Did you know that there are more than 600 million blogs on the internet?
Blogging and other forms of content like case studies, infographics, whitepapers, testimonials and reviews, and long-form content, are essential components of any digital marketing strategy. Different types of content allow businesses to connect with customers in different ways. A concise and effective content marketing strategy can improve conversions, help build trust with the community, and help generate leads – perhaps more effectively than any other marketing tactic.
What is Content?
Content is simply; anything that communicates a message to an audience. Content comes in many forms: emails, blog posts, tweets, picture descriptions, product descriptions, videos, and anything else a business sends – is content. It is a versatile asset. Content is the heart of any business and is the foundation of any marketing campaign. Content marketing covers a wide range of strategies focused on creating/distributing the most valuable and relevant content to achieve a variety of business goals. With content being such an imperative part of business’ marketing efforts, we wanted to look at how to create good content and bring the most out of your written work.
Today, we’ll go over a few content creation tips every digital marketer should have in their arsenal:
1. Nail Grammar, Every Time (…or is it “everytime?”)
Proper grammar is the cornerstone of any successful piece of content, and by far is content tip number 1. A thorough proofreading of any grammatical mistakes can save your blog or article from giving your audience the impression of inadequacy and put your business’ reputation at stake. A major aspect of creating content is to be able to show your professionalism and knowledge of the topic in which you are writing. Misspelled words, poor grammar, and bad punctuation can abolish that perceived professionalism from the minds of your readers instantaneously. Content contains value, and by treating it as such, you can communicate your own value to the reader. Excellently written content over time has the potential to make you an industry authority, so do your best to avoid careless mistakes and allow your written work to help your business, not hinder it. If you enjoy writing, and really want to get precise, get yourself a copy of The Chicago Manual of Style. This manual is a goto for writers and editors across North America.
2. Write Long-form Content
Despite a societal tendency to favour content that is 140 characters or less, long-form content is proven to perform better and bring in more leads. Why? The answer is pretty simple. A blog of more than 2,000 words will:
• Allow for the incorporation of more keywords and keyphrases
• Offer relevant information to customers
• Position the customer as an “industry expert” and build trust with the audience
• Increase the likelihood of sharing on social channels
3. Refresh Old Content
The great thing about content is that it can always be primped up and republished. If you’re in need of new content but don’t have the internal resources to get it done, consider repurposing an old blog, case study, or white paper. Change the title and cover photo, update the headers with fresh content, and add a paragraph or two with updated information. Utilize the opportunity as a second chance at content promotion and uncover archived content that your new audience might’ve missed the first time around. Consider reformatting your most popular content for different platforms so that it can appeal to new audiences. Collect your series of blog posts and create a complete guide for your email marketing campaign, convert your webinars into video tutorials, use a Quora Q&A and turn it into a blog post. You worked tirelessly to create good quality content, use all the tools at your disposal and take advantage of the opportunity for more other to see that effort. Businesses should always be looking to expand their reach in some capacity, and repurposing old material is a great way to do just that.
4. Promote Content on Multiple Social Channels
So you have an excellent, 2000 word piece that you are confident is going to knock the socks off your readers, but you aren’t an expert on how to promote digital content? Let us help. Even the best content is useless unless it is discoverable. By publishing content on multiple social channels, like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you exponentially increase the likelihood of capturing new leads. It’s important to understand the subtle differences between buyers on different social platforms. Facebook users, for example, spend up to 35 minutes each day just scrolling. Conversely, LinkedIn users spend only about 17 minutes per month on the site. From this, one can discern that LinkedIn users are expecting to find content of deeper value, whereas Facebook users tend to look for tiny bits of information that are entertaining and easy to digest. By analyzing the readily available data on most social platforms, you can create more targeted posts that increase the likelihood of conversions with each audience subsect.
5. Publish Content that Is Shareable
The number one reason why people republish content on their own social media platforms is because they think others in their network will find it interesting, entertaining, or informative. To understand this better, one must conduct research on social platforms to determine what customers desire, what competitors are doing, and the buying patterns of customers and prospects. Blogs with shareable titles might include:
• How-tos
• Top 5s or 10s
• Infographics
• Tips and tricks
• Step-by-step guides
6. Keep it Consistent
While we have touched on making sure your content holds value, the consistency is a facet to put careful consideration on. Yes, creating and distributing content at a consistent rate will benefit the brand, but we want to discuss the consistency of your brand’s voice. A consistent tone can truly establish the identity of a company and provide a cohesive experience for the audience. This can reflect the companies’ values and help develop a clear voice that your brand is trying to communicate. Be bold with your message and speak your mind, but stay aware of your candour. Style, tone, and strategy, are all things to keep aligned as well. Beautifully written and elegantly crafted content can do tremendous things for your business, but the impact of that content can be much greater behind a clear and consistent brand.
7. Focus on Quality
We could not emphasize the importance of creating and publishing high-quality content more. You want to publish the best possible content your brand has to offer. The competition is fierce and ever-increasing, so standing out from the crowd with exceptional material will give you the best chance at thriving in this content heavy environment. Consumers want content that is insightful, thought-provoking, and well knowledgeable – and they will sift through the mediocre material to get it. If that isn’t enough of an incentive, Google has ensured that brands and businesses will be rewarded for their quality of content with better search rankings. All of the forces involved want you to produce the best work that you can, so take advantage of it and make sure that high quality content is a priority in your content marketing strategy. If you take one thing away from today’s blog it should be this: content marketing is so, so important. Whether you have a marketing team of two or 20, the guidelines are the same. Content should be clear, concise, relevant, and shareable.
