Email marketing is a quintessential element for a successful marketing plan – yes, even in 2020.
Email is convenient, a direct line of contact, and not super intrusive in our lives. That’s why some prefer email communications from businesses. (What!)
It’s true. 91% of shoppers actually want to hear from companies they do business with via email.
Actually, we’re a touch addicted. According to Campaign Monitor, at least 50% of Americans (in the survey) checked their email 10 times yesterday.
Those stats are pretty crazy, and they drive home one very important point: Content matters in email marketing.
It’s not enough just to send a pretty email to your readers. Literally everyone is doing that.
You’ve got to entice, enthrall, and leave them eagerly waiting for more.
A good email marketing content writer can help you do just that.
Ever wonder what our writers’ secret sauce is for dropping bombshell email copy? Here are all the beans spilled – all you need to provide is the elbow grease. Enjoy.
Do I Need a Writer for My Email Campaign? The 5 Ultimate Secrets for Powerful Email Copy (From an Email Writer) – Table of Contents
The Nitty Gritty of Email Types
Value-Focused Emails
Sales/Offer Emails
The 5 Ultimate Secrets for Writing Strong Value-Focused and Sales Emails
1. Nail That First Impression
2. Get Real, Get Personal
3. Keep It Simple, Snappy
4. Get Smart About Spam
5. Give the Reader Just One Thing to Do
[bctt tweet=”If you’re asking yourself, ‘Do I need a writer for my email campaign?’ The answer might be already in the question. If you’re not sure, check out these 5 qualities powerful email copy should have. ” username=”ExpWriters”]
But First… The Nitty Gritty of Email Types
In many ways, emails are simple… but they’re oh, so deceptively simple.
If you’ve spent time studying some of the email marketing content samples out there, you might get the impression that it’s all about snappy, hip language.
Not quite.
Don’t make the mistake of hammering out some clever sass and firing it off to your readers. You’ll look a little clueless, if not juvenile.
Before you put those fingers to the keyboard to unleash your creative genius, take a moment to figure out exactly what type of email you’re writing.
There are two main types. Each serves a different purpose, and each will have an impact on how you craft your copy.
First, Build Positive Associations with Value-Focused Emails
Value-focused emails are interesting, informative, useful emails that alert your readers to something that’s worthwhile for them to know. That may be a new case study, educational content, or a roundup of your blog’s best content of the month.
Whatever it is, these emails focus solely on giving your readers something they’ll genuinely enjoy reading.
They’re what you should be mostly sending out to people.
Think of value-focused emails like a form of social capital. Just like you wouldn’t constantly ask your friends and colleagues for favors, you don’t want to constantly ask your readers for their money.
Remember, your readers get a lot of emails every day, from all sorts of sources. (Campaign Monitor estimates that the number of consumer emails sent and received per day is around 117.7 billion.) To win your way into your readers’ inboxes and good graces, you’ve got to show them that you’re not in there just to hassle them into buying something. Otherwise, they’ll hit unsubscribe.
Or worse, just mark you as spam and drive up that dreaded spam rate.
Emails like this one from Publix get readers excited through the use of delectable visuals and well-written, useful information.Source: Really Good Emails
Then, Spark Joy with Sales and Offer Emails
Sales and offer emails are where that selling magic happens – when they’re properly timed and worded.
These are the emails that will alert your readers to new sales, product offerings or anything else you’re selling.
Remember your Psych 101 class? The value-focused emails will prime your audience to expect good things when they see your name pop into their inbox. So, when that offer email appears, your readers will see your name and the subject line before they see the email content.
That’s called classical conditioning, and its effects are well-known in advertising. If you’ve been nailing your value-focused emails, you’ll already have an audience eagerly waiting on the edge of their seat for your next communiqué.
You won’t need to be pushy, or salesy, because your audience is already primed.
Voilà! Conversions.
[bctt tweet=”What types of email should you be sending? Start building positive associations by creating value-focused emails and then, spark joy with sales and offer emails. Learn more about these two types in this post by @JuliaEMcCoy!” username=”ExpWriters”]
Pro Tip: Use the 3:1 Rule of Thumb
People don’t enjoy feeling like they’re being advertised to and sending too many sales emails is an excellent way to make them feel like that. Therefore, follow the Three to One Rule of Thumb: for every sale email, send three value-focused emails first.
You’ll avoid that dreaded high bounce or spam rate, getting you pushed deeper into the advertising slush pile that is the Promo Tab.
This sales-focused email funnels readers to Freshly. Note the price anchoring, the placement of a lower price next to a higher price to lowkey make the actual price look better. Source: Really Good Emails
[bctt tweet=”⚠️ Remember the 3:1 rule of thumb for sending emails: For every sale/offer email, send 3 value-focused emails first. ⚠️” username=”ExpWriters”]
Email Marketing Content Bootcamp: The 5 Ultimate Secrets for Strong Value-Focused and Sales Emails
Now that you’ve got an idea of what type of email you’re actually writing, it’s time to roll up those sleeves.
Wondering how marketing gurus craft those irresistible emails that are a treat to read?
There’s actually a science to them. (Sort of.) Here are the six most powerful tricks you can deploy in your email content writing to amplify conversions in both types of emails. With pictures!
(Need a refresher on how to do email marketing? Check this out.)
1. Nail That First Impression
First impressions are everything – especially when you’ve got exactly 2.7 seconds to make one.
When that email hits your readers’ inbox, they’ll see three things first: your subject line, your name, and the preview text – the first 85 to 100 characters of your email.
Exploit these features to their fullest potential.
First, your name. Want people to take you seriously? Put a professional name in the “from” tab. Don’t list something that sounds like a spam or a scammer.
Then, your subject line. Your subject line will decide whether or not your email even gets opened. There are a lot of different guides out there – including one that I wrote specifically for this purpose.
For value-focused emails, emphasize what the reader is getting. Make it short, sweet, and eye-catching. Use emojis – they’ll make a difference!
