launching Walking With Anthony.

Living with SCI: the first dark days

Initial rehabilitation for those with SCIs takes an average of three to six months, during which time they must relearn hundreds of fundamental skills and adjust to what feels like an entirely new body. Unfortunately, after 21 days, Purcell’s insurance stopped paying for this essential treatment, even though he had made only minimal improvement in such a short time.

“Insurance companies cover rehab costs for people with back injuries, but not for people with spinal cord injuries,” explains Purcell. “We were practically thrown to the curb. At that time, I was so immobile that I couldn’t even raise my arms to feed myself.”

Instead of giving up, Purcell’s mother chose to battle his SCI with long-term rehab. She enrolled Purcell in Project Walk, a rehabilitation facility located in Carlsbad, California, but one that came with an annual cost of over $100,000.

“My parents paid for rehabilitation treatment for over three years,” says Purcell. “Throughout that time, they taught me the importance of patience, compassion, and unconditional love.”

Yet despite his family’s support, Purcell still struggled. “Those were dark days when I couldn’t bring myself to accept the bleak prognosis ahead of me,” he says. “I faced life in a wheelchair and the never-ending struggle for healthcare access, coverage, and advocacy. I hit my share of low points, and there were times when I seriously contemplated giving up on life altogether.”

Purcell finds a new purpose in helping others with SCIs

After long months of depression and self-doubt, Purcell’s mother determined it was time for her son to find purpose beyond rehabilitation.

“My mom suggested I start Walking With Anthony to show people with spinal cord injuries that they were not alone,” Purcell remarks. “When I began to focus on other people besides myself, I realized that people all around the world with spinal cord injuries were suffering because of restrictions on coverage and healthcare access. The question that plagued me most was, ‘What about the people with spinal cord injuries who cannot afford the cost of rehabilitation?’ I had no idea how they were managing.”

Purcell and his mother knew they wanted to make a difference for other people with SCIs, starting with the creation of grants to help cover essentials like assistive technology and emergency finances. To date, they have helped over 100 SCI patients get back on their feet after suffering a similar life-altering accident.

Purcell demonstrates the power and necessity of rehab for people with SCIs

After targeted rehab, Purcell’s physical and mental health improved drastically. Today, he is able to care for himself, drive his own car, and has even returned to work.

“Thanks to my family’s financial and emotional support, I am making amazing physical improvement,” Purcell comments. “I mustered the strength to rebuild my life and even found the nerve to message Karen, a high school classmate I’d always had a thing for. We reconnected, our friendship evolved into love, and we tied the knot in 2017.”

After all that, Purcell found the drive to push toward one further personal triumph. He married but did not believe a family was in his future. Regardless of his remarkable progress, physicians told him biological children were not an option.

Despite being paralyzed from the chest down, Purcell continued to look for hope. Finally, Dr. Jesse Mills of UCLA Health’s Male Reproductive Medicine department assured Purcell and his wife that the right medical care and in vitro fertilization could make their dream of becoming parents a reality.

“Payton joined our family in the spring of 2023,” Purcell reports. “For so long, I believed my spinal cord injury had taken everything I cared about, but now I am grateful every day. I work to help other people with spinal cord injuries find the same joy and hope. We provide them with access to specialists, funding to pay for innovative treatments, and the desire to move forward with a focus on the future.”