We’ve all come across internet copy that is good — and web copy that is not so good.
So what’s the difference?
While a great deal of it comes down to skill (talented copywriters turn out better content than less skilled professionals), the big difference between outstanding and poor is a level of persuasiveness.
Sound complex?
It is.
Persuasiveness boils down to many things.
It’s about human psychology, the herd mentality, and emotions, to name just a few things.
If you’ve ever wondered how you can create persuasive copywriting, this guide is for you. Read on to learn more.
[bctt tweet=”Learn all about #persuasivecopywriting and how to weave elements of psychology into your online copy, in our guide.” username=”ExpWriters”]
What Makes Copy Persuasive?
Persuasive copy has a primary purpose: to get people to convert.
When the copy is compelling, it plays on a reader’s emotions enough to get them to take a given action, be it to click, download, purchase, or share.
To do this, copy must match the following standards:
Well-written. Persuasive copywriting is professional-grade, free of errors, and clear.
Succinct. Copywriting that is too long or too jumbled loses the meaning very quickly. Because of this, the most persuasive copywriting is short, sweet, and to the point.
Intelligent. Nobody is going to be persuaded by copywriting that doesn’t come off as intelligent. To be persuasive, copywriting must be smart, forward-thinking, and well-rounded.
Relevant. What is persuasive to one audience won’t necessarily be persuasive to another. Because of this, persuasive copywriting in a given industry must be of interest to the company’s target audience.
How to Create Persuasive Copywriting: 5 Keys of Success
Crafting persuasive copy is truly an art form. While it’s one thing to be a good copywriter, it’s entirely another to be a persuasive copywriter.
Writing persuasive copy takes a unique set of skills and a fair bit of expertise.
Luckily, it’s not out of reach for anyone who wants to dedicate the time and effort to learn it.
If you’re dying to craft more persuasive copy for your site, follow these key tips:
1. Focus on the benefits of whatever you’re offering
Think about the television commercials of today. Very few of them just list a litany of features before cutting out. Instead, nearly every successful commercial on tv emphasizes the benefits of its product.
Consider something as simple as one of Buick’s most recent ads, which shows a happy couple leaving a beautiful wedding venue and climbing into their sleek Buick commercial. As this happens, one groomsman says to the other, “Didn’t I tell you to decorate their Buick?” “You did, but that’s not a Buick,” the other replies. The camera cuts to an image of the pastor’s old station wagon, draped in “just married” signs.
The point: a Buick will make you seem sexy, high-class, and sleek. The ad communicates this without ever mentioning any of the specific features of the Cascada.
This is a prime example of persuasive content. If the commercial had listed the Cascada’s features, it would have lost its audience immediately. Since it focused on the benefits, though, it’s racked up thousands of views on YouTube, and millions more on television.
Case in point? Making your content more persuasive means focusing on benefits rather than features. When you can sell your customers a lifestyle, you’re in business.
[bctt tweet=”How do you create #persuasivecopywriting? Tip #1: Focus on the benefits rather than the features of your product or service. Know more about @JuliaEMcCoy’s 5 keys to successful persuasive copywriting.” username=”ExpWriters”]
2. Get specific
Persuasive content doesn’t use generalities.
Why, you ask?
Because people don’t connect with generalities. Instead of hearing that “a lot” of people subscribe to a blog (so you should, too), people want to hear that millions of individuals have already signed up.
For an example of someone who does this well, consider Tim Ferris and his “7 Reasons to Subscribe” post.
Instead of saying “I have tons of monthly readers,” he says, “1,000,000+ monthly readers means something – the content works.”
Are you sold? I am.
This is incredibly precise, and it works because of that.
The takeaway? Be as specific as you possibly can in your content – in everything from the statistics you use (What percentage of people do X? Where did the statistic come from? What year was the study you’re referencing conducted?) to the words you use. Generalities and vague pronoun references get you nowhere – specificity is essential.
[bctt tweet=”‘Be as specific as you possibly can in your content – in everything from the statistics you use to the words you use. Generalities and vague pronoun references will get you nowhere.’ – @JuliaEMcCoy on persuasive copywriting.” username=”ExpWriters”]
3. Appeal to reader emotions
Persuasive content is emotive content. When readers, viewers, or fans connect emotionally to a piece, they’re much more likely to remember it, even after the advertisement, blog post, or video has disappeared from their screen. Consider the Airbnb “Belong Anywhere” campaign, which showcases various Airbnb hosts welcoming guests to properties around the world.