For sales emails, evoke a sense of urgency. Words or phrases like “exclusive,” “still time,” and “today only” increase opens by inciting your reader to act.
Finally, your preview text. If your subject line catches an eye, that eye will move to the preview text. Use this to hook your audience’s curiosity.
You want them to wonder how the sentence ends.
In value-focused emails, try playing with interesting facts where the kicker is obscured just past the break off. For sales emails, consider emphasizing a pain point that you know your readers experience. In both cases, they’ll want the answer, and they’ll open your email to find out.
Which email headline in this inbox attracts the eye first, and why?
2. Get Real, Get Personal
Authenticity matters. Some 86% of all consumers say they want to do business with a brand that is authentic.
Conveying authenticity is one of the most powerful things you can do to inspire rapport in your email marketing.
In a value-focused email, creating that authenticity should be among your prime objectives. You’ll accomplish that by:
Using reader-focused language: Use “you” and “your” when writing. Right now, you’re focusing on your readers and you should reflect that consistently.
Sharing reader commentary or stories: Are people interacting with your emails, blog, or social media? Fantastic! Get permission to share those things in your next email to reflect your awareness of your readers.
Inviting interaction. Warmly invite your readers to respond to your emails – and make a point of following up with them! You are interested in what they have to say.
In a sales email, you’ll want to stay real. And while you can get personal, do so with care. You may risk coming off sappy or inauthentic, especially if readers think you’re only doing so to sell something. Some tactics that might work include:
Testimonials or reader success stories: These can help solidify credibility.
Solution-oriented language: You’re solving a problem that readers have, which is why they need your product or service. Stress benefits, not features.
Make only provable claims: Beware of reader expectations. While text that offers to solve a problem once and for all may sound good, it also sets up a scenario where someone might feel let down if you fail to deliver. Don’t violate your reader’s trust by making exaggerated claims.
Personal touches like testimonials improve authenticity and credibility. Source: Really Good Emails
3. Keep It Simple, Snappy
Keep your copy smart – ain’t nobody got time to read Gone With the Wind in an email.
Our writers keep emails at 400 words or less. Any more than that and you’re risking eye-glazing, disengagement, and exile to the spam folder. In both emails:
Put your most important info first: Got something you’re dying to get seen? Position it prominently so readers see it.
Speak your readers’ language: Unless you’re writing for a segment already in the know, don’t use overly technical jargon or big words that will confuse people. Explain it in plain English.
Break things up: Don’t send along a wall of text. Use paragraphs, bullet points, and headings where appropriate, then support eye movement with good design.
In value-focused emails:
Write TL;DR versions of articles and provide a link to the full thing. Don’t rehash the entire post. The phrase “Read More” is your friend.
In sales emails:
Focus on the flow: Make sure your words flow well together. Don’t drop a bunch of one-liners and a link to your e-commerce site. That will float like lead.
Struggling to keep it short, sweet, and punchy? Pictures are still worth 1,000 words. Source: Really Good Emails
4. Get Smart About Spam Triggers
Even if you’ve nailed your subject line, have a professional name in the From box, and aren’t sending out an excessive number of emails, there are still plenty of ways for your emails to wind up in the spam folder.
Putting all that hard work into an email copy only to say the wrong thing and get flagged as spam would really blow, yeah?
Before you hit send, double-check that your copy doesn’t contain a smattering of spam trigger words. They’re a big no-no in subject lines, but some marketers like OptinMonster are starting to report that spam triggers activate if they’re in the body, too.
Then, double-check your copy for these spammy traits:
All caps: All caps on the internet is SHOUTING. Definitely don’t do it in your email subject line and use extreme caution in your copy.
Misleading headings or subject lines. It’s actually illegal to intentionally mislead readers with your subject line. Doing so in your copy headings will also inspire confusion and distrust.
A lack of transparency features. Make sure you’ve got a physical address (a PO box is fine), unsubscribe link, and valid contact information. If that’s not included in your email’s design, it will need to be in the body.
These emails came from the spam folder of the same account above. Notice that some of the senders are the same as above. What are they doing wrong in these emails?
5. Give the Reader Just One Thing to Do
Many emails have CTAs – you’ve gotta have one if you want your readers to convert. However, the CTA in email copy is a little different from a CTA in content.
In content writing, your CTA comes after the content, and often functions like a thoughtful addendum – but the real focus is the content itself.
In email writing, your entire copy should revolve around your CTA.
Your CTA is the reason you’re writing your email. It’s the focusing element.
Whether you’re writing a value-focused or sales email, make your CTA clear, place it centrally, and emphasize one action.
What are some good CTAs? That depends. For value-focused emails, you might consider a CTA that:
Encourages the reader to download a free resource, such as an ebook or a case study.
Links the reader to your blog or social media to learn more about a topic.
Invites the reader to take a survey or share his or her thoughts.
Prompts the reader to visit the site with a coupon or discount code. (Be careful.)
In contrast, a sales or offer email CTA is much more straightforward. It may:
Link to an e-commerce site, specific product or service.
Invite the reader to sign up for a service, email segment, or other offerings.
Prompt the reader to do any other number of actions to keep them engaged or drive sales.
This email has one CTA, placed centrally after all the enticing and whimsical copy. It also uses design to draw the eyes down so you can’t miss it. Source: Really Good Emails
[bctt tweet=”In creating strong emails, do the following: be sure that your email’s subject line, your name, and preview text are catchy (and working), be real, keep it simple, avoid spam trigger words, and give the reader only one CTA. ” username=”ExpWriters”]
So, Do I Need a Writer for My Email Marketing Campaign?
That’s up to you. We’ve provided a comprehensive overview of the tips and tricks our writers deploy to craft emails that your readers will look forward to reading. We’ve also provided plenty of email content writing examples to help jump-start your creativity.
A professional writer has the advantage of frequent experimentation with all of these techniques, plus those innate wordsmithing abilities that dazzle us all. Writing email marketing content may seem simple, but it’s truly an art.
