Today, great visuals are everything to engaging, readable online copy.
In addition to making your material more exciting, they also help pull readers through your text, making it easier for them to engage with and connect to it.
Without visuals, content is just a sad shell of text, and won’t make it far.
Here’s everything you need to know about why visuals matter and how to use them in your online content.
What the Numbers Say About Visuals in Your Content
When you were a kid, you loved books with pictures, right?
The illustrations just added something to the text, and you enjoyed learning about new worlds and people through colorful images.
Today, it’s no different.
While it might be true that we’re older and that the visuals in question now aren’t so much illustrations as they are graphics, screenshots, and infographics, visuals are just as important as they’ve always been, and adding them into your marketing copy can take it from “blah” to memorable.
The reason is simple: visuals tell a story, and that story helps enhance your online content. Without visuals, the words must stand on their own, which makes your material less compelling and exciting for readers.
37% of marketers report that visuals are their most valuable marketing asset, second only to their blogs
74% of social media marketers add visuals to their social updates
While people only remember 10% of the information they hear, they remember an average of 65% of what they see, making visual information the way to go for companies that want to encourage brand recall.
In 2016, 51% of B2B marketers were prioritizing the creation of visual assets.
By the end of this year, experts are predicting that 74% of all web traffic will be dedicated to video content.
Infographics earn 3x as many likes and shares on social media as any other type of content.
Tweets that have images in them receive 150% more retweets than text-only updates.
Facebook posts with images earn 2.3x the engagement of text-only posts.
With these numbers in mind, it’s clear that visual marketing is here to stay, and that engaging in it can be the most productive thing you do this year.
10 Ways to Use Visuals in Your Online Copy
New to the world of visual marketing? Don’t fear. Start by using these top ten visual tricks:
1. Add Images To Every 200-300 Words in Your Blogs & Create Social Shareworthy Inset Images
This is one of the easiest and most straightforward ways to incorporate images into every blog you publish.
But don’t just “add images.” Here are some rules of thumb:
Add a screenshot per every 200-300 words. By nature, the brain responds more to visual stimulation than text, so you’ll want to break up your content with a lot of visuals. Screenshots work well to illustrate points.
Design (or have designed) a beautiful blog topic image, sized for optimal social sharing. Things to consider: theme it to the color code of your logo, have a custom artist design it.
Here’s an example of a couple creative blog headers our designer has put together that gained a good deal of traction on social media:
One of the most valuable things you can do for your marketing is to create a custom infographic. It’s seriously worth the investment. We create one every quarter (sometimes more): and to date, this content type has been our most-shared.
Unique because it’s designed specifically for your company and helpful because it addresses the concerns and interests of your target audience, this form of visual content will help to differentiate your brand online and help you stand out from the crowd.
Infographics perform better on social media than other types of content, so you’ll earn a solid ROI from your infographic.
If you’re looking for a team to create infographics for you, look no further than our creative infographic services!
3. Create Custom Blog Headers that are Themed In Your Colors
Custom blog headers can give your content a unique look and help your blog feel more cohesive. This is the “featured image” section of your blog.
Ideal for brands of all shapes and sizes, custom blog headers are some of the most useful things you can create for your brand.
For best results, create headers that use your company’s colors, utilize your logo, and incorporate a streamlined and cohesive design. Check out how we do this for our content on The Write Blog. The end “blog roll” look is visually engaging:
We’ve been experimenting with drawing “visual story steps,” too.
As of late 2016, we added unique, storytelling imagery to our content shop, which is a new variation in our visual products. Here are a few examples from our Process Page, to give you an idea of what these look like.
4. Screenshot Everything that Has a Visual Explanation
If you’re writing a tutorial, how-to, or instructive post, you need to be including screenshots. Visually explain what you’re talking about.
Screenshots help your readers understand what you’re saying and synthesize your post accordingly. This, in turn, makes it easier for them to connect with your content and absorb the meaning of your posts.
It also helps your content be more useful to your readers. Be sure that if you’re going to include a screenshot, to add one that’s in-depth and detailed, not a broad overview that won’t help your readers or that they could just as easily find on their own.
One tool I love is the Full Page Screen Capture, in the Chrome app store (free). I use Chrome daily, and to get a full-length screenshot without zooming and messing up the focus, the Full Page Screen Capture is my hidden weapon.
5. Add or Create A Meme
Memes are a great way to add some comic relief to your posts. Break up a long, detailed section with a meme or add it to offset a funny point you’re making.
There are dozens of free online meme generators to choose from, so you can always make your own. Just be sure that your memes, like all your other visual assets, are relevant, high-quality, and targeted to your audience. Otherwise, they won’t perform as well as you’d like them to.
6. Include Process Photos
If you’re in an industry where you’re showcasing tutorials or telling your customers how you make something, include process photos to help them go one step deeper.
Designed to allow your readers to connect more firmly to your material, these images are ideal for articles that tell people how to do things like how to change a bike chain or add oil to their car. The more images, the better for these posts.
While you can tell your readers all day long what they shouldn’t be doing, an image can be the best way to show them. Ideal for any topic that’s in-depth or complex, a “what not to do” photo can drive the point home more efficiently than a simple explanation.