If you didn’t tear up a bit, your heart might be made of cardboard. If you did tear up, you might be thinking, “Over an ad for vacation rentals??” Heck yes. And why? Because this ad appeals to your emotions – it appeals to the foundational human desire to be a part of something big, expansive, and loving, and Airbnb is using those emotions to position itself as a platform that can provide that feeling, in abundance, for anyone who wants it.
If there’s anything to be learned from this ad and others like it, it’s that appealing to viewer emotions is a very powerful thing. In addition to making a connection that outlasts the ad itself, appealing to human emotions also makes your content much more persuasive.
[bctt tweet=”‘Persuasive content is emotive content. When readers, viewers, or fans connect emotionally to a piece, they’re much more likely to remember it…’ – @JuliaEMcCoy on persuasive copywriting.” username=”ExpWriters”]
4. Use word of mouth
According to Bright Local, 91% of 18-34-year-olds trust online testimonials exactly as much as they trust a personal recommendation from a valued friend. With that in mind, one of the easiest things you can do to make your content more persuasive is to add plenty of previous customer testimonials.
This does two crucial things: first of all, it boosts consumer trust in your brand and product. When people see that dozens or even hundreds of other people have left positive reviews, they’re much more likely to believe you themselves. Secondly, it helps you present yourself as a competent, professional, experienced company, which is awesome for upping the persuasiveness factor.
[bctt tweet=”‘According to Bright Local, 91% of 18-34-year-olds trust online testimonials… one of the easiest things you can do to make your content more persuasive is to add plenty of previous customer testimonials.’ – @JuliaEMcCoy” username=”ExpWriters”]
5. Feel it yourself
If you don’t buy what you’re selling, your customers won’t either. Because of this, it’s essential to be as passionate as you claim to be about the material you’re writing on. Unless you feel an authentic level of excitement about and belief in a topic, it’s going to come across as stale and phony.
Because of this, the most persuasive copywriting is penned by writers that truly care about their topics. If you’ve found your excitement to be lacking lately, try stepping out of your viewpoint and into your customers’. What is it about this product or service that’s life-changing? What sets it apart from all the rest? By taking a moment to reconnect with these things, you equip yourself with the authentic passion needed to create persuasive copywriting for your readers.
If you find that you can’t step outside of yourself enough to get that truly authentic voice, consider hiring a professional writer to do it for you. Because professional writers are third parties, it’s easy for them to create passionate, excited content that accurately describes the benefits, perks, and unique aspects of your product, good, or service.
[bctt tweet=”‘If you don’t buy what you’re selling, your customers won’t either. Because of this, it’s essential to be as passionate as you claim to be about the material you’re writing on.’ – @JuliaEMcCoy on persuasive copywriting.” username=”ExpWriters”]
Persuasive Copywriting Starts Here
The web is lousy with copywriting, but persuasive copywriting stands out a head above the rest. Because persuasive copywriting requires real skill and real emotion, it’s the material that customers are most likely to remember, and it’s the type of writing that will ultimately benefit a company the most.
Without a doubt, you’ve come across persuasive copywriting before. It’s the content that makes you sit up in your chair and think twice about what you’re reading. It’s the content that makes you excited, makes you happy, makes you feel an urgent need to do something. If you’ve never created persuasive copywriting before, though, now is your time.
This is one of those things that’s made rather than born. As long as you know how to write copy, you can write persuasive copy, and this guide tells you how. By ensuring that your copy is specific, focused on benefits rather than features, emotive, chock full of testimony, and written from a place of authentic feeling and emotion, it’s easy to encourage readers to connect with it.
While persuasive copywriting does many things, its primary purpose is to drive conversions.
There’s no better platform for conversions than a base of users that is engaged, connected, and enthralled by your content.
And it’s one of the best ways to ensure the health and wellbeing of your company in the long-run, from Google rankings to conversion-oriented words on your website.
This is a short-form piece of content I wrote in ten minutes. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Writing is precious.
Unique. Valuable.
Long-lasting.
Crafted by a human, who sits down to wield the full potential of their muse, driving their essence out onto paper.
Great words can’t be automated.
The names of the greats:
Neil Gaiman. William Shakespeare. Stephen King. J.K. Rowling. Tolkien.
