Most modern companies incorporate a content strategy as part of their overall digital marketing plan. This is because they understand that the content you create must create an impact and invoke a positive response from your customers, leading to them taking up the call to action.
Here are five ways to build content that resonates with your audience.
1. Research Your Industry
Do your own research to learn what's already online. Start by searching for common keywords and questions you hear throughout the workday. Read the top links in Google and take note of similar questions and keywords. From there, you can then see where Google takes you.
While doing your research, pay attention to what's lacking from the information already online. Are particular topics not covered, or is only a minimal amount of detail provided?
More importantly, you want to see what questions don't have a clear answer online. You can take advantage of the information gap online by covering those topics yourself.
You can also use content creation tools such as MarketMuse or Keyword Surfer that will tell you in detail what topics are being googled and what topics still need coverage. These tools will give you popular keywords to incorporate into your content with suggestions regarding length and even topics to cover.
2. Write High-Quality Content
More than anything, you want to write high-quality content that improves on the content already available to customers.
Start by providing great insight into the topic. The idea is to resolve the customer's problem. Why does the person need to read this article? How can you make sure they get the most out of it?
Consider covering different perspectives that the reader may encounter. Also, provide detailed statistics and data to support your claims. You want to make yourself sound credible, so always back yourself up with numbers and their sources. While writing, think from your reader’s point of view. How much information do they already have on this topic? What information might they need in addition to the main topic question?
Use language that the reader will understand. Furthermore, explain the information to someone at the reader's level, who may not necessarily be an expert in the industry. You will also get better results if you make a point to write well. Avoid grammar errors and write in a creative way that grabs the reader's attention.
Writing your content also gives you the opportunity to establish your online brand identity. Use a similar format and tone in all of your articles to establish consistency so that readers know what to expect from your content.
Many companies use the help of a third-party freelance company to help them write content for their blogs to ensure a high level of quality.
3. Include Pictures and Videos
Most readers, especially online, absorb information more easily with the help of visual aids. The more visual aids you have, the better.
However, you can't use just any pictures and videos you find online. Choosing stock photos and videos to avoid copyright issues is very important unless you are clicking/shooting your own.
Alternatively, you can create your own pictures and videos. Make charts or simple graphs to present data in an interesting way using a graphics program. You can also record videos at your workplace or make animated videos.
Ensure that the pictures and videos load well on your website. If the visual aids don't load properly, it can discourage customers from reading further on your website. Having too many videos embedded in a web page can also cause it to load slowly. It is best to not overcrowd your content with pictures and videos.
4. Use Best Optimization Practices
Optimization refers to the practice of making your content as compatible as possible with Google's algorithms so that you end up with higher rankings in search engines.
There are a lot of aspects you can control in your content to improve optimization, including formatting, links, and keywords to achieve this.
Both readers and Google favor easy-to-digest formatting that makes content scannable and accessible to the reader.
Some ways to format your content for optimization include:
• Using headers and subheaders
• Keeping paragraphs short
• Emphasizing important text
• Using bullet points and lists wherever you can
You'll also want to incorporate internal and external links in your content. Internal links refer to links that take the reader back to your website—whether it's a link to a related blog or your contact us page. External links refer to links that take the reader to another website, usually to cite information or support an affiliate's products. Authoritative external links, such as links to government websites or educational websites, produce the best results.
Finally, incorporate keywords into your content. These should include various versions of the questions and topics you want to cover in the article. To aid with search engine ranking, you'll want to put the keywords in your titles and headers.
5. Post on Social Media and Interact With Customers
It's important to promote your content. One way to do this is to make a post on social media after your content goes live. You'll be able to reach all of your followers at once, whether it's on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, and they'll have the opportunity to share your content with friends and family, potentially expanding your exposure. Make sure to use the right hashtags to widen the reach of your post.
On social media, customers will have the opportunity to comment on your articles. You can use these responses to help you adjust your content in the future to improve it. You'll also be able to see which articles generate the most conversation.
Feel free to interact with your customers when they comment. Customers feel a stronger connection with a brand when they receive thanks for their input whether it's positive or negative.
A digital content marketing strategy can be extremely effective when you create your plan thoughtfully. When you create the best content, the traffic (and the sales) will follow.
Contact Spin Markket + Digital in Fort Dodge, IA, for help with your web presence and social strategy. We can help you #MakeSmallBig.