8. Create Custom Videos
Videos are some of the highest-converting types of visual content out there.
While they’ll work in virtually any environment, from social media to your home page, they can revolutionize your email marketing and landing pages.
For best results, hire a company to create a custom video for you, since doing it yourself involves a somewhat steep learning curve. Once you’ve got a video you’re proud of, add it to your landing page, or email campaign. Of course, you can also share videos across social media and on your blog.
The meditation app Headspace does a great job of including relevant, high-quality videos all across its website and social media profiles. Here’s an example of one that’s gotten more than 700,000 views:
9. Try A Live Stream
Feeling adventurous with video? Try a live stream. Ideal for anyone who wants to tap into the rapidly growing trend of on-the-go video, live stream videos are the perfect way to make your online content more exciting and personalized for your readers.
You can live stream with Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, and Periscope, to name a few channels.
10. Create Galleries
Galleries are a unique way to use visuals and can be a smart way to showcase your work or introduce your employees on your website. For best results, ensure each image you include in your gallery is high-quality, relevant, and demonstrative of the gallery subset you’re displaying.
The Case for Compelling Images
If you’re looking for a smart way to go deeper with your images this year, these ten options are fantastic places to start.
Perfect for brands in all industries and specialties, carefully-selected visual content has the potential to boost readership, make content more impactful, and promote brand recall – all of which are excellent things for you.
What’s more, creating and compiling high-quality visual content has never been easier than it is right now, so there’s no reason to wait!
Need help creating professional visual assets you’ll be proud of? Check out our custom image services today!
From the moment we wake up, we consume a crazy high amount of content.
It’s nuts.
In just one minute: 7 million Snapchat videos are posted. Over 2 million Instagram posts get “hearted.” Facebook gets over 4 million likes. Nearly 350,000 tweets happen. Google translates 69 million words. (Contently)
In one day:almost three million blogs are posted.
So it only makes sense that you should share your awesome content on all of those platforms in order to have the greatest reach.
In a world of endless options for publishing content, we should publish anywhere and everywhere, right? (FOMO!)
Not necessarily. Let’s keep talking.
Where to Publish Content: Why The Answer Starts With Where NOT to Publish
One of the challenges we face as content marketers is the rise of social media platforms and the fact that readers don’t just start there – they never have to leave.
We use social media for news, to keep up with trends, to connect with other people, and to follow our favorite brands, which means we’re more engaged than ever before. But we also run the risk of getting stuck in a rut with the billions of others who are plugged in worldwide.
Your content may be magnificent, praiseworthy, and top-notch. But that doesn’t mean you should utilize every blogging and social media outlet known to the internet in order to share it.
The more content you publish, the better, but where should you sink all your valuable content marketing efforts into?
Here’s Where to Publish: 3 Areas of Focus We Recommend
When you are ready to share amazing content, here are three of the best places to create and publish on.
1. Your own blog and site
Honestly: this is your real best content publishing real estate.
Upkeeping a blog is key. Look at these stats:
1) B2B marketers that use blogs receive 67% more leads than those that do not.
2) Marketers who have prioritized blogging are 13x more likely to enjoy positive ROI.
5) Companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website.
6) Blogs have been rated as the 5th most trusted source for accurate online information. Hubspot
Treat it like your #1 content hub. Grow and expand it, weekly if not daily.
Here at Express Writers, we publish the majority of the content on our site. The combined abilities of our experienced writers allow us to create quality content that brings in revenue while also helping our audience. We post once a week minimum, with posts between 1,500 and 4,000 words. Once a month, a Twitter chat recap in our dedicated chat section is also created and shared. Our content is consistent, well-researched, and published following a specific timeframe. Topics are planned and thought out with care.
Our branded content has ended up being a major, major source of our entire company revenue (to the tune of 99%). More on that in my case study.
Your blog content can be an amazing resource for your audience. Here’s why:
Blogging can increase your search engine optimization (SEO), especially when you use keywords in the right way and create content in long form.
Blogging gives you content to promote across social media channels.
Blogging allows you a space to put valuable calls-to-action, which have the potential to generate leads and grow conversions.
A. How to write a strong blog post?
Hubspot offers some simple tips on how to write a blog post that begins with understanding your audience and ends with choosing a catchy title. You can read more about that here and grab some free blogging templates while you’re at it.
The best blog posts always have a clear topic and engaging title; the audience is drawn in and stays engaged because they have been captivated by the introduction.
The content is well-organized and relevant to the issue being addressed.
Experts across the industry craft quality blog content for their sites, including:
Neil Patel – co-founder of Crazy Egg, Hello Bar, and KISSmeterics
Barry Feldman – speaker, author, and creative copywriter
You may be wondering how often to publish on your company’s blog. While every company is different in size, strategy, and industry, there is some research that can help us answer that question.
In one study from HubSpot, the results showed that B2B companies that published over 16 blog posts per month received more than 3 times the amount of traffic as compared to companies that only published 4 times per month.
For B2C companies, those 16-times-per-month rate saw over 4 times the amount of traffic.
In another study, over 90% of Hubspot’s blog leads and more than 75% of post views came from old posts.