Immortalized forever by avid readers, these names are near and dear to our hearts.
Their writing is valued.
Their written words have made them unforgettable, throughout the ebbs of time.
Today, there is a sea that’s rising daily.
It’s called online content.
The only way to stand out and gain attention is by being the best that you can be.
You have to become a great.
Expert copywriters.
An authority voice, an expert on the topic, an author that writes spectacularly.
General won’t cut it. Standard won’t make it.
Google has furthered the fact of great writing with the standards they re-defined late 2015: E-A-T, (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust), and Y-M-Y-L (Your Money or Your Life – the topics that deserve a true expert).
Without a voice that stands out in your category, you’re going nowhere online with content.
It comes down to that simple fact.
Want to win?
Invest not only in a good writer, a writer who “meets expectations,” but a writer who is an expert.
And not just an “expert” in a field that matches yours.
Because you can be a great lawyer, but a horrible writer. A wonderful software developer, but a choppy author.
A raw talent in writing comes first.
It’s the ultimate credential you should seek in an expert writer.
Creating engaging content that is easy on the eyes (read: flows) is a true art.
You can be trained to be a great researcher, and get ahead of almost any subject.
Or, you can use your real-life experience to further your knowledge in a narrow topic.
Here’s the secret…
you can’t learn the great level of writing.
The real, true, heart level of engaging writing.
Expert copywriting is born out of a talent given at birth.
Where writing flows from the fingertips smoother than cream from the top of raw milk.
An expert writer is a gifted writer.
Without such a voice, you’re not going to succeed online.
It’s time to invest in your expert copywriting. This month, I’ve hand-picked a new team of expert writers who are providing great content for select clients with 100% success rate. Join this select group of happy clients: get in touch and request our hand-selected expert copywriters, or simply order niche copywriting and put that request through the order form. We’ll match you up with an expert copywriter who will make your brand proud.
Today, content is everything.
Unfortunately, most companies simply don’t have the time, resources, or skill level to create quality content in-house. While many businesses try to scrape by, anyway, the truth is that opting to skimp on content is an excellent way to damage your business and put your livelihood at risk.
Luckily, there’s a better way.
By hiring professional blog writers to create your content for you, you can reap all of the skill and expertise these professionals have to offer, without pulling your hair out in the process. Read on to learn more.
Why Hire Professional Blog Writers?
While many marketers believe that hiring professional blog writers is just an unneeded expense, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, today, blog writers are more important than they’ve ever been before. As it stands right now, the U.S. population conducts roughly 12 billion Google searches each month, and 60% of the clicks produced by those searches go directly to the top 3 search results on Google’s SERPs.
With this in mind, it’s clear that customers have more than enough websites and companies to choose from online, but that they consistently choose the ones that establish themselves as authorities in their niches and industries. While many companies believe this can be achieved through a mixture of paid advertisements and link building, the fact of the matter is that content is the single best way to produce a great business strategy that lasts.
By hiring professional blog writers to manage your content for you, you’ll reap the following benefits:
Authority. Customers want valuable, authoritative content that helps them learn something new. Hiring professional blog writers is one of the best ways to ensure that you’re offering this for your audience. Because professional blog writers know how to craft concise, compelling, unique content for your site, their services are a fantastic way to boost your brand authority and become a better-known entity in your industry.
Relevancy. Professional blog writers have an intimate understanding of how to make sure content is as relevant as possible. Because blog writers are skilled at writing in an approachable, conversational, friendly tone peppered with heavy research, and then adapting that voice to suit your particular audience and segment of the market, hiring a professional blog writer is a fantastic way to boost your relevance across the board.
Skill. Let’s face it – writing well takes skill, and many people simply don’t have it. When you hire a professional team of blog writers, though, you’ll get a skilled, high-quality team of writers who know how to craft flawless content for your brand. From spelling and grammar to today’s most current SEO standards, blog writers understand how to make content shine.
Simplicity. As a business owner, you’re incredibly busy. While you might not have the time or the effort to put into crafting quality content, professional blog writers do, and this can help you boost your business. According to HubSpot, companies that have between 401-1000 pages on their website earn six times as many leads as those with between 51-100 pages. With this in mind, more is better, and blog writers can help you populate your site with quality content without sacrificing your sanity or home life.