You are now fully armed with our best tips. Go forth, deliver value, drive conversions, and prosper.
Running a business takes a lot of energy. You’ve got a million things to worry about – let us worry about the email content. Hire a copywriter to craft conversion-friendly emails for your campaign!
He’d written about 60% of his book by the same name.
There was just one little snag.
The book wasn’t where he wanted it to be, and he wasn’t sure how to push it to the next level.
So, he reached out to me.
His book project was a collection of ten years of evergreen SEO knowledge. I’d known and followed Ryan for years, and had always been blown away by his incredible grasp on the art of good SEO. So, I knew he knew his stuff — and I knew this book had to be expert, authority-level content at a minimum.
By Ryan’s admission, writing this book was not an easy undertaking.
When we started working together, Ryan had written 30,000 words that needed editing, and was looking for between 20-30,000 words of expansion through ghostwriting. He had no time or writing patience to take his book from draft -> done.
After hiring us, he’s now getting ready to publish his book in just a matter of two weeks. (It’s available now for pre-order on Amazon.)
How did his content get to the next level?
Ryan kindly gave us permission to use his testimonial as a Write Blog feature. Let’s get into it!
[bctt tweet=”@ryanwashere of The SEO Blueprint had epic ideas. 60% of his book was done.
Just one little snag…finishing was HARD!
Read (and watch!) how our team helped him get there in this Write Blog #client recap ” username=”ExpWriters”]
Epic Content Takes Epic Effort: The Process of Generating Amazing Work
“My agency doesn’t do content creation anymore,” Ryan told me.
Why? It’s a huge undertaking to create great content. There are lots of cycles of back and forth — generating, rewriting, polishing, honing, and more — all to get the content ready to go out into the world.
That’s why generating excellent content is our sole focus at Express Writers. We don’t build websites, design full pages, or build “backlinks.” We focus solely on content creation.
In our full interview, Ryan asked me how I find and retain good writers.
I shared one “secret” that still surprises many people.
In eight years of hiring and interviewing, I’ve learned to completely stop looking at experience.
Say what?
We go through thousands of resumes every month. Our efficient alternative to studying experience, which can be inflated or straight up faked on a resume, is that every writer undergoes a rigorous writing test. This helps us see writers’ actual skills. This way, we ensure we only hire writers best-equipped to create killer content.
[bctt tweet=”@JuliaEMcCoy champions skills vs. experience when hiring writers. As she says, experience can be inflated or straight-up faked on a resume. ♀️” username=”ExpWriters”]
The cream of the crop – our creator-base of 90 writers and eight part-time editors – collaborate across time zones around the world under the supervision of our Content Manager, Korilynn. She watches deadlines and manages the editorial queue to make sure content gets through the whole process one time. And as a self-proclaimed Cat-Herder, she’s no stranger to shepherding lots of moving parts in the right direction.
When clients send us a new project, we ask the right questions so we get the right answers in specific input forms. Our writers start writing immediately. After that, it’s 5-7 days to done, depending on the timeline the client needs and the length of the content.
We only send publish-ready content, which cuts way down on revision time on the client-side.
Epic Content Can Come at an Epic Cost (But It Doesn’t Have To)
Let’s be frank: Amazing content often comes at a high cost.
“For advanced SEO…it’s really hard to find writers,” Ryan told me, “Sometimes we’ll [pay] upwards of $1,200 to get a long-form blog post written.”
[bctt tweet=”For advanced SEO…it’s really hard to find writers. Sometimes we’ll pay upwards of $1,200 to get a long-form blog post written. – @ryanwashere on the difficulty of finding affordable yet skilled content writers. More on the Write Blog ➡” username=”ExpWriters”]
An average long-form blog post clocks in somewhere between 2,000 to 3,000 words. Let’s estimate high and call it 3,000 words. That’s at least 40 cents per word.
Magnify that to a book with the vast scope of about 60,000 words and you’re looking at $24,000!
Whoa.
For Ryan, we hacked that cost drastically. The project fell in the $13,000-14,000 range: roughly half the rate he was paying elsewhere.
That’s not to say we’re cheap. We just like to keep the costs in an “affordable” ballpark.
With lasting principles on essential topics like executing high-quality (read: killer ROI) SEO campaigns, Ryan’s manuscript had a message that needed to get out there.
We paired him up with one of our writers, Alexander C., a trained Authority Writer in my team.
In 3.5 months, the project was finished and publish-ready.
Ryan told me, “I can vouch for the quality [of content]. I’m really impressed… you guys have done a tremendous job. Unless you have somebody in-house, it’s definitely worth it to go out and contract a company like [Express Writers] to get the right stuff done.”
And if you think you can just get in front of them with ads… think again.
Today, 80% of users ignore sponsored search results in Google.
Organic is where you’ll win.
However, if you’re thinking about content marketing services (such as hiring an agency to manage your content marketing campaign from start to finish — something we don’t do, we only write great content) — it can be a little overwhelming trying to figure out what services to choose, and from whom. Should you go with strategic content services from a digital marketing agency? Or should you go with content development and marketing services from a creative agency?
You have a lot of options, so I’ve put this guide of the most quintessential content marketing services that you need. It’s got advice for whichever route you choose, so if you’re going to take that dive (and you absolutely should!) … start here.
[bctt tweet=”Thinking about content marketing services? It’s overwhelming figuring out what to choose. …Or should you just go renegade? Learn everything you need to know in this guide on the Write Blog.” username=”ExpWriters”]
A Quick Guide: Content Marketing Services You Need This Year – Table of Contents
What Goes Into Content Marketing?
9 Content Marketing Services You Need to Grow Your Brand in 2020 and Beyond
1. A Rock-Solid Content Strategy
2. The Creation of Mind-Blowing Content
3. Frank, Thoughtful Video Creation
4. Captivating Infographics & Visual Assets
5. A Kicka$$ WordPress Site
6. Flawlessly Branded Social Media
7. Next-Level Email Marketing
8. A Fresh, Modern Maintenance Routine
9. The Right Tools to Measure Success
So, Exactly What Does Content Marketing Entail?