Posting quality content multiple times per week may be just what your readers are looking for, and if it’s awesome content, they will keep coming back for more. Read more about how to write content for a blog over here.
The time, effort, and work put into your own content makes your blog site YOUR real estate.
[bctt tweet=”Why publish your best on someone else’s real estate? – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
2. Guest blogging in your niche
Before you decide where to guest blog, you should set a goal for your blogging.
These goals could include anything from setting yourself up as an authority in your industry to driving readers to your own site.
Check out how we achieve results from guest blogging: my content, for example a column I keep with 2 posts/week on SiteProNews, has netted us a lead worth $5,000.
When you begin with this sort of focus, it can help narrow your scope as you write.
Guest blogging in your niche is a great opportunity to share your authoritative view on a number of topics, but you must find platforms where your audience is already located.
You may find opportunities by searching for blogs that invite guests to post – just do a keyword search using words from your industry combined with “guest post” or “guest blogger.” From here, you’ll find guides, and the publications publishing them will more often than not accept guest bloggers in this industry. (See result #2: that’s CMI’s guest blogging guidelines!)
A recent Google search for “content marketing submit a guest post” presented almost 3 million results. (!!!)
You can also look on the social feeds of your buyers. Check out Facebook feeds and Twitter posts – what content does your demographic share? Your potential audience is already reading content across these mediums, so it’s a good place to start.
At Express Writers, we have seen some serious return on investment from just one guest blog post. I already showed you the Life Cycle graphic, but check out my post for more about it.
What are some of the “secrets”?
Focus on less channels, not more.
Focus on a relationship with a real person, not a contact form.
Focus on the platforms in your niche.
Focus on giving your best, most useful content.
Guest blogging in your niche is also a great way to connect with other marketers in your industry. You never know where a relationship may lead or when you will need their advice for your own content development.
3. Be on Two (Very) Authoritative Platforms
Sharing your content on authoritative platforms not only sets you apart as an expert, but allows your voice to be heard by a larger audience. There are benefits when you publish on sites like Medium and LinkedIn.
Why? Because you are demonstrating your expertise through the delivery of valuable content – it’s showing an audience versus just telling them.
1. Medium
Writing, publishing, and promoting content on this platform means you’ll join the likes of Sports Illustrated and the White House.
Yes, the White House. As in, the State of the Union addresses and policy announcements.
When founder Ev William first launched the site in 2012, he noted that Medium is a place where writers focus on the words while also serving as a place of collaboration so you can say what you want to say.
Wordstream shared 10 reasons content writers should publish on Medium. They include:
The simple import process.
A built-in audience through Facebook and Twitter.
Engagement tools, so you can see who’s reading and how many.
Minimum effort – no original content required.
Read more here, including how your valuable content can be discovered by publishers who scout for authors on Medium.
2. LinkedIn
This virtual gathering of all types of professionals also serves as a publishing platform. In February 2014, LinkedIn Pulse went public, allowing writers from a variety of industries to share their thoughts with the click of a button.
In order to write successful content on LinkedIn, there are some suggestions noted on the site to help get you started:
Offer advice for career advancement.
Describe challenges in your profession, both current and future.
Discuss how your industry has changed since you began.
Give solid advice to one who hopes to enter your field.
Posts should be long-form and are bolstered by relevant images or videos. While there are no limits on word count, the more helpful content you can share, the more value you can bring to the table.
And don’t forget – editing is your friend!
Case Study: Where We Publish Content at Express Writers
I lead our inbound content strategy (and write a lot of it, with other staff members).
Here’s a visual representation of what my schedule when publishing content looks like.
As you can see, a large portion of our content is dedicated to our site. Hence the huge amount of inbound leads we receive (case study on that here).
What About New Platforms? Answer These 3 Questions to Make Sure it’s Worth Your Time
New platforms for content publishing may arise out of the night like a sparkly, shiny marketing tool that calls to you and beckons you to come forward and share your valuable writing.
Don’t fall for it.
When Blab.im was released as a video discussion website and livestream app, people loved it and spent a lot of time on the site – an average of an hour a day. The platform took three weeks to build and went from 0 users to just under 4 million in less than a year.
In August of 2016, the website was shut down, and along with its departure went all of its users’ content.
This is proof that just because you can doesn’t mean you should. So how do you decide what to keep and what to toss?
Ask yourself these three questions first:
1. Does this platform fit my niche?
If it does, you are more likely to attract qualified leads and find the right audience for your topic. Content shared on LinkedIn is not going to look the same as content shared on SnapChat, so think carefully before jumping into a new platform.
2. Who is my intended audience, and do they spend time there?
In order to know if your audience participates in a particular platform, you have to first know who they are. Define who you are trying to reach and then find out where those individuals spend their time. Copyblogger reminds us:
“Before you can get someone to buy from you, you need to know what to say to them, and how to say it. You’ll never get that right unless you know who you’re talking to.”
3. Will my presence there help me meet my content goals?
If your goal is to increase brand awareness, a focus on guest blogging may be more worth your time than a case study. If you are looking for engagement, being active on social media channels could help your content go viral faster than a podcast.
The Downside to Being Everywhere
Content marketers are busy people, and we’re not just talking about the actual content creation part.
