“Want tons of Google traffic, new leads, and more sales? The secret is to create great content.” You’re probably heard this before. However, what exactly is “content” and how can you make it great? “Content” is really just information. Imagine your marketing tools are vehicles. Search engines, email marketing, social media, blogs, advertising, and any other marketing tactic you use are the vehicles that drive traffic to your website. To make these vehicles run, they need fuel in the form of content. The better then fuel, the better your vehicles will run. The content can be anything from teaching new skills, persuading visitors to take a look at your services, or entertaining them for a few minutes. By putting time and effort into creating great content and building a brand, your business will meet your business goals with ease.
Here are a few quick rules for taking your online content to the next level.
Make Content Original
Customers and donors want your insight, so why not give it to them! Sharing original ideas on your website will only benefit your business. And no, rehashing the same concepts or posts over and over again is not original. If your content is played out, no one will link to it, defeating the purpose of writing the content in the first place. Plus, when you write original content, search engines will help your site get more exposure. Google, for example, does not like and will penalize sites with duplicate content and will reward sites will original content. Original content will not only make your website better, but it will also improve your rankings.
Make Content Demand Attention
No matter how great your article, post, or page is, if it doesn’t demand attention, people will not go to it. Think about it. 80% of people will read your headlines, but only 20% will read the rest of your content. You have a split second to convince a reader to take a look at your content. Headlines and subheadings are crucial. The best headlines are brief, demand urgency, demand attention from your target audience, and show expertise. It may take longer to develop the perfect headline/subject line than it takes to develop the actual article.
Make Content Useful
Think about why people Google things. They want to know something. They want information that is useful to them. While giving inside tips, quick fixes, or helpful shortcuts may sound like you are giving up the secrets of your business, it can actually mean that your target audience values you even more. It is actually more rewarding to prospective buyers when you offer frequently asked questions, sneak peaks on new projects, or share tips on your website. The best content shares this information in a way that the user can easily apply it. Telling them what to do shows that you respect them and want to give them assurance on how to easily solve their problems. When writing a blog post, offer tips on applying what you are offering them.
Make Content Visual
A picture can be worth a thousand words and a video can be worth even more. Help support your written content with visuals like charts/graphs, infographics, photos, or even quick videos. We already know that people learn differently. Adding different types of visual content will reach to more people through their learning styles. Whatever you are writing about, at least add pictures. Consider the attention span of internet readers. When potential customers are skimming, these triggers will them read more. No one wants to look at blocks of text unless you are writing a book. Add images or videos that add value to what you are writing about.
Make Content Engaging
You don’t want people to passively read your comment. You want them to be engrossed in every word. An engaged audience takes in every word you write or say. It all starts with what you write. Leave readers with questions to make them reflect on how they can implement the knowledge you provided. Prevent readers from judging your content within the first few sentences by giving an important and promising introduction. Tell users why they should care and what you’ll be discussing in the blog post. Also, share stories. Place an anecdote in your introduction or have a story woven into your blog post. Stories can help clarify a point and make your post more engaging.
It’s important to encourage your readers to share your content on social media. Add plugins and code snippets with social media sharing icons to all fo your critical content pages. Also, share your content in your email newsletters and other outreach platforms.
Want awesome content? You don’t have to do it all yourself! At New York Marketing, we will work with you to personalize your marketing strategy by developing a marketing package that will accurately fit you and your company’s needs. We will help you create original, eye-catching content that will drive traffic to your website and boost sales.
