Have you ever begun with a superb heading, only to discover halfway into the composition that it is unsuitable?
Have you ever thought about having a guide to help you avoid content creation mistakes? Take a look at this list of errors to steer clear of.
10 content marketing tips
1. Write down a slug
Instead of dedicating time to choosing a title for yourself, think about establishing a distinct topic when planning your editorial schedule for the month or quarter.
Referred to as a ‘slug’ within the print newspaper sector, it generally consists of 2-3 words and serves as a substitute title. Its purpose is to highlight a main topic in the article without limiting it.
Slugs are ideal for content guidance as they strike the right balance between brevity and length, without causing any obstruction.
It is advisable to postpone the selection of a title until the content is well-developed or researched. By doing so, you can gain a better understanding of the topic and create a title that effectively captures the concept and captivates the reader.
2. Research the audience
When devising a content marketing plan for their company, a lot of content writers fail to devote adequate attention to listening to the audience.
The technique of “match and mirror” used in sales is based on psychology. Looking at it from a reader’s point of view, you are more likely to believe and trust what you read if it closely resembles something you or someone you know would say.
To effectively capture the attention of your target audience and enhance your marketing objectives, it is crucial to invest some time in exploring the conversations that people are having. Utilize platforms such as Google search, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media channels for this purpose.
Answer The Public and Ubersuggest are useful tools for pinpointing the language individuals utilize when discussing your subject. Additionally, conducting audience research via Google Analytics can assist in identifying your most well-received content.
3. Make an outline
Begin by outlining the basic framework of your material.
Are you interested in incorporating a persuasive structure? Include instances of quoted material, feedback, tone, advertising strategies, comparisons, or precise language utilized, as well as relevant keywords. Afterwards, specify the topics you wish to address.
A format that presents information to individuals in a specific manner in order to sway their opinion is referred to as a persuasive framework.
PAS or Problem-Agitate-Solution is a well-known structure often employed in marketing materials.
The initial focus is on the common customer concerns (to appeal to your audience), followed by further explanation on the severity of those issues.
. Frame your perspective
Although a headline is worth considering, it is essential to prioritize the viewpoint and structure of your content.
Generate a distinctive viewpoint by brainstorming multiple common sayings or phrases that relate to your subject matter. Afterwards, employ these principles to formulate analytical inquiries.
As an example:
- Are there any of these concepts that everyone accepts as fact, which you can turn on their head and argue the opposite?
- Can you create any situations where it’s essential to have these opposite experiences?
Have you experienced any of these situations?
Instead of repeating common knowledge, presenting an original point of view can greatly enhance the value of your writing. Additionally, if a headline or piece of content is unsuccessful, it can be modified and reused for another article.
5. Start early on your visuals
Your content can be enhanced by using visuals that provoke discussion.
For the time being, it’s advisable to create placeholders for your images, keeping the overall ideas in sight, and develop your content based on those concepts. The inclusion of captivating visuals enhances the likelihood of social media shares.
If you are interested in trying your hand at creating visuals, it is not a complicated task. Creating personalized visuals results in a higher amount of shares, making the endeavor worthwhile.
Utilize those visuals to elaborate on your content, emphasize a certain idea, or narrate a tale without the necessity of words.
6. Emphasize Text
Text emphasis should also be considered as a crucial aspect of visuals, rather than solely relying on attractive images.
When it comes to text, it’s worth highlighting phrases that challenge conventional wisdom or commonly used idioms, introduce a fresh viewpoint, or are unconventional.
By surprising readers with unexpected information, they will be motivated to discover your upcoming ideas.
7. Keep it concise
By keeping the text concise, the message becomes more powerful, minimizing dilution and enhancing engagement.
When you utilize terms like:
- If
- Whether
- And
- But
- Or – consider eliminating them .
Eliminating these words from your content could enhance its authority and allow you to express your opinions more effectively in a succinct and assertive manner.
To prevent the wall of text effect, it’s important to avoid graphics and paragraphs that fill up the entire height of a typical viewport. Keep in mind that users tend to leave a page quickly when faced with a wall of text upon loading.
8. Use writing and editing tools
Improve your grammar, expand your vocabulary, and eliminate bad habits by utilizing tools such as Grammarly, Microsoft Editor, and other similar resources prior to posting any content.
These tools have the ability to completely eliminate certain bad habits, such as:
- Passive voice
- Split infinitives
- Prepositions at end of sentences
- Excessive use of non-content words
9. Call your readers to action
In a successful digital marketing campaign, a key component is the CTA (Call To Action) section, which prompts readers to take action, such as “learn more,” “download,” or “sign up.”
However, CTAs have the potential to be less conspicuous and can be intricately incorporated into the content creation process. If your content aims to promote your products or services, keep in mind that the widely adopted approach is PAS, concluding with the CTA.
As PAS is prevalent, individuals anticipate it and often disregard its presence.
Unlike the PAS framework, the CTA can be placed at any point.
10. Resist overediting
- Is your content done?
- Is the original intended length expanding out of control during the writing process?
- If your editing is working properly, shouldn’t it be getting shorter?
- Do you still have the overarching theme and perspective that you started out with?
Excessive editing and striving for perfection often lead to the failure of numerous content pieces.