Adjustability. Your business is going to grow and change, and a skilled team of blog writers will be there to see you through it. Because bloggers are highly adaptable and adjustable, they’re the ideal people to have on your side – whether you need to create a blog post, press release, or a simple product description.
Google’s Standards Now Demand Expert Writers
While all the reasons I just mentioned are valid ones to hire blog writers, there’s one huge reason that rules them all: Google demands it. Last year, Google released the entire transcript of its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. The document was 160-pages long and designed to assist Google’s infamous human search quality evaluators understand what constitutes a quality site and what doesn’t.
While there was plenty of highly useful information within the long document, two acronyms stood out: EAT and YMYL.
EAT
EAT stands for expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness and refers to three of the top things websites need to rank well in Google. The acronym, while useful on many levels, provides increased evidence for Google’s obsession with expert writers.
Because there are so many low-quality web pages across the internet, Google rewards sites that offer high levels of EAT. Unfortunately, this is nearly impossible to obtain unless you hire a professional writer. For a page to have high levels of EAT, it must be concise, expert, and relevant.
Be advised that these guidelines shift depending upon what type of page we’re dealing with. While a page that deals with breaking a young horse will require exactly as much expertise as a page that talks about how to become a stand-up comedian, the industries are slightly different and, as such, the knowledge required for each will be slightly different.
While Google does differentiate between formal (Educated) and non-formal (lived) experience, it’s critical to have a high level of expertise to rank well in the search engine.
YMYL
While EAT describes what a page needs to rank well, YMYL provides some additional insight on which pages need the most of it. YMYL stands for “your money or your life” and is a critical acronym for marketers who want to improve their content across the board.
You see, YMYL pages are distinct: they’re the web pages that have the potential to have a direct and negative impact on a person’s health, wealth, or well-being if the content within them is not perfect. These pages include financial advice pages, family law pages, any medical page, and the like.
While YMYL pages have always been important, Google underscored how critical it is to have expert writers construct these back in 2015, and recently updated the Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines to reflect an increased importance on both EAT and YMYL.
5 Rules for Working with a Blog Writer
Now that you know why working with a blog writer is such a good idea, let’s talk about how to do it effectively.
1. Set clear expectations
Your writers are only as good as your instructions. By providing clear, concise instructions and expectations, you make it easier for writers to live up to them and create content you’ll love. This, in turn, smooths the relationship between you and your writer and makes it easier to succeed both now and down the road.
2. Understand your target audience
If you don’t understand your target audience, it’s going to be harder for you to guide your writer to create quality, helpful, informative content. While a blog writer will be able to research your audience for you, it’s still essential that you have enough of a grip on who you’re trying to reach that you can provide quality feedback both now and in the future.
3. Be flexible
Blog writers aren’t just blog writers – they’re also social media experts, marketers, and psychologists. To get the most out of working with a blog writer, keep your mind open. Your writer may be able to propose an alternative track or solution that appeals to your company, but may seem shocking at first. Don’t write anything off before understanding why, for example, your writer things you should boost your social content. 4. Read and respond
While a writer can help you craft quality content, you’re still the site owner, and it’s your job to continue engaging your audience. As you notice comments and interaction pop up on your writer’s piece, take the time to reach out and respond. In addition to solidifying bonds with your customers, this approach will also make it easier for your content to succeed in the future.
5. Adjust as needed
As you move on with your content strategy, you may notice that certain things need to be boosted while others can afford to fall by the wayside. Follow your writer’s lead on this and don’t be afraid to adjust as needed.
The Case for Professional Blog Writers
While hiring professional blog writers may be a foreign concept to you, it’s a step that can have a huge, positive impact on your content as a whole. Get your dream content with the help of our expert blog writers!
A picture may say a thousand words, but infographics can tell a whole story. The problem is, do you know how to make an infographic that truly works?
Here’s why infographics are vital today.
Written content is great: a well-researched, in-depth blog can make a big impact on your audience.
But when a visual infographic is used instead of, or to augment a written post, the effect it can have on your viewers is huge.
Simply put, visually-stunning content, like infographics, are more effective at captivating an audience.
According to Hubspot, 65% of senior marketers believe that image-rich content like infographics are at the center of how their brand’s story is told.
Not only that, the effect they can have on your SEO is huge – a well-crafted infographic can be a massive draw for backlinks.
In a study conducted by MDG Advertising, content with visuals (like infographics) receive 94% more views than text-based content. This means bloggers and marketers looking to share content will want to share yours – giving it a nice SEO boost.
