Content Marketing
Content marketing is a potent tool for any organization with a digital presence. However, it is not a one size fits all process. The types of content that you create must serve the needs of your target audience. For example, if you are a manufacturer, you will want to be aware of specifiers, buyers, users, and maintenance staff depending on the use of your product. If you are a professional service organization, then some of those audiences may not apply to you. Therefore, your content marketing strategy has to be YOUR content marketing strategy. The following article brings out some types of content that can be part of your marketing strategy. Need to know more? Contact us for help.
Writing for the web (SEO Copyrighting) is not the same as writing for print. There are many differences and we help you create content that addresses those differences. We can improve the content you have, and if needed work with you to create new content that will be effective for both your human audience and search engines.
Here are some points to keep in mind when working on your content:
Put your most important information first. Let the visitor and search engine know what you do and what the page is about. Then if they are interested they will explore. This is called the inverted pyramid style of writing. Even if a visitor only reads the first couple of sentences they will have a good idea of what you are trying to say.
Treat your visitors as if they have Attention-Deficit Disorder! Your visitors will have two things in mind. First, does your website offer what they are looking for? Second, can they find what they are looking for? You may have only ten or fifteen seconds to show them that you do have what they are looking for and that you will not make them work too hard to find it. Use well-written and well-presented content to make your website easy to use.
Understand how users read web pages, they don’t! They scan the content looking for keywords that attract a deeper look. No keywords meaningful to them = click the back button and try somewhere else.
Treat every page as a “Home” page. You can expect your visitors to arrive at your site on any page. Ideally, they will arrive at a page that has the exact information they are seeking. However, they may not so all pages should have full navigation and let your visitor know the basics of what you are about.
Make a good visual impression. While we are not website designers, we do know that your site and pages should be visually appealing. Reduce clutter and make the pages easy to scan. Use high contrast and fonts and font sizes that are easy to read.
Focus on Content Purpose and Audience
When approaching content creation, keep in mind two key factors:
- What is the purpose of this content?
- Who is my intended audience?
What is the purpose of your content? There is a single answer to that question. ALL content should answer a question or question. Of course, that is not as simple as it seems. Searcher intent and their questions are many and varied. One of the main jobs in writing your digital content is to attract visitors who are interested in the answers to the questions you are answering.
Here are some sample questions that your content needs to answer. In most cases a piece of content should focus on thoufhly answering ONE of these questions for ONE of your target audiences.
- Will your product or service solve my problem?
- How does your product or service work?
- Will your product or service work in my environment?
- I have a problem with your product or service, what should I do?
- What advantages does your product or service have over your competitors?
- How much does your product or service cost?
- How or where can I buy what you are offering?
- What is your warranty or guarantee?
Your target audience’s persona must be accounted for when your content is created. (It is likely that you have more than one audience persona). Each of your audience segments will have distinguishing characteristics. Examples of audience characteristics are:
- Education Level
- Job Position
- Gender
- Age
- Industry
- Income Level
Content Type is not the same as Content location.
When many of us think of content type, we tend to think of content location or presentation style and not the actual content type. Here are some popular ways of presenting marketing content:
- Blogs
- Videos
- Podcasts
- Emails
- Infographics
- Webinars
- Case studies
- Presentations
- eBooks
- Whitepapers
- Testimonials
- Slide decks
- Quizzes
- Tools
While the content locations or styles listed above have an impact on the presentation, length, and tools you will be using they are not actually content types.
The content type is related to the goals of your piece of content. Your goals may direct you to choose one of the platforms listed above, but in most cases each can serve many functions.
In broad terms, here are some common content types:
- Content for brand awareness
- Product or Service details
- Product Support / How To’s
- Support information
- Product updates
- Sales information
- Shipping, Credit policies, or similar
If you would like your content to meet your goals as well as attract prospects and customers looking for help, we should love to help you. The data we can share about your digital marketing footprint and that of your competitors, as well as the language your target audience uses to find the information they need will improve your content. We are happy to explore with you at no cost or obligation, just get in touch.