If you asked me to pick the top 10 buzzwords in the online writing industry, content marketing would definitely be near the top of the list.
It’s difficult to tell when the term content marketing first came around. It appears in a few marketing textbooks (available on Google Books) from the late 1990s, but internet results all seem to indicate that digital marketers first adopted the term in the mid-2000s.
Now, it’s everywhere. But what does it mean?
In short, content marketing is the strategic planning, creation, and distribution of content to engage audiences and drive revenue. (CMI wrote a wonderful guide on it that’s worth reading.)
In 2020, content marketing is all but a necessity for any company looking to market itself effectively. Consumers were fed up with in-your-face advertising and slimy sales tactics a LONG time ago.
In contrast, content marketing takes a different approach. It emphasizes the delivery of engaging, helpful, useful content to audiences rather than convincing them outright to buy a service.
It’s helpful to think of content marketing like a chain-reaction. Each step builds on the previous to create a working system to build an audience and generate leads. In general, you’ll see six steps:
Strategy: Content strategy is the foundation of content marketing. It’s your road map and blueprint to build your content engine.
Creation: Content marketing relies on the creation of superb content that’s been developed with your audience’s needs and the customer journey in mind.
Optimization: With optimization, it’s time to get technical. Here, you make sure that search engines see you, your site works on mobile, and all the details are perfect.
Distribution: Also called promotion in some resources, this is the release of your content on platforms like your blog or social media.
Maintenance: Keeping the momentum going is important. In the maintenance stage, you apply the sensibilities of marketing to keep your content and presence fresh.
Metrics: In 2020, everything is data-driven. To maximize success, you need to know how your content is performing.
[bctt tweet=”It’s helpful to think of content marketing like a chain-reaction. ⛓ Each step builds on the previous, leading to growth. There are 6 steps: 1) Strategy 2) Creation 3) Optimization 4) Distribution 5) Maintenance 6) Metrics ” username=”ExpWriters”]
Content marketing involves a lot! It’s no surprise that 84% of companies outsource at least one of those elements (usually content creation) – even if they have a dedicated content marketing team (which according to CMI, most do).
So, what all goes into content marketing? Here are nine content marketing services you should absolutely consider if you want to grow your brand this year.
9 Content Marketing Services You Need to Grow Your Brand
This year, you’ve got abundant options for content marketing services and packages. As the marketing approach finally goes mainstream, there’s no shortage of agencies and independents offering tricks, tools, and services.
However, not all content marketing services are created equal. It takes a discerning eye to decide which option is best for you.
If you’re looking around and feeling overwhelmed, I totally feel you! It’s a big, big world.
Here’s a guide to the top nine services for content development and marketing that you definitely should consider this year.
1. A Rock-Solid Content Strategy
First and foremost, don’t go anywhere without a road map! Content strategy is the framework for your content marketing. It’s what will inform things like what content you create and where you’ll distribute it.
In many ways, developing your content strategy is front-loading your content marketing. With a solid content strategy as your foundation, you’re already halfway to a comprehensive content marketing engine.
Strongly consider documenting your overarching strategy. According to CMI’s 2020 B2B Content Marketing Report, only 41% of surveyed businesses had one – but that included a whopping two-thirds of the most successful businesses who reported. Likewise, only 16% of the least well-performing companies surveyed had a content strategy that was written down.
Many marketing agencies and even freelance writers offer content strategy. When shopping for a service, make sure that it’s got a few quintessential items:
Trending topics research: Don’t let your content strategist rely on what’s already on your site! A good one takes the initiative by researching topics in your industry.
SEO or keyword research and analysis: SEO remains a backbone of content development, even if emphasis lies on delivering goodexceptional content.
Brand awareness: At the end of the day, content strategy is still about promoting your brand. Choose a strategist who can effectively reflect this in the content plan and creation.
Content planning: A list of titles and some keywords isn’t enough! Look for strategic content services that deliver a comprehensive plan for creating, publishing, and maintaining your content (like using an editorial calendar).
[bctt tweet=”Don’t move forward without a road map! Content strategy is the framework for your content marketing. It’s what informs the content you create and where you’ll distribute it.” username=”ExpWriters”]
2. The Creation of Mind-Blowing Content
You can have the best strategy and the best delivery but if your content falls flat? No bueno.
What does it mean to have MIND-BLOWING content in 2020? It’s:
Authoritative: You know what you’re talking about and it shows.
Results-driven: Either furthering a reader along the customer journey or solving a problem for a reader (no strings attached).
Beyond well done: It’s well-written, well-designed, and all-around a tantalizing piece of content that causes readers to crave more.
This is where your chosen agency’s portfolio and website come in handy. It’s a smart idea to work with one agency (or team) to centralize your content marketing. (CMI reports that 44% of the most successful companies do this, compared to just 14% of the least successful companies).
Likely, that agency already has writers or other content creators on hand. One of the advantages of this route is that those creators are already vetted and will deliver quality.
Of course, if you’re building your internal team, the same advice applies. Take a look through the individual’s portfolio and see if their work is authoritative, results-driven, and beyond well done.
One word of warning: You get what you pay for when it comes to content writing. While it might be tempting to go for cheap services or packages, content marketing is a skill that frequently demands a premium. The smart move is to hire the quality content services agency the first time around.
[bctt tweet=”You get what you pay for with content writing. While it might be tempting to go for cheap services, content marketing is a skill that frequently demands a premium. -@JuliaEMcCoy on THE essential content marketing services ” username=”ExpWriters”]
Pro Tip: Do You Have a Blog? You Need One.
Spend enough time online and you’ll come across all sorts of innovative, novel content ideas. However, none of them have remained such a staple in the internet realm as blogging.
The first blog was created in 1994. 20-something years later, blogs remain the number one way readers access information. Yet, it’s still routinely underestimated. That’s an amateurish mistake that can cost you.