However, some people feel infographics have grown less impactful over the years – and with decent reasoning. With all the amazing visual content out there, it is growing increasingly difficult to have your infographic noticed.
Even though infographics can be extremely effective at engaging audiences, if they don’t stand out, no one will care. Knowing how to make an infographic that wins is key.
So how can your business’ visual content distinguish itself? Let’s discuss.
How To Make An Infographic That Matters: 4 Key Ways
Here’s four key ways to ensure your infographics will matter. (Scroll down to #4 for the full infographic.)
1. Know Your Target Audience
Let’s face it – not everyone is going to be interested in your content.
Infographics are no different. The people who will tune in are your target audience, and they’ll be very engaged with what you have to say – as long as it’s relevant to their interests.
Most people think an infographic should appeal to as many people as possible and end up creating something overly generic.
In fact, this is a problem people have with all types of content. It’s super tempting to create content for an audience as broad as possible. But in an attempt to reach more people, your content will engage less.
People want to read what’s relevant to them, not something watered down to appeal to many.
Narrow your focus to a specific demographic you think the infographic is relevant to. Is it for current customers? Potential ones? Is it to generate backlinks for your SEO? Defining exactly who will see your infographic is an essential first step.
2. Keep it Simple, Concise, and Focused
One of the main problems infographics suffer from is too much.
What makes infographics such an effective form of content is their visual appeal and their easily digestible information. Cluttering them with images, overloading them with information, or simply making dauntingly enormous can put off your readers.
Your infographic should be visually appealing and not too busy, leaving enough white space so as not to distract the viewer.
Keep your theme very focused – don’t be afraid to create a series of infographics if your idea is too big to reasonably cover in one.
For the written portion, remember the reason people are tuning into an infographic isn’t for reading lengthy text – it’s likely what they’re trying to avoid altogether.
Keep your written portions concise and to-the-point, so your audience will get the gist of the information immediately without having to dig.
3. Infographics are For Education, Not Just Entertainment
Just because they look great doesn’t mean an infographic shouldn’t inform and educate their audience.
When you make an infographic ensure that it’s well researched, with clear, cited sources.
Not only will this show commitment and dedication to your content, your audience will have the chance to engage with your content deeply, building trust while they do so.
Plus, when people are looking to share content (providing those ever-useful backlinks) they want graphics that provide value. Ensuring your infographic is well-researched will benefit your SEO in the end.
“All flash and no dash” just won’t work for infographics any more. Yours will need to define itself through its value to the audience in addition to its aesthetics.
4. Leave it to the Professionals
As infographics have grown in popularity, so has the difficulty to distinguish them and increase their engagement.
Many businesses are designing them without the proper wherewithal and filling the already cluttered infographic-sphere.
It seems cheap and easy to simply have the young person with a bit of design experience whip up a catchy infographic in a day or two, and reap the benefits. But without the professional touch, infographics designed in this way can come across as rushed and hackneyed.
There are many unfortunate examples of unprofessional infographics on the internet. Generally, it’s very easy to tell the difference between one created by someone who knows what they’re doing and one made by someone who may only know basic design.
The worst thing you can do is waste time and money on an infographic that won’t have a positive effect on your audience.
A poorly crafted graphic may have the opposite effect you intended, putting off a viewer who might see your brand as unprofessional.
The solution is easy and foolproof – leave it to the pros. Specifically, a content agency who brings the knowhow to create an infographic with proper research, written text and graphic design.
Going to a reputable content agency will save you time, while guaranteeing a high-caliber product.
It’s a safe bet, and a good way to ensure your infographic will stand out from more amateur-looking examples.
Conclusion
Do infographics still matter?
Yes – at least, the good ones do.
It’s knowing how to make an infographic that resonates with your audience that’s the tricky part. With so much visual content out there, it can be difficult for yours to stand out.
However, if the information it provides is targeted at a specific audience, then you can guarantee invested readers. If the infographic is presented in a clear, simple and focused way, then your viewer can easily absorb the information.
Most importantly, ensure your infographics are professionally done. Find an agency with a good reputation, and you can rest your mind at ease knowing all best practices will be followed.
Sloppy, confusing infographics can do more harm than good to your brand’s image. A professional touch will make a good impression every time.
Most of us have. There’s a deep sense of satisfaction watching the image slowly come together through tedious effort and clever tactics.