This may be your only job, or it may be in addition to that other job you work. You may or may not have a spouse, kids, a home, and other interests that demand your attention. It’s possible to stretch yourself too thin as you try to be every solution to everyone, and burn out.
There is a downside to being everywhere.
Can Being Everywhere Lead to Being Nowhere?
When you are just starting out – and even when you’ve been at this content thing for a while – it is easy to fall prey to the notion that your content should be everywhere.
After all, isn’t that how we make an impact?
Actually, the “Be Everywhere” strategy can take you down a long, winding road to the town of Nowhere. No one wants to be here. It’s marked by content creators who have spread themselves so far that they have little to give.
Nowhere is a land of few listeners and even fewer conversions.
Over at Entrepreneur, Jeff Stephens reminds us why trying to be everywhere can lead us to nowhere:
Every platform requires time, focused effort, and a learning curve while you try to get to know a new audience.
Focusing on too many channels distracts us from what really matters.
Being everywhere wastes time and means you are nowhere fully.
For more inspiration on this, listen in to my podcast with Mark Schaefer, one of the top business bloggers in the world, where he discusses the downside of not focusing on and mastering just a few channels – for many years with Mark, it was just one channel, his blog!
The solution to being everywhere is to find the place where you really need to be, and target your content across those channels.
Does targeted content distribution matter?
Among marketers, 53% say that target content distribution is a factor that has contributed to their increased success.
At the same time, the average number of content marketing tactics used is seven, with the top being social media and blogs.
Intentionality in choosing your distribution channels will not only benefit you – saving time, energy, and resources – it will benefit your audience, as well.
They will get your best content, the content that has been crafted with a focus on their needs and real solutions.
Only you can decide which channels are beneficial and which ones need to go. But whatever you do, don’t get lost in the land of Nowhere. It won’t bring value to your message and it certainly won’t benefit your readers.
Gain Focus with a Solid Content Marketing Strategy & Know Where to Publish Content
In order to know where you want to go, you need a plan for getting there. That’s where a content marketing strategy comes in, although the majority of marketers do not have one.
Only 37% of B2B marketers and 40% of B2C marketers have a content marketing plan in writing, while 70% of us are creating more content this year than in 2016.
Study after study has shown that success comes when we write down our goals, go back to review them, and share them with others. It is not different for content creation.
No matter how small or how big your team is, a written content strategy can make a huge difference in how you reach and who you reach with your message. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
Define your goal – why are you producing content?
Conduct your research – who is your audience?
Evaluate your content – check out what you did last year, and see if you can switch it up.
Brainstorm content ideas and types – outline the blog post that’s been simmering, start crafting that e-book, and put together an infographic if these types of content are what will work best for your audience’s needs.
Publish your content – Post it on your website, social media channels, or on a guest blog. Create quality content on a consistent basis. Don’t offer your audience something generic that they can find anywhere. Be specific and be intentional.
The Truth About All Those Platforms
If we were to sit down over a cup of coffee and list all the platforms available to content marketers, it would be extensive.
Social media sites
Video sites
Email marketing
Webinars
Graphic tools
Paid promotion tools
Blogging channels
In addition to the countless number of publishing sites we already have, there are new ones popping up all the time. Where you should focus your efforts depends on your goals, your audience, and your resources.
And all of those platforms? Just because they are there doesn’t mean they are the right ones for you. The last thing you want is to put all your efforts into something that doesn’t reach your target and ends up taking you to the town of Nowhere.
When you know your readers and you know where you want to go, where to publish will make much more sense. Combine this with a confidence in your abilities, and you can be on your way to publishing the right content in the right places.
Find Your Rhythm, Know Where to Publish Content that Works for You
Challenges for content marketers abound, whether you’ve been in this field for a week or a decade.
Where to publish your content can only be decided by you, but these tips can go a long way to help.
With a bit of thought and planning, find your rhythm, choose the best outlets for your audience, reach the right people – and do amazing things!
Ongoing, consistent keyword research is critical to a strong online presence.
While keyword research has seen its share of changes over the years, it remains a useful part of content creation.
Why?
Keyword research is online ROI.
Real, true, return-on-investment: find the right keywords, and you can create content with the potential for high Google rankings inside the next year (remember, content is a long-term investment). Using the right keywords allows you to use the direct terms of your customers and target audience.
Keyword research is the tool you use to spread your message and stand out in your field. Every content developer worth his or her words knows it is a piece of the bigger picture when it comes to ranking and reaching.
Understanding why, and how, will add vitality to your brand’s presence. Skimp here, and you’ll find yourself stuck in the same place with the same results. But there is a way to dive in, find the right keywords, and strengthen your online presence. Let’s discuss!
Why Consistent Keyword Research Is Fundamental to a Strong Online Presence
Let’s dive in with three big reasons why keyword research is vital to a strong presence.
1. Consistent keyword research helps you get to know and understand your ideal target persona.
Focusing too much on specific keywords without a focus on the user behind the screen is a big mistake.
Keywords are the words we are trying to rank for, but your buyer persona doesn’t really care about the “keyword” itself. What they care about is finding the best results for their search term.