According to CMI’s report, 89% of companies’ content marketing efforts involved publishing blogs. And HubSpot has found that marketers who prioritize blogging in their content marketing are 13 times more likely to see a positive ROI.
Do you have a blog chock full of authoritative, well-researched, in-depth posts? If not, you need to get on that right now.
3. Frank, Thoughtful Video Creation
One of the biggest content marketing trends this year is video – and I’m not the only one saying that!
According to HubSpot, 54% of consumers want more video content. According to OptinMonster, videos generate two-thirds more qualified leads than other forms of media.
However, it’s not enough to simply create enthralling video content. Sure, it’s easier to consume – especially on the go. Instead, video became popular as a branding tool for another reason entirely:
Audiences perceive video content as an authentic, raw glimpse into a brand.
Pictures can be doctored. Statistics can be manipulated. And of course, anyone can say anything on the web.
Video, on the other hand, comes with the natural perception that it’s real. According to Convince and Convert, at least 40% of viewers regard video as more credible than other forms of content – even if they’re obviously ads. When developing brand authenticity is crucial to success, that’s too valuable to pass up.
Think about how your brand incorporates video. You want it.
4. Captivating Infographics & Visual Assets
Infographics are awesome. They’re one of the best eyeball traps out there because they harness our innate curiosity – especially if you’re a data junkie like me.
Although video content has become the new darling of the content world, visual assets still play a major role in content marketing.
According to CMI, at least 65% of content marketers use infographics to convey information. Likewise, according to marketing researcher Demand Gen Reports, infographics not only increase traffic to a site by 12% but also assist significantly with information retainment.
Although great copy absolutely matters, visuals have a few advantages that text doesn’t. These include:
Most people (65%) are visual learners, and infographics cater to them.
Infographics are easier to share on social media (which might be why they increase traffic).
They can deliver a LOAD of information very quickly.
Through careful design, color, and content curation, they can reinforce branding.
As I said, infographics are awesome. Use them.
[bctt tweet=”Great copy absolutely matters, but visuals have a few advantages: 1) Most people are visual learners. 2) Infographics are easier to share. 3) They deliver TONS of info quickly. 4) They reinforce your branding. ” username=”ExpWriters”]
One of the world’s first infographics. It was published in 1821 and depicts the history of wheat prices. It even came in color! Source: Gizmodo.
5. A Kicka$$ WordPress Site
Did you know that WordPress powers 35% of the web? There’s a really good reason for that.
WordPress has everything you need to launch a full-fledged professional web presence in a single afternoon.
But how does having a WordPress site relate to content marketing? Simple. At a minimum, to support your content marketing efforts, you need:
A blog.
Landing pages.
Static pages with thoughtful copy for products or services.
A contact form or e-commerce site to funnel all those warm, happy leads.
WordPress makes setting up each of those easy. However, WordPress is also awesome because you can do other things with it, too. For instance, you can support content marketing with:
Most guides that talk about content marketing emphasize the planning, creation, and distribution of content. I’d like to advance the idea that there’s an infrastructural element to content marketing, too.
WordPress has many powerful tools, like Yoast SEO, which can enhance your content marketing efforts.
6. Flawlessly Branded Social Media
Does your business have a social media account? If you’re like most businesses, you’ve got somewhere between four and 10 of them (according to Hootsuite).
Social media remained the number one channel for content marketers in 2019, according to CMI, and that’s not going to change. Almost every business (95%) surveyed in their 2020 report indicated that their social media was a quintessential element of their content marketing.
If you’ve been struggling to keep up with social media, it’s time to get on that. There are two things you can do:
Concentrate your social media presence: It’s better to consistently distribute content on just a couple of platforms than posting sporadically on several. Close those unused accounts.
Bring a dedicated social media manager on board: There should be someone on your content marketing team that manages social media. Or, the agency you select should offer management packages.
It seems like blogging’s been around forever, but email has been around for a lot longer (1971!).
It’s still a valuable distribution channel that isn’t going away any time soon. According to CMI’s report, 89% of businesses used email campaigns to warm leads and keep readers informed. When done right, email marketing has an ROI of $44 for every dollar spent.
[bctt tweet=”Email is a vital piece of content marketing. According to CMI’s 2020 report, 89% of businesses used email campaigns to warm leads and keep readers informed. ❤ When done right, email marketing has an ROI of $44 for every dollar spent. ” username=”ExpWriters”]
Definitely include email marketing in your content marketing but be smart about it. I recommend the 3:1 Rule, which I consider a Golden Ratio of email marketing:
For every sales-focused email, send three value-focused emails first.
What are value-focused emails? They’re emails that provide your readers with informative, useful, helpful content WITHOUT (!) pitching sales.
Whether that means providing exclusive resources like white papers or ebooks or linking them to your latest (or best) articles, view email marketing as yet another way to deliver value to your readers.
Remember, 91% of customerswant to receive emails from brands they like. So, get started right now leveraging that to create a rich conversation with them about your brand.
8. A Fresh, Modern Maintenance Routine
Content marketing relies on consistently providing fresh, useful content to readers. Many people assume this means unique, new content that hasn’t been posted yet.
That isn’t always true.
Having stale, outdated, or worse – inaccurate – content on your site can hurt you worse than having no content at all. One of the things that Google looks at when determining page rank is timeliness.
Content maintenance is, therefore, an important element of content marketing. It’s the process of going through a site and identifying:
Poorly performing content: These pieces need to be updated or removed.
Old, outdated content: Maybe something was accurate once and times (or tech) have changed. Update these pieces or remove them.
Content that was hit by an algorithm update: Many people saw this with the release of Google BERT in October. This update changed the way search engines interpreted certain keywords, which caused some businesses to drop in rank as their content was no longer as relevant.
Content that once performed well but no longer does: Since timeliness matters, refreshing these pages can return them to their former glory.
Content that’s no longer relevant to the company: Brands pivot all the time. Don’t muddle your rebranding attempts by retaining a semblance of your old identity.