But for some, putting the puzzle can be frustrating. There might be one piece, just ONE piece, that’s missing from a section, and it can drive you mad looking for it.
Here’s the thing — content marketing can be a lot like a puzzle, with many pieces coming together to make something amazing.
Unfortunately, content marketers often get fixated on a single piece, leaving the rest of the puzzle unassembled. That piece is, very often, “Search Engine Optimization (SEO).”
SEO and content marketing are becoming two pieces to a puzzle in today’s friendly online marketing era. Yet, SEO as a separate piece has still earned more than its fair share of attention.
Frankly, it’s not hard to understand why.
Getting to the front page of a search engine like Google can seem like the make-or-break gauge of success for a piece of content.
But there’s a lot more to what makes a fantastic SEO and content marketing strategy, where you win with both Google and readers; and ignoring it will simply leave you with an incomplete puzzle.
A holistic approach to it all is what you need today in order to win.
A Holistic Approach: How SEO and Content Marketing Fit Together
Thankfully, there are definitive steps you can take to ensure a holistic approach to your SEO and content marketing strategy.
Here’s how:
1. Learn the Difference Between Advertising and Marketing
One major mistake marketers tend to make with their content is making it overly advertorial or salesy.
Sure, potential customers might stumble across your blog through a referral, or a backlink, or a search engine.
But if they’re looking for helpful information or a solution to their problem and all they find is an advertisement for your latest product or service, they’ll feel alienated right off the bat.
In fact, 28% of Americans actively seek to avoid advertisements online, according to Hubspot. And advertisers are the second most hated group online, only falling behind criminals and hackers. Yup.
If your content becomes perceived as a sneaky advertisement, you might quickly find your brand being seen in a light you never intended.
It doesn’t matter how great your SEO is if you’re creating content that is entirely self-serving. Truly great content will help to inform and assist the reader, rather than cajole them into a conversion.
The positive impression a reader engaging with your content will have a far greater impact than merely a sales pitch alone.
Customers who feel serviced and satisfied will willfully engage with more of your content, explore your brand in greater depth, and even recommend you to others.
And here’s the best part — all these efforts to ensure your content benefits a potential customer will pay dividends in SEO.
It’s Not Just About Keywords Anymore
It’s not just about keywords anymore. There’s a lot more to building a comprehensive SEO strategy.
Among the most effective methods to increase search engine visibility is generating quality backlinks from other sites.
And, simply put, no one is going to link back to an advertisement.
People link back to valuable, easy-to-understand, hyper-relevant content. If you break out of the mindset of needing to convert every reader with a sales pitch tucked in every piece of content, you’ll find your SEO improving in tandem with your conversions.
2. Write Exceptional, Meaty, Evergreen Content for Your SEO and Content Marketing Campaigns
How long does it take to put together a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle?
No matter how good you are, it’s a time consuming process — and effective content creation is no different.
Anyone can whip up a stubby blog a couple hundred words long stuffed with the requisite keywords.
As a matter of fact, many are already doing it. It’s a super bad habit, and a perfect example of a strategy focused purely on SEO and not on content.
There’s evidence to back this up, too. Neil Patel of Quicksprout found that posts he made over 1500 words received 68% more tweets and 22% more Facebook likes than shorter posts. That’s a massive boost for a more thorough article.
Even if you have good intentions about informing your audience, if it’s not well-researched and relevant, it won’t appeal to readers. In content marketing, it’s not the thought that counts — it’s the product.
With that said, it’s important to dig deep into your subject matter to create content that’s so thorough, readers will frequently return to you for their information.
Speaking of information, that’s the other thing you’re going to have to consider.
What kind of information do you intend to share? It can seem daunting to break new ground, especially in fields that are written about with extreme frequency (here’s looking at you, content marketing.)
Thus, it can be a bit tempting to jump on current events and tie your content to that. Trending hashtag? Next blog post. Viral challenge? Gotta upload a branded video.
There’s just one problem — this type of content has a short shelf-life and won’t have the long-term impact it could.
That’s why you need to build a foundation of “evergreen” content for your marketing strategy.
Evergreen content involves creating pieces that are relevant for as long as possible (ideally forever, but things do change and need to be updated.)
When you develop a marketing strategy, consider developing content that won’t become outdated anytime soon. This means it can continue to draw views, shares and backlinks well after its publication, giving you a long-term SEO boost as a consequence.