When you type something into a Google search, you have a purpose. Your goal is to find out more information about a new restaurant, read a news story, or look for a local service.
This means that one simple change in a word can produce far different results.
It’s all about intent. Example: When someone searches for “hire a gardener” on Google, the first results are fairly generic and include results from sites like Home Advisor, WikiHow, and Gardens Illustrated. These are general how-to guides aimed at anyone who wants to know how to plant a flower, when to weed, and what type of fertilizer works best. The results are not specific to location or service type.
But change that search to “hire a gardener in Austin,” and the results are much different.
With the addition of just a few more words, we see the best gardeners in the Austin area based on reviews from other customers. These are meant for those searchers who are far into the process and want real answers.
There is intent behind this specific search.
By understanding how a user will search, you can narrow your focus and dive deeper into keyword research, rather than just stringing words together. This will allow you to craft focused content, target your persona, and see results.
Content creators often make the mistake of spending too much time on specific phrases and terms while neglecting to understand the user intent behind the words. Rather than try to guess what your audience means by a search query, keyword research helps you understand the intent behind the language.
2. Consistent keyword research keeps it natural.
How we search on the web has changed significantly over the past few decades. The rise of voice search and advanced technology has contributed to the way we look for everything from pizza delivery to books on Amazon.
Today, users are more likely to phrase a search as a question, as if they are talking to a friend, rather than searching with just two or three words.
Or in some cases, they search online the same way they ask Alexa or Siri a question. It’s natural and less stuffy.
A2: Always write with your audience in mind and use keywords in a way that’s natural, not forced. Keyword stuffing isn’t cool. #semrushchat
This trend toward more natural language is due to a few factors, including: Search engine capabilities: No one wants to sit and string together a bunch of keyword combinations, especially as they search through a mobile device. We are searching quickly, and we don’t have time to wait around for an answer. Search technology: Google welcomes complex questions, as explained in this blog post, and the search engine understands more specific queries. Technology is keeping pace, and the faster it answers, the faster the user expects it to be. Search through digital assistants: Ask Alex, Cortana, or your smartphone, and you’ll get an answer. Here is what Will Oremus from Slate had to say about the future of search in the wake of these popular devices:
In the beginning, computers spoke only computer language, and a human seeking to interact with one was compelled to do the same. First came punch cards, then typed commands…the 1980s brought the mouse click and the graphical user interface to the masses; the 2000s, touch screens; the 2010s, gesture control and voice. It has all been leading, gradually and imperceptibly, to a world in which we no longer have to speak computer language, because computers will speak human language—not perfectly, but well enough to get by. And the implications…will be tremendous. (Slate)
Using long-tail keywords in a natural way will reach your audience quicker as they search, which will make your communication more effective and specific.
3. Consistent keyword research brings relevancy and leaves an impression.
When content creators take the time to find the most relevant and meaningful keywords for their target group – which happens when we understand our audience – it changes everything. Relevant, long-tail keywords contribute to successful SEO and more qualified traffic.
Here is the truth: if someone is searching with a long-tail keyword in the form of a question, and you have optimized for shorter keywords that don’t hold meaning, your results will not be as relevant.
We can challenge ourselves here to go even beyond just relevant content and strive to produce amazing content. Relevance combined with amazing equals results that will go beyond our expectations.
How do we find relevant terms, those that our target audience is searching for? With consistent keyword research.
3 of Our Favorite SEO Search Tools
When you’re ready to dive into keyword research, here are some of our favorite tools you can use right now. Check ‘em out!
1. SEMrush
This killer SEO tool performs keyword research, tracks keyword strategy used by your competition, runs an SEO audit of your blog, and looks for backlink opportunities, just to name a few of the features. SEMrush houses a database of over 46 million domains and 120 million keywords while tracking the organic position of a domain and competitor analysis.
2. KWFinder
This keyword research and analysis tool offers real-time keyword SEO difficulty and generates long-tail keywords related to your niche that your competitors may be missing. Perform a search on a keyword and the site will analyze, providing you with an SEO competition score out of 100, giving you the keyword difficulty based on comparison across the market.
Also, one reason I love this tool is the absolutely gorgeous UX. I mean, what other tool is this pretty?
3. AnswerThePublic
This cool search tool grabs and maps keyword suggestions and predictions with a free visual report. The common Google and Bing autosuggest reports show you what is actually being searched for based on the keyword you enter.
A recent AnswerThePublic search for “online content writing” resulted in this visual and alphabetical list.
The site works to automate the gathering of questions related to your keyword, creating a visualization of the data so you can answer more effectively. The insight you can gain is invaluable and may serve as a jumpstart to relevant long-tail keyword creation for content writers.
Of course, you can only use this tool if you’re comfortable doing so while having a stranger stare at you and, at times, pick his teeth. 😉
Are Keywords Still Relevant? The Big Ticket Question Discussed
When it comes to keyword research and its effectiveness for online content, the opinions are as varied as a can of fruit cocktail.
I talk about this question more in-depth in my recent post, Is Keyword Density Dead?
TL;DR: keyword density is certainly dead. But keywords themselves are certainly not.
While keywords may not be the only factor we now consider, they remain an important part of content development in a world of ever-changing SEO and technology.