Google loves fresh content, but that content doesn’t need to be totally unique. Perform content maintenance on a regular schedule and keep your entire site fresh.
9. The Right Tools to Measure Success
Finally, CMI’s 2020 report had an especially fascinating insight into something that the top content marketing performers do that mid-ranked and least well-performing brands don’t…
They use metrics.
According to the report, 95% of the top performers used metrics and data to make informed decisions regarding their content marketing. That was compared to only 62% of the least successful companies in the survey.
Further, 83% of the top performers used KPIs to measure their content’s success – compared to just 30% by the other group.
The key takeaway from these numbers is painfully obvious: use metrics.
What metrics? That depends. Everyone tracks ROI, conversion rates, and page views. However, that might not always be right for you.
For example, if your pages typically contain in-depth, long-form content, consider tracking scroll depth.
Likewise, if you’re pursuing a conversational marketing approach in your content marketing, track things like comments, conversations with your chatbots, and backlinks.
[bctt tweet=”The final piece of content marketing you need? The right tools to measure those all-important metrics. Of course, the metrics YOU track will be personal to your goals and content. More on the Write Blog ➡” username=”ExpWriters”]
Build a Strong Content Marketing Plan With Express Writers
Phew – that was a lot! Hopefully, this comprehensive list of content marketing services has left you feeling a little more inspired at all the possibilities that are within your reach.
Your next step is to figure out how you’re going to secure these services. Marketing agency? Internal team? DIY…?
Are you publishing content as a way to bring in and nurture potential customers? ⬅️
If so, you need a SaaScontent marketing strategy.
To put it bluntly, content without a strategy is akin to a house without a foundation, support beams, walls, or a roof.
Instead of welcoming a constant flux of eager visitors to your beautiful abode, you’ll just be sitting alone on a pile of bricks.
The strategy gives your SaaS content marketing a purpose, structure, goals, and a strong foundation to build on.
Without it, you’ll flounder with content. You won’t nurture leads – you’ll lose them.
The ONLY way to start seeing exponential, compounding online growth with SaaS content marketing is to outline your content strategy plan, fill in the blanks, and follow it to the letter.
Don’t believe me yet? Let’s look at the difference between content created & published without a strategy vs. WITH a strategy.
How to Build a SaaS Content Marketing Strategy: Table of Contents
Content Marketing with and Without a Strategy: What’s the Difference?
2 Years in, Without a Content Marketing Strategy
What Happens with a Content Strategy in Place?
What Do You Need for Successful SaaS Content Marketing? 6 Key, Strategic Pillars
1. Know the Base Levels of SaaS Content Strategy: Define Topic Areas, Goals, & More
Goals and Content Mission
Topic Area(s) of Focus
Content Differentiation Factor
2. Get to Know Your Audience for Solid SaaS Content Marketing
Find Your Ideal Target Buyer
Research, Research, Research
Know Your Customers’ Common Buying Journeys
3. Integrate SEO
Research Long-Tail Keywords and Connected Topics
Optimize Your Content
4. Build Your Content House
5. Understand How to Create Content for SaaS Marketing
Fill Your Audience’s Knowledge Gaps
Write to Engage
Kill the Fluff
6. Track, Measure, Update, & Maintain
Track and Measure
Update and Maintain
Your SaaS Content Marketing Strategy Is Covered
[bctt tweet=”With all the offers out there, how can you make sure that your SaaS company and product stand out? @JuliaEMcCoy tells how and why you should make SaaS content marketing strategy right now ” username=”ExpWriters”]
Content Marketing with and Without a Strategy: What’s the Difference?
At Express Writers, we’re not selling SaaS, but our content plays the same roles as it would for a SaaS business: building audience trust in our brand, showing our expertise, and nurturing traffic and leads.
Unfortunately, without a content marketing strategy, our content didn’t have the impact we hoped it would. We weren’t meeting our goals at the beginning.
2 Years in, Without a Content Marketing Strategy
With 215 blogs published, we were only ranking for 141 keywords
Our monthly gross income never topped $29K
At most, we saw 500 visitors a day
On top of these lackluster numbers, I was suffering, too.
Hustling every day but not seeing any rewards (because I was misdirecting my energy)
Stressed and scrounging for leads
Working constantly to make ends meet
Then, in September 2016, I finally built and implemented a content marketing strategy.
What happened next?
What Happens with a Content Strategy in Place?
Life was never the same after our content marketing strategy hit the ground running.
A few months after executing the strategy, we hit our first, landmark $71K income month.
Our ranking keywords shot up from 3,900 to 6,000.
It didn’t stop there.
Within roughly one year, we were hitting records every month – January 2018 saw us hit our first-ever $120K income month.
We were ranking for over 12,800 keywords
My blogs were getting the highest number of shares I’d ever seen.
EW ranked #1 for hot keywords (e.g. “content writing outsourcing”)
Today, we’re still blowing our old records out of the water.
99% of our clients come to us from our content marketing
We rank for over 24,000 keywords in Google
We’ve earned over $4.5 million in agency sales
We see 90,000 to 100,000 organic visitors every month
As you can see, no content strategy =
If you say YES to a content strategy, however…
✔
It’s true for SaaS and non-SaaS industries alike that invest in content.
For those of you tuning in from a SaaS background, stay with me. We’re about to get into how to build your SaaS content marketing strategy.
[bctt tweet=”Do you need a SaaS content marketing strategy? Don’t think twice. @JuliaEMcCoy shows the HUGE difference in ROI between having none vs. using a well-planned strategy for @ExpWriters.” username=”ExpWriters”]
What Do You Need for Successful SaaS Content Marketing? 6 Key, Strategic Pillars
So, you need a SaaS content marketing strategy.
That means it’s time to learn how to do SaaS marketing the right way.
The best SaaS marketing campaigns use these 6 pillars. They form the foundation for a working content marketing platform for your business.
1. Know the Base Levels of SaaS Content Strategy: Define Topic Areas, Goals, & More
Your SaaS content marketing plan needs a few basic factors defined before you can get into the nitty-gritty of audience research or content creation.