In the long run, your dedication to creating long-lasting and meaningful content will result in a wealth of engaging and relevant material that will drive readership years after it is written.
This doesn’t mean you have to completely ignore current events — quite the opposite. Making your content relevant to the experiences of your viewers is essential.
It’s just important to remember that this can’t be the keystone of your strategy. With a careful application of topical material on a foundation of evergreen content, you’ll remain relevant now and far down the line.
3. Engage With Your Community
Have you ever tried putting together a whole puzzle on your own? Like many activities, it is one that’s faster, easier and more fun with friends.
With all your energy focused on attracting readers to your website, you may forget that good content marketing is more than a one-way conversation.
Sure, you have an amazing product that you know everyone will love if they would only give you the time of day, but with so many companies out there competing for customer attention, your message could easily be drowned out by all the noise.
Waiting for Google to rank your content well may be one way to get people to come to your site and share your message, but actually encouraging your community to engage with your brand adds the personal touch that keeps them coming back.
The best way to determine if you’re striking a chord among your audience is to talk to them yourself. You can do this by leveraging social media to gather their feedback on a new product or idea.
Even more important than seeking validation from Google by chasing high page ranks, is the confirmation from your customers that your content is fulfilling their needs.
By listening to and engaging with your readers, not only will you demonstrate that you truly care about their opinions, but their feedback could also help you continually improve your product.
Your community can also be used for cross-promoting great content. It is a common practice for content writers to reach out to other writers to help promote their material.
Proactively reaching out to others allows you to share content to people who may not have viewed it otherwise. Even better, if they like what you’ve written, they will often add it as a link on their website — driving even more traffic to your content (and benefiting that ever important SEO.)
You can return the favor by linking to others’ content that is relevant to your readers. Your readers will thank you for introducing them to helpful information.
Even in the digital age, it is still important to foster an authentic connection with your community.
This way, not only will readers come to your website, they’ll also stay.
4. Words Are Good, Rich Media is Even Better
There’s another part of the content marketing puzzle you may have not considered — especially if you’ve been extremely focused on SEO.
Rich media like images, slideshares, videos and infographics all have amazing potential to engage and inform your audience.
But what does this SlideShare have to do with “SEO?”
Again, think holistic…
Remember why you create content in the first place.
It’s about more than a series of tricks and gimmicks to get you to rank well on Google, it actually exists to provide a service — or at the very least entertainment.
With media-rich content like videos and infographics, your audience will be able to have a diverse, multi-sense engagement with your brand, elevating their experience beyond just reading another blog.
Here’s some fast facts about user engagement with videos, courtesy of Hubspot:
After watching a video, 64% of viewers are more likely to buy a product online
92% of mobile video viewers share videos they’ve seen with others
Video in an email leads to a 200-300% increase in click through rate
And because of this, over 87% of companies are including video in their content strategy. It’s clearly striking a chord.
“But what about the SEO?!” a frazzled marketer might reply. “Great visual content is all well and good, but what use is it if no one sees it?”
A valid question, and here’s the answer — media rich content is the most shared, receives the best backlinks and is the easiest to promote. That means it’s great for SEO, just without all the hassle.
Are you beginning to see a trend here?
Great Content Means Great SEO
If you’ve made it to this point, you’ve probably begun to realize the point I’m getting at.
The puzzle you’re trying to put together is one that attempts to drive engagement with your online brand. SEO is an important piece of that.
But when it’s conceptualized as something other than just a piece and becomes the main focus of content marketers, it becomes less effective. Because great content, by its very nature, means great SEO.
It’s tough breaking out of the old mindset, one which placed an enormous importance on keywords (which no longer have nearly the impact they used to.)
How best to rank on search engines is a dynamic and ever-changing process, and to keep up, you have to be able to adapt.
There’s this idea that you have to futz around with code, and tags, and text with every piece of content you create in order for it to rank.
While that certainly won’t hurt, simply creating content your audience wants to engage with will work much more effectively.
Conclusion: Content is Powerful
Content has the amazing potential to build a trusting, engaged audience.
By being informative without being advertorial, by making deep, well-researched content, and incorporating media-rich content into your strategy you’ll be putting together a far more comprehensive puzzle than just focusing on SEO alone.
And in today’s search-engine climate, that’s what works.
How long does it take to put together a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle?