Content marketing is no longer an option: If you want to have an online presence, you must create new content. Reports show that 88% of B2B businesses use content marketing in their strategy. Unfortunately, it can be extremely difficult to differentiate your brand when thousands of articles and other pieces of content are produced daily. You may find yourself asking, “How you can develop content in a way that stands out from your competition and ranks well on Google?” Here are some ways to help your content stand out and attract your ideal customers.
Find Your Unique Voice
Everyone has a unique voice so don’t imitate someone else’s. In other words, be yourself because your loyal readers and subscribers can tell when you are not being authentic. Also keep in mind that your tone may vary based on the industry, such as the medical or technology field. A distinctive voice will attract readers with similar interests, facilitate more engagement, help convert readers into customers and all the while becoming a trusted source of information as an industry leader.
Enhanced Readability
The way we obtain and digest information has changed. People want answers to their questions and they want them quickly. Therefore, visitors should be able to easily scan and read the content you’ve written. Make sure you have a catchy heading to draw a customer’s attention and remain consistent to maintain their interest.
Try adding headers to break up sections of the article as well as break up larger paragraphs into smaller ones. Although you may be creating content to meet your marketing goals, the content is still for the reader and should be tailored to ensure optimal readability.
Finally, don’t forget to proofread and edit! This may sound like common sense and trivial, but it is also one of the most important components to content creation. When someone reads your content and finds an error, it makes you seem uneducated, lazy and careless. As a result, your brand may seem less credible simply because you neglected to proofread. A second and third pair of eyes should always review the content you create in order to avoid an embarrassing and easily avoidable mistake.
Visuals are Key
If you want your content to stand out, visuals are essential to every piece of new content that you create. According to industry expert, Jeff Bullas, content with relevant images receive 94% more views than content without images. Viewers are drawn to the visuals first, so make sure its thought provoking and give the reader a hint to what your piece of content is about.
Create Original Content
Never plagiarize! Doing so will only discredit your content and have terrible consequences. Google, for instance, will penalize your website if it detects duplicate content; thereby causing a drop in your ranking. More importantly, your customers don’t want to read about other people’s ideas. They want to hear your thoughts and your perspective about topics. Sure, you could always create content that may be inspired from existing content, but be sure to add your own unique and original twist on it.
Adjust Your Post Frequency
Posting new content frequently will keep people interested in your brand as well as bolstering your online presence. A recent study from HubSpot shows that B2C companies that post 16 or more entries a month receive 4.5 times more traffic as those that upload only 0 to 4 posts. If you’re having difficulty deciding a post frequency that works for you, then try using a content calendar to help plan your monthly content strategy.
Keep Up With Trending Topics
When creating content, it helps to remain knowledgeable about trending topics. Doing so will boost your credibility, and allow you to create content around a trending topic. Also remember, if you create content around trending topics such as Pokémon Go, people may be more likely to read your content because it may be a topic that resonates with your reader.
Promoting on Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool to help boost your content marketing efforts. Having a social media account has now become a standard for marketing. This is because social media is the second most effective digital tactic for customer retention, behind only email.
Data shows that the most used social platform among all B2C businesses is Facebook with 94% reporting its usage. Other popular platforms are Twitter (82%), YouTube (77%) and LinkedIn (70%). With social media your content can reach a vast pool of potential and loyal customers that you may have initially overlooked.
Conclusions
A smart content marketer understands that every piece of content should have a purpose. You should never create content simply to have it. Each entry should relate to your overarching strategy as well as provide value to your readers.
You want your content to stand out for the right reasons. Don’t confuse wanting your content to stand out with just taking whatever attention you can possibly get. You want to draw the right kind of attention that will grow your business, not damage it. For more help on managing your content, feel free to reach out to the experts at Premiere Creative or give us a call at (973) 346-8100.