Goals and Content Mission
First, what is your main goal for your content marketing initiative? What do you hope to achieve? How will you build relationships with customers through content?
Outline the answers to those questions two ways:
As an overarching mission for your SaaS content marketing. Phrase it the way you would phrase your broad business mission and goals. The two should be tied together and complement each other!
Focused goals with measurable outcomes in the form of KPIs (key performance indicators). For example, Content Marketing Institute offers some solid KPIs tied to common goals for content marketing:
Create brand awareness – Track and measure social shares
Drive more traffic to your website or blog – Track total website visits monthly, the percentage of return visitors, or the time on site where the visitor was actively engaged
Generate leads – Track the number of leads each piece of content earned, or track conversion rates for your landing pages
Improve customer retention – Track percentage of repeat customers
Topic Area(s) of Focus
Defining your SaaS content marketing topic areas may seem straightforward, but it’s more complicated than simply copying-and-pasting your general industry niche.
For example, perhaps you sell creative software that helps customers edit and tweak photos. Your topic area might be “graphic design,” but it doesn’t end there. You also should define the intersection between your expertise AND what your audience wants to read.
Does your audience want to read blogs about graphic design principles? Or would they be more interested in guides that help them retouch family photos?
There’s a huge difference between these types of content and who they’ll interest. To get at the exact right topic area of focus for your SaaS, take your audience into consideration as well as what you can write about with authority (more on that in point #2).
This is the fresh spin you’ll put on your content. It’s the unique angle that will make your pieces stand out from the millions of others on the web.
In other words, how will you help your audience with content differently or better than your competitors?
For more depth on these topics, I teach an intensive course, the Content Strategy & Marketing Course, that will take you through these concepts step-by-step.
2. Get to Know Your Audience for Solid SaaS Content Marketing
It turns out your audience is the lynchpin in this whole content marketing thing. If you “get” your audience on a deep level, you’re going places.
Find Your Ideal Target Buyer
Who is the main type of person who needs, wants, and will use the heck out of your software to improve their life? Describe this avatar all the way down to their hobbies and likes/dislikes.
Research, Research, Research
Interview real people who might fit your target buyer persona. Collect data with surveys and questionnaires. Do social listening, poke around on Reddit and Quora, mine tools like Facebook Audience Insights and Survey Monkey, and record everything you discover.
(You’ll find this out doing research.) Meet them at each stage with tailored, useful content that helps them move closer to trust and/or a sale.
Getting to know your audience is one of the most important steps of creating and executing B2B SaaS content. Without audience knowledge and understanding, you will not publish targeted content that earns results and ROI.
Instead, your content will die a slow death in obscurity. Yikes.
3. Integrate SEO
Defining your audience helps you write targeted content that speaks to their needs and engages, but using SEO is how that content gets discovered.
Without proper content optimization for search engines, your traffic numbers will be much, much lower. You’ll draw in fewer people who are already interested in what you have to say.
Creating online content MUST include search engine optimization, otherwise, you’ll miss out on the whopping 70.6% of browsing sessions that begin with a search.
SEO is about NOT missing out on this giant source of traffic. Furthermore, it’s not about drawing in any web visitor you can, but rather about targeting only those who have the potential to buy what you’re selling. Targeted, interested traffic >> random traffic.
Research Long-Tail Keywords and Connected Topics
At the bottom of the SEO for your B2B, SaaS content should be long-tail keywords tied to engaging, useful topics in your area of expertise.
It’s not as simple as plugging an industry term into a tool and using whatever it spits out, though. You need to be intentional about looking up keyword data and analyzing the results.
Your content strategy should outline a keyword research workflow, including:
Which tools you’ll invest in and budget for
How often you’ll look for profitable keywords
Which metrics you’ll prioritize in the keywords you target
Identifying the search intent of keywords
After you land on a keyword, doing topic research to discover subjects that will most appeal to your audience
Optimize Your Content
Once you have the topic and corresponding keywords for a content piece laid out, you need a process for optimizing that content for search.
What content writing standards will you set for formatting, headers, and links?
Will you use any tools or apps to check SEO?
Will you hire out SEO? What will the budget be?
Once your SEO plan is in place as part of your SaaS content strategy, you can move on to establishing your content house – the platform you’ll use to publish and promote content, not to mention build your brand presence.
4. Build Your Content House
Where will the majority of your content live? When you promote your content on social media, where will your links point? When people link to you, what domain will they associate with your name?
This is your content house, the hub of your content activity and your main focus for publishing.
For an example of a SaaS brand with an established, trusted content house, let’s look at the SEMrush blog.
This is SEMrush’s main platform for publishing content. It includes blogs, webinars, podcasts, and ebooks:
It’s housed on their own domain (not on a proprietary platform).
Since SEMrush is in total control of what does (and doesn’t) appear on their site, they can focus on building trust with readers and converting them. On proprietary platforms (where your content is ultimately controlled by a third party like Facebook or Instagram), you have far less influence – the focus is always on the larger platform because that suits their agenda.
For instance, SEMrush wouldn’t be able to promote their 24-hour online conference in such a noticeable way anywhere else but their own site:
This is exactly why your SaaS content marketing strategy should focus on your owned domain as the hub of activity. All other channels (guest blogs, social media, etc.) should come second.
Of course, building your content house requires populating your pages with content consistently. To this end, part of your strategy should include determining when and how often you’ll post, and what types of content you’ll prioritize.
5. Understand How to Create Content for SaaS Marketing
SaaS content writing is unique. It’s arguably the most important piece of a SaaS content marketing strategy.
That’s because, generally, you’re dealing with a tech-focused industry with highly educated audiences well-versed in web tools. What’s more, these tools may be downright complicated for the average layperson.
It’s a tricky audience to target and write for on the correct level.
And, as a rule, content creation is getting more limelight these days. People are starting to understand what it takes to produce incredible, engaging content, and they’re investing as such. (Content creation was the #1 investment for marketers in 2018-2019.)