Consider having multiple acquaintances evaluate various versions and assess the outcome. You may be amazed at the number who are content despite the initial subpar quality.
BONUS: How to Choose the Right Digital Marketing Strategy for Your Business
To attain a triumphant digital marketing strategy, you shouldn’t focus on experimenting with the latest trends or making assumptions about what your customers desire; rather, it should rely on insights that are supported by data.
According to Jess Reilly, who serves as the chief marketing officer at Rebel Interactive Group, the most effective marketers comprehend that scalable digital marketing has evolved into personalized advertising that involves delivering the appropriate message to the appropriate individual at the appropriate time and on the appropriate platform.
Establishing buyer personas, delineating objectives, selecting suitable digital marketing instruments, and evaluating the efficacy of your strategy are all essential components of digital marketing strategy selection.
1. Build buyer personas to understand your target audience.
Fictitious individuals known as buyer personas are used to symbolize typical consumers who would be interested in your brand. Utilizing these personas enables you to promote your offerings to this particular group.
According to Reilly, devising buyer personas can inform your messaging strategy by shedding light on your buyers’ identities, their situations, and, above all, the objectives they aim to achieve.
When constructing customer personas, take into account the subsequent details pertaining to your intended consumer:
- Job type
- Interests
- Age
- Gender
- General demographics
- Most-used social platforms
- Beliefs and values
Afterward, adjust your plan according to these particulars.
A helpful hint is to gather online, email, or text survey data to obtain customer feedback and opinions if you are attempting to comprehend the pain points and desires of a particular market.
2. Identify your goals, and align them to your strategy.
What specific goals do you aim to achieve through your marketing strategies? These could include creating brand recognition, boosting product sales, or expanding your social media presence. It is important to clearly define your goals to maximize the effectiveness of your efforts. In the following sections, we will delve into some concrete examples.
If your goal is to heighten brand awareness:
Are reputable brands the only choice for your target customer? Is your brand familiar to them? Do they trust it enough to make a purchase?
To prioritize enhancing brand recognition and reinforcing your business’s image, focus on the following:
- Content creation
- Traffic generation
- Co-marketing.
A suggestion is to use top-notch email marketing services to create individualized and tailored campaigns for potential clients and existing customers. Additionally, such services can assess your data to pinpoint the effective components of your campaigns.
If your goal is to raise consumer awareness:
When consumers are unable to grasp how your product or service can enhance their lives, they might not actively seek out your company. Consequently, your target keywords may yield low search volumes.
If your sales process and website traffic are not causing any issues, you may be facing a lack of consumer awareness in general. In such a scenario, your objective for digital marketing strategy should be to inform potential customers about a specific problem they face and provide them with your solution. Below are some methods to accomplish this goal:
- Create videos.
- Reach out to influencers.
If your goal is to increase traffic:
Traffic holds immense importance as a key performance indicator (KPI) that is highly in demand. As quality traffic increases, it often leads to higher sales leads and actual sales, thus, it is reasonable that most entrepreneurs give priority to traffic.
To achieve optimal website traffic, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, an effective search engine optimization (SEO) plan, and email marketing are the key areas to concentrate on.
- PPC advertising.
- SEO.
- Email marketing.
If your goal is to increase sales:
Using email marketing strategically and increasing traffic to your website landing page are likely necessary steps to boost sales.
- Use email marketing to increase sales
- Optimize your website landing page.
3. Choose digital marketing tools based on your primary goals.
Marketing encompasses a range of tools, such as templates for content marketing calendars, social media platforms, and email marketing software. The selection of tools depends on individual goals as each has distinct advantages and purposes.
According to Prentiss, each business has a unique necessity or deficiency, which may include insufficient reviews, low Google ranking, or a desperate need for website redesign. In any case, businesses need distinct tools to address their respective requirements.
Give precedence to your objectives and scrutinize your finances to identify the most advantageous investments. In case you are a considerable distance away from making a sale, opt for inexpensive instruments like email and social media posts because significant seepage is expected to occur in your sales pipeline. You can always review and test alternative tools that are available.
4. Audit your current digital marketing strategy.
To audit your digital marketing strategy, you need to identify successful past efforts, evaluate current tactics, and assess areas that require modification.
- Discover the true ROI of past efforts. You’ll need to measure ROI for digital marketing campaigns you ran in the past. Reilly advised business owners to ask how much “lift” each marketing channel provided in previous seasons. “Using a combination of customer purchase data, digital tracking data and any traditional media buys you have, you can dive into the data to discover what your true ROI was in the past and opportunities to grow in the future,” Reilly said.
- Test new strategies. Before going live with your new strategy, test it to see what might work and what won’t. Spend time figuring out if there are aspects of your strategy that can be fixed or improved.
- Determine what needs tweaking. Prentiss recommended monitoring your progress to determine what might need shifting. “We set daily, weekly and sometimes even monthly reminders to check on the progress we made,” Prentiss said. “The daily and weekly check-ins on what we created are very important in the beginning so we can adjust what we are doing. This truly ensures the success of the campaign.”
In essence, if the expense for acquiring a potential customer is greater than the revenue generated from the final purchase, then the return on investment is inadequate and adjustments should be made.
