Tips to improve your Content Marketing

The Internet is all about information. It is because of this that generating content plays a sizable role in virtually any Web-related strategy. Google may have changed its algorithms more times that you would have wanted, but one thing has remained constant so far—the demand for high-quality content. Remember that saying ‘Content is King’?

Now you may be thinking, how can you make good content if you are not a pro in writing? No worries, the tips below will get you started:

General writing tips

• Know your readers

Assuming you have picked a topic, the first thing you have to keep in mind is who your readers are. Are they from your niche? Are they kids? Make sure to employ verbiage that will be understood by your readers. If you are unsure of the specifics of your readership, it’s best to keep your words simple. Use jargon only when necessary. Google Analytics demographic data will provide a very good insight into the persona of your converting consumers.

• Keep it brief

Make your content easy to read by keeping your paragraphs between five to seven lines in length. You can do this by getting to the point and avoiding unnecessary statements.

• Keep it personal

The best content is that which reads like actual conversations. Tell a story. Use “I” or “you” unless otherwise specified. It would also help if you could infuse your content with your personality to make it unique. You can make it humorous, entertaining or serious—the choice is yours.

• Organise

No one likes content that is all over the place. As such, make sure that your content flows smoothly from intro to finish. Do not be scared to use subheadings to divide your content into neat sections. If needed, use bold and italicise for emphasis.

• Use images

People can be very visual. As such, content with images are often more preferred than those with just text. Add images but make sure that they are relevant to your content.

• Manage expectations

Set the mood with a catchy headline. Click-bait, hyperbolic headlines may be popular today, but they do not suit every situation. Follow up your title with an intro that sets your readers’ expectation of the content. Support the intro with an informative content body. Finally, wrap up the content by ensuring that your readers understood your message once they finish reading.

Writing B2B content

There may be times when you will have to write with other business owners as readers. For instances like this, use the following tips:

• Write evergreen

Just like evergreen plants, make sure to write about topics that will stay relevant for a long time. Avoid fads unless they have potentially long-term effects. In case changes affect the relevance of your content, be prepared to make updates.

• Support your points

Simply saying that your product was well-received is not enough. Back up your statement with studies, surveys and figures. To make your content more engaging, you can employ visual aids such as infographics.

• Give readers a reason to read

Make sure that your readers will derive something from your content. A good idea is to keep it actionable through lists and how-to instructions. You can even add instructional videos and images. You can also offer industry insights or solutions to common problems. In the end, you may even offer resources that your readers can turn to for further assistance.

• Establish your authority

It will not harm you to talk about yourself in your content. Allocate a small part of the content to showcase your accomplishments as these will get your readers’ attention.

• Headlines

Headlines are the things your readers will notice. For this reason, it is vital that you create an excellent headline. Making sure that is as specific as possible is a good start. Indicate that your content is backed by data. Make certain that your readers know what they gain from reading your content.

• Make it interesting

Just because you are writing for business owners does not mean you have to make your content dull. Incorporate emotion and personality into your content as this will help in keeping your readers engaged.

Writing B2C content

Writing content for consumers is different from writing for business owners. Let the tips below guide you:

• Timing and topic

Customers want to be updated. Select topics that are trendy and post them as soon as possible. You may also cover the latest events in your content to attract more readers. If you can, incorporate pop culture to maximise shares and likes. Are you following trending hashtags for topic suggestions?

• Quantity is key

It is ideal that you post as often as possible, especially if you have a history of posting about the latest events.

• Use visuals

When writing for consumers, it is okay to have more visuals than actual text. You can even post hybrid content or a combination of different formats. This includes videos, podcasts and GIFs.

• Get their attention

Aside from using catchy headlines, you can also limit the length of your content so that it remains easily digestible and edgy. Use emotions to capture their interest. Use visuals that are emotionally charged, too. Make sure, however, to avoid making your content too heavy.

• Let readers participate

Consumers enjoy being able to participate. That said, it is a good idea to incorporate interactive elements to your content. Add quizzes and games, if you can. You can also enable commenting so readers can respond to your content. Asking a question at the end of your post can stimulate engagement, particularly with Social Media.

Writing great content is not as difficult as you may think it is. Just keep on practicing by writing often to hone your skills. The more you write, the better you will be at it and the more traffic your site will get.

For assistance with your online marketing requirements contact Vorian Agency on 1300 100 333, via our website www.vorianagency.com.au or email info@vorian.com.au

Tips for Good Copywriting

Here is a list of considerations when reviewing or writing the copy for your website:

Mention what you offer exactly on your site/page, use brands and exact product names
Mention where you offer it “Travel Services Australia”.
Mention why you offer it “We offer recycling solutions because we believe that clean business is profitable business”.
Mention to whom you offer it: “Web hosting solutions for small businesses”
Explain one key term on the page eg. your homepage contains: SEO (Definition: search engine optimisation, the process of making websites more search and search user friendly)
Replace your homepage images with smaller ones in byte size (below 50 kb) so that non-broadband users stick with you. (Okay off topic slightly, but just an ongoing reminder on the importance of this one). 
Convince! Start the first or second sentence of your page with “We will make you number one in…” instead of solely describing “Product X offers…”
Add your name to the text: Bart, CEO of Simpson Industries... people trust people, not companies.
Understand your audience by researching business related keyword phrases.
Write informative titles and descriptions.
Link the title, description and keyword metatags to the content on the page.
Use language that a user/customer expects and understands.
Good content - emphasise the subject matter within the content.
Did you remember your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? What makes your company or product different and better to what else is out in the marketing? Why should people buy yours?!

Copy Writing - Page Content for SEO

Optimise Text on the Page - The text on your home page is crucial to maintaining the attention of fresh viewers. In fact, copy is so important that many companies prefer to have a professional copy writer create this content. For many small business website owners however this may not be an option. What you need to do is to keep your text engaging as well as smartly optimised to present an obvious topic to the visiting search engine spiders or visitors. To do this, keep your mind focused on the keyword(s) that you have chosen to target on the search engines while you write the content for the page. (Think of the consumer when choosing these initial level keywords... keywords will refine through the buying process cycle and become more specific as the consumer prepares for purchase.) Implement the keywords within the text without sacrificing the true intent of the information - to engage and retain your viewers.

Now, on the Home Page... specifically;

Often the first 25-30 words of your home page are what the each search engine will use for the description of your web site. Try to utilise your target keyword(s) within this area but be certain the resulting sentence is legible and descriptive. Also repeat your main focus keyword(s) in the last section of wording on your page. The index (or default) page is the first page loaded after the root URL is entered into a browser (e.g. index.htm or default.htm). This is the most important page of any site, as a number of search engines will only start indexing from the home page. (Do you have a textual link navigation that branches out from the home page to touch each and every page on your website?... We'll save this for another article). 

The body text on the opening page must contain keywords, and keyword phrases (don't forget the benefit of the long tail search), that relate to the theme of the site as a whole. The copy on the home page should convey to a user, and thus search engines, what the site is about. It is not enough to rely on images and other visual clues, it must be stated in plain text. Search Engines are essentially blind (remember what I was saying about the need for ALT tags on images in your code?), using the text within the source code of the page, to understand what the page is about, and how to navigate around the site.

Many sites make the mistake of using a redirect to move the users to a new page depending on their browser. Mostly, this is done with JavaScript which cannot be followed by a Search Engine. Other sites use the opening page for a Flash introduction or simply a company logo, both of which are barriers to a search engine indexing your site. JavaScript is a language that Search Engines do not understand fully, so many do not bother to read it, or struggle with it.

Content on a page should be around 500 words. Keep in mind that content is for the broader internet community, and remember that the internet is a unique media. Reinforce the keywords you are targeting within the content by repeating them. A keyword or phrase mentioned several times within the content is likely to be given high relevancy when ranking results within search engines, where as a word used once or twice is less likely to deliver traffic. (This should be done appropriately and not just 'keyword stuffed' or other black-hat SEO techniques that may be detrimental to your site's performance).

To achieve high rankings in search engines for specific key phrases, a site needs a page on which that phrase is prominent. Often, for sites with dynamic content, there is no logical page to attract relevant traffic, e.g. a flights site has a lot of flights, but as these change frequently, there is no logical landing point for many, frequently searched terms such as “cheap flights”. By building a few such pages, a site can effectively capture such traffic.

Duplicate Content Checker Resource:
http://training.seobook.com/duplicate-content-checker

By developing pages that Search Engines can index, that are always live and based around commonly searched phrases, particularly specific, longer phrases for which there is currently no logical landing page, the breadth of search terms for which a site can be found can be increased significantly. In terms of volume of traffic, a couple of dozen of pages built in this way will collectively deliver significant volumes of traffic, and traffic that is currently purchased at premium prices.

From a usability perspective, this provides users with a highly bookmarkable page that they can return to time and again, with information tailored to their specific interests or needs. This is particularly true for sites such as property sites, job sites and any other sites with a user base with an action in common, but little else. Giving users exactly what they are looking for and nothing else, is the best way to ensure return visitors.

There is so much information that can be gleaned from users simply by what they search for or which pages they look at. By utilising this information, and offering people a convenient page offering only the information that is relevant to them, not only will Search Engine traffic increase, but so will repeat traffic, which ultimately is the best traffic of all.

Consistency in Page and Paragraph Headings

In search engine copywriting, headlines are as sacred as in most other communication mediums. As search engines weight the text higher in importance if it appears in the page and paragraph headings, it is important the client utilises the targeted phrase for each page. It is important there is consistency in the navigational menu, the Title/Description/Keyword Meta Tags, Page Headings and Chapter headings on every page throughout the website in this manner.