So, what does strategic content creation look like for SaaS marketing?
The golden rule is to understand what your audience already knows, then address what they DON’T know.
Fill Your Audience’s Knowledge Gaps
According to George Reith, an expert SaaS industry writer,
“By understanding what your audience knows and what you need to tell them, you can create a tighter, more engaging and much more compelling piece of content.”
Most likely, your audience already has an awareness of SaaS and what it entails. The key is to figure out where they need additional knowledge to fill in the gaps. Reith continues:
“Here’s the thing most SaaS vendors forget: this stuff isn’t new anymore. Everyone knows what SaaS is. Even if you’ve never heard the specific term, you get the concept.
So, if you spend a whole paragraph explaining what a subscription model is and how it works, you’re just wasting valuable space on your page.”
As you can see, your audience research will be monumentally helpful for SaaS content writing. Audience knowledge gaps should naturally show up once you start digging into who these people are and what problems you can solve for them in your content.
Write to Engage
High-ROI content is written to engage the reader. It should pull them in, speak to their problems or needs, and help them come to some new understanding as simply as possible.
What works for SaaS audiences won’t work elsewhere. That’s why knowing their knowledge level on the topic at hand is so important. Tell them what they already know, and they’ll tune out.
For instance, both a business owner and an IT professional represent two kinds of SaaS audiences. Both have wildly different tech knowledge levels. The writing style that engages one will bore the other.
Kill the Fluff
Also of importance: clear, simple, zero-fluff copy. Get to the point and teach/guide without talking down to your reader (because they’re usually highly educated and intelligent!)
Avoid needless fluff in your writing because it’s repetitive. SaaS audiences want to see the value from reading your content immediately – they don’t have time to read extraneous details.
6. Track, Measure, Update, & Maintain
How will you keep up your SaaS content marketing momentum? That’s exactly what this pillar of a content strategy does – it keeps everything going like the Energizer Bunny.
Track and Measure
How is your content performing? If you’re not tracking and measuring, you won’t have anything to show for your efforts.
Using measurement tools and analyzing the data will help you track how close you are to your goals, too. (Remember those KPIs we talked about?)
Update and Maintain
Updating and maintaining your content involves:
Sticking to your consistent content schedule
Promoting your content on social media to reach more people
Auditing your older pieces to make sure they’re up-to-date and accurate
Killing old content that isn’t serving your brand or hurts your rankings
[bctt tweet=”The 6 key pillars for successful SaaS content marketing include: define topic areas and goals, know your audience, integrate SEO, build your content house, ✍ create content, and measure and maintain!” username=”ExpWriters”]
Your SaaS Content Marketing Strategy Is Covered
With SaaS content marketing, it’s possible to create an engagement and conversion machine. Your business is conducted almost entirely online, so it makes sense to use mainly digital content marketing to pull in new customers.
The map to use to reach that magical place is your SaaS content strategy.
Your content strategy and content marketing should tell you how to:
Establish your brand voice and style in your content
Show your customer solutions to their problems
Demonstrate your expert knowledge in your industry
Drive brand awareness and pique interest in your message and what you sell
Bring in more qualified traffic and leads
Build customer loyalty and relationships
And, lucky for you, the compounding interest of all of the above amounts to more revenue, in the end.
My new nonfiction narrative memoir, Woman Rising: A True Story, is out right now.
You can find it on Amazon in whatever format suits your fancy: Kindle, paperback, or Audible audiobook (narrated by me)!
I’ve been jittery with excitement for this day to finally arrive so I can share my story with you.
The thing is, this book is totally different from everything I’ve written in the past.
It’s been a long time coming: 2.5 years, to be exact. That’s the time it took to make this book a reality, to corral my memories and experiences and explain how I became the person I am today.
Needless to say, I’m downright thrilled it’s finally launch day.
Just in case you missed my first announcement about the book, or aren’t sure what the story entails, I’ve got you.
Today we’re also debuting a new, short film that showcases the book’s major themes. Find out more (and watch the film!) below.
[bctt tweet=”@JuliaEMcCoy’s new nonfiction memoir, Woman Rising, is out TODAY. Check out the short film about the book and find out where you can grab your copy! ” username=”ExpWriters”]
What Is Woman Rising About? Why I Needed to Write and Share This Story
This is the true story of my life growing up in a religious cult under the thumb of my controlling, abusive father, the cult leader.
It’s the story of how I kept my hope and passions alive despite the odds. It’s the tale of how Express Writers was born, and how it eventually became the means I used to enable my escape.
This book also charts the road I traveled to healing, and how I grew my tiny business into a bonafide brand (missteps and all).
Watch the short film about Woman Rising:
If you follow the Write Blog or any of my social media accounts, you know my other books and projects have all been centered on content marketing strategy and writing. Woman Rising represents a departure from that realm, but it also fits right in.
[bctt tweet=”If you follow the Write Blog, you know my other books and projects have all been centered on content marketing strategy and writing. Woman Rising represents a departure from that realm, but it also fits right in. ❤ – @JuliaEMcCoy ⚡” username=”ExpWriters”]
I can’t tell the full story of how I got into this industry without including my formative years, when my strength and hope were tested daily in an environment of abuse and control.
Many parts of my story seem, in fact, hopeless. However, I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t managed to find the light and escape my father’s household. Since then, I have built a thriving business, created a loving family, and emerged from the ashes of my upbringing stronger than ever.
“This is the story with the kind of hope that starts small, like a single ray of sunshine on a dark floor, building over time to become a blazing, all-encompassing orb that radiates through every pore, every cell.”
[bctt tweet=”This is the story with the kind of hope that starts small, like a single ray of sunshine on a dark floor ⛅, building over time to become a blazing, all-encompassing orb that radiates through every pore, every cell. – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
Woman Rising: A True Story – Get Your Copy on Amazon TODAY
I am BEYOND excited to finally share this story with you.
My hope is it inspires you to follow your dreams and passions.