In fact, long-tail keywords (those with more than four words) still account for 50% of search queries, which reminds us that it’s important to use them in page titles and content, in internal links, and in user-generated reviews.
Conclusion
Keyword research has changed, but the goal of creating quality content remains the same.
When brands and website owners commit to understanding their audience, keeping the word flow as natural as possible, and staying relevant, the results will be a solid offering that meets the reader right where they are.
Are you ready to build the cornerstone of great content? Our Content Strategists are trained to do just that in our Keyword Strategy service! Connect with us today and let’s get to work.
What is it in your copy that leads someone on your site from the point of almost purchasing, to actually converting?
Better yet… What stops them from that last step (the sale)?
The answer is relatively simple.
At some point, they came face-to-face with an ugly troll that is known as prospect fear.
Today, we’re calling it the “Copy Fear Troll.”
If you’re lacking copy conversions, this troll is out there, living and breathing in your copy, on your web pages, ready to pounce on anyone who is considering a purchase on your site. The good news? You can do more than just stop it: you can kill it.
Read on to learn what website visitors fear the most (defining the Copy Fear Troll), and how I overcame a personal troll of our own, living and breathing on our site, as a New Year’s goal for my agency’s online presence.
The 3 Subconscious Fears of Your Online Visitors (Before Copy Conversions Ever Happen)
Every member of your audience has a different buying style: some are impulsive and will buy with little to no research, while others will want their decisions reaffirmed before making any commitments.
Here are some reasons your potential customers may do a quick dash for the figurative door before taking action.
1. Insecurity
Insecurities come from many different places, including past experiences, a lack of information, and a sense that the product or service is not quite good enough. This is the fear troll’s area of expertise – dredging up all the reasons why this transaction is going to fail.
2. Mistrust
The goal in content marketing is to build trust and keep readers coming back for more quality content. There are many reasons to not trust, especially if your readers have been burned before. The fear troll loves sending subtle reminders about why a customer should quit before getting too involved.
3. Waste
Most of us can remember a time when we wasted money on something foolish, whether it was a door-to-door scheme or online purchase we felt we could not do without. No one wants to repeat that mistake, so the fear troll whispers doubt at every step.
Getting Rid of the Copy Fear Troll
So, what’s a content marketer to do?
You might be surprised at how easy the answer is: kill the fear troll with real, down-to-earth, authentic copy that transparently situates your brand and your services before your prospects.
Thorough transparency.
It’s the name of the anti-copy fear troll game.
We recently worked on going from almost-good-enough to fear-killing-copy on our site, and the results have been promising.
A Case Study of How Killing the Fear Troll in Your Copy Works
In December of 2016, to prep for a great January and an even better 2017, I recruited one of our top internal marketing writers from my agency to help boost our site copy.
As of December, we had roughly 6,000 monthly site visitors, and our non-paid reach in Google SERPs was worth $13,000 in organic value:
Yet our average new customer number was around 20-30 a month, and some converted at low numbers. Only one or two visitors per day actually sent in a contact form. We wanted to change that!
Together, my ad writer and I looked at my agency site, our services, and worked out the best emphasis on “how to sell” in our own copy.
3 Ways We Banished the Copy Conversions Fear Troll—& Won
The problem we found was that visitors were bouncing early on—after a few clicks from the home page.
My ad copywriter decided that we needed a) more copy and b) more effective copy.
The biggest two takeaways I learned from auditing our site and reinventing the weak copy that we had:
Cut to the core of what you do best. Be simple and authentic about your product and value.
Be confident and speak with confidence. You’re the A-team: show clients that!
Here’s the core of the changes we did:
1. New Fear-Banishing Page Around Our Values
Inspired, I created the new Our Values page. In it, I concentrated on telling – from my heart – why our brand stands out above all our competitors. We take a lot of pride in a process that removes 98% of the applicants that approach our writing team, but I wasn’t telling the story of our process on the site.
2. New Image Choices (Visualizing a Happy Client) & Friendlier Menu
We then re-created the menu at the top of our site with more clarity:
We have a lot of resources—podcast, blog, and Twitter chat—and we grouped that under one tab called “Learn.”
We created an “About” menu that included Success Stories (which we didn’t have live on the site previously), and a Meet the Team page.
We worked together to create a strong page that emphatically shared “our values.” The end result was so strong that we took it out of the About tab and put it live in the menu as Our Values.
We even changed the image on the home page. We had a stock image of a writer, thinking, pen in hand. The new image my ad consultant suggested was a visualization of a happy client receiving their content. Literally, someone smiling at a computer, with at least one other person. It was important to visualize the end result for the client rather than just our team doing the work. The result when we changed up the image concept (simple—a Shutterstock purchase!) was tremendously better looking.
Here’s the difference, visually, between our old menu and home page stock image:
And our new home page menu and image:
In less than a week, more than three live chats have been started from the Our Values page by brand new, incoming agency leads (our ideal client type), discussing thousands of dollars’ worth of work.
We’re starting to attract communications from our ideal client type—after I decided it was time to speak to them, in our copy!
After reading the Values page, and landing on it, here is what one of those leads had to say on our live chat (we use Drift for onsite chat). Names hidden for privacy reasons:
She converted at $5,000 inside the next two weeks.
The language in the entire chat that came from this lead was so friendly, natural, and at a level where we didn’t have to “hard sell” at all. She was “sold” from the start, instead, after landing on that page. We didn’t experience conversations like these, prior to the new site page being launched. Typically, we had to convince with multiple phone calls and meetings to get a lead to that point.
Killing the fear troll with more on-site, real, down-to-earth, authentic copy, works.
Different Content for Different Goals
Your authentic copy must be uniquely created for your brand, especially when you consider that certain content types won’t work as well for conversions as others.
For instance, if increasing sales is a priority, your time may be better spent creating buying guides, product videos, and page descriptions. On the other hand, if you run a DIY website, a consistent and high-quality blog with step-by-step instructions could be a valuable tool for your audience.
Remember the 4 Stages of Customer Wooing
Different content marketers will explain the stages of the audience differently, but they all end up at the same place: conversion and retention. No matter where your prospects may fall, the key is to pay attention to all the details, however small they may seem, and make sure each one builds trust and smashes fear.
At the top of the funnel is discovery, which is kind of like trying catch the eye of someone you like across the room. Is he aware of me? Would she be interested? Should I make a move?
For content marketers, it’s more difficult to make batty eyes, so we focus more on brand awareness and educational content. This is the stage where we tell people that yes, they do have a problem and yes, we do have the solutions.
It’s not a time to talk about ourselves – it’s the stage where we get to know them.
No one likes the guy who won’t shut up about himself, right?
Keep in mind, also, that your potential conversions may have been burned in the past and are really, really looking for trustworthy solutions.
Smash the fear by providing quality content that will make your audience feel secure in their dealings with you and your brand, whether it’s in the form of email newsletters, how-to guides, or webinars.
2. Consideration
After you catch the eye of your lead, you will probably want to move onto considering whether or not to make a move.
Meanwhile, your readers are starting to think about making a move with the solution you’ve presented. They will be researching specific product or brand information, credible authority to back up your claims, and all the evidence that points to your superiority over your competitors.
In other words, why should Mr. or Mrs. Cutie like you more than all the other Cuties in the room?
Smash the fear by being authoritative, confident, and authentic. Be yourself – you have something awesome to share, so let it show.
3. Conversion
Ah, conversion. That lovely place where you are finally interacting with that potential lead through conversation that will hopefully retain them for a long time to come. They are looking at reviews and product descriptions in order to compare and, hopefully, buy what you’re selling.
It’s the courting of the marketing world.
Smash the fear by providing honest answers and following-up at the appropriate time.
4. Retention
The goal at this stage is to keep your customers coming back for all the good content you have to offer. This will look different for everyone, but may include the creative use of technology to understand your audience, educating your customers, and focusing on quality service.
Retention is the marriage of the content world.
Check out how nine successful companies have used innovative approaches to making sure their customers have a great experience and stay loyal.
Smash the fear by continuing to offer quality resources and interacting on every channel.
Overcome Your Content Fear Troll
When you are armed with the right tools, knowledge, and resources, it is possible to kill the fear troll at every stage of the buying journey.
Take inspiration and get on the road to more copy conversions and a better, higher quality online presence. Let us help you kill that troll today with copy written to suit your brand audience! 🙂
How much do you agree with this thought:
“Honesty is something you can’t wear out.” – Waylon Jennings
Here’s another question.
Is it possible to be too honest? Over-transparent?
Everyone has at least one person they know who says too much. It can be irritating.
But in content marketing, brand honesty and authenticity are the opposite of off-putting.
In fact, these virtues are necessary to build trust for your efforts.
Maybe Waylon Jennings was onto something.
Let’s explore my data-driven research on this important, perhaps critical, marketing topic of today: brand authenticity and honesty. (You’ll also see why I believe in it so much. I put it all out there when it came to an issue I faced in 2016.)
Consumer Reviews in an Age of Content Marketing
Did you know that 90% of consumers read less than 10 reviews before already forming an opinion about a business?
In an age of ever-advancing technology and communication, online reviews remain an important part of consumer research and decision-making.
Why is this?
Because online reviews are honest. And we need to know that the product we are purchasing, the realtor we are working with, and the pizza place we’re thinking about for dinner are both trustworthy and worth our time.
The same is true for our content. If our brand’s integrity and honesty shine through, we are setting up an environment where our audience will trust us and keep coming back for more. But while consumers want honesty, not all feel like it’s present.
According to Chon & Wolfe, 75% of consumers surveyed across 14 markets believe that companies are not open and transparent. While this may seem like a negative statistic, it actually opens up the door for us to engage in the type of practices that will close this gap.
Ready to jump in with us?
How Brand Honesty and Authenticity Build Serious Trust for Your Content Marketing
There is tremendous power behind authentic and honest messaging. When the story resonates, the audience listens, and when we hear what they are saying and respond with thought, the conversation continues and we all benefit.
Brand honesty and authenticity build trust for your content marketing efforts not because you are saying what they want to hear, but because you’re saying what’s real.
Did you catch that? It’s not about throwing out a catchy sales pitch or trying to be something you aren’t. When we are real, all of a sudden, we feel less alone. We find that someone else “gets” us, makes mistakes like we do, and finds it in themselves to move on in spite of it.
Here are three ways brand honesty and authenticity build trust in your content marketing efforts.
1. Honesty adds value
Presenting an honest front adds value because it sets you up as an authority. Would you take parenting advice from someone who’s never had kids? Would you take your car to someone who’s never popped a hood and trust him with your engine?
Probably not.
But maybe you notice your neighbor working on cars every weekend and then you talk to him, and he mentions that he’s been a mechanic on the side for 20 years. In this case, maybe you would consider asking him why your car is making that funny noise.
Why is that?
Because you have seen him act as an expert. You can now take a step forward in trusting him with your own vehicle.
When our content marketing is backed by personal stories and experiences because we’ve been there, it adds value to what we’re saying. We are moving ourselves from an advice-giver to a credible source of information and real solutions.
We are adding value to our brand.
2. Honesty shows you care.
Genuine interest in the midst of a busy life isn’t as difficult as it seems. At the same time, failing to communicate authentically leaves an empty space that leaves your audience wondering where everything went wrong.
It is true that customers want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly, no matter what. Silence begets distrust and suspicion, openness builds trust. (Forbes)
Honesty in your brand’s message communicates to your audience that you care enough to tell the truth, even if it isn’t pretty. As an authority in your field, you are looking beyond your own reputation and moving into an attitude of transparency with your readers.
3. Honesty clarifies who shouldn’t invest in your brand.
HubSpot recommends that in our attempts at insane honesty, we tell the world who should probably not buy our products.
Really.
Why is this? Because it clearly identifies those who should purchase and alienates less likely customers, those mismatches and time-wasters. And contrary to what we may think, people won’t walk away mad or turn against us. They’ll just keep looking until they find a good fit.
It’s less about wasting their time and more about attracting the right audience for your message.
What Makes a Brand Authentic? 2 Factors
The Cohn & Wolfe survey cited earlier found that among consumers, authenticity from brands would earn them more loyalty. Consumers would also be more likely to:
Refer to friends and family
Invest in the company
Consider working as an employee for the company
What makes a brand authentic?
1. Reliability
Your audience expects you to be reliable. Social Media Examiner reminds us that instead of just talking about our products or services, the key to drawing in an audience is to create reliable content that they can easily relate to.
Each time we provide authoritative content in an honest way, we are building a foundation for our current readers and potential future connections.
One example of a reliable brand is John Deere. From building the first polished plow back in the 1800s to the publication of The Furrow, which attempted to educate farmers on new technology and how to be more successful business owners, Deere & Company has proven itself to be a reliable brand for its customers.
The current art director for the publication credits the magazine’s focus on the audience, rather than the equipment they sell.
Can your readers count on you to deliver consistent, high-quality content that meets their needs?
2. Respectfulness
Respecting someone, even if we don’t agree, is not always an easy thing to do. And what about your competition? Yes, even that brand or company is headed up by a real person who deserves respect.
One example of a respectable brand is Nike.
Scroll through their separate customer support account (@NikeSupport), and you’ll find phrases like “we’re here to help,” and, “if you need anything else, we’ve got your back.” This makes a big difference, not only for those who need to approach the company for assistance, but also for future interactions.
The audience will know that they will be treated with kindness and respect.
In your interactions with your audience, do you put their needs first?
Realness: When content marketing is too salesy or comes across as promotional, it drives an audience away. Rather than trying to tout a product, focus on providing real value to your readers and see where it takes the relationship.
It’s our responsibility to deliver authentic content every time. This extends to social media, visual content, and email content. When Southwest Airlines made the move to “Transfarency,” they showed the heart of the brand and the foundation of how the company does business.
How does your message express the heart of your brand?
Case Study: Our Move to Go Completely Authentic
In May of 2016, Express Writers made the move to be totally transparent with some things that happened in the company around that time. In response to previous staff members failing to deliver quality content and embezzling funds, we determined to be honest and upfront about the entire issue. Rather than hiding behind a façade of we’ve-got-it-all-together, we chose to come clean and make changes in the process.
After talking to a ton of people about it, I decided to write an “immediate-response” blog about what we were going to do to improve our entire workforce and company, and later on, tell the story in a podcast.
Read about what happened and what our response was here on the blog, and here in the podcast episode.
Although it was a difficult choice for me to make – being that transparent to our entire client and subscriber base, I heard positive responses from the majority of readers. (Of course, there was that 2% that said “TMI.” But I’m glad I went with my gut on this one.)
Strangers on Facebook even shared my podcast about it:
Ready to Build Trust for Your Brand?
Authenticity cannot be faked.
It requires commitment to delivering through on promises and engaging on an honest level.
It’s work, and it isn’t always easy, but it’s worth the time and resources you invest.
Your brand will be better, and your audience will stick around because they know they are only getting what’s real and reliable.
If Waylon Jennings was right about honesty being something we can’t wear out, our content marketing should be as honest and authentic as possible. This approach not only connects us with our audience, but sets us apart as an authority.
One more time: real connection happens not because you say what they want to hear, but because you’re saying what’s real.
