by Rachel Moffett | Oct 7, 2022 | ContentWritingChat
By now, you’ve probably heard the phrase “thought leader” thrown around quite a bit.
But what exactly is a thought leader? And how can you become one in your field?
That’s what we talked about in this month’s #ContentWritingChat! So, if you’re ready to establish yourself as a well-known industry expert, keep reading for all the tips!
#ContentWritingChat Recap: Establishing Yourself as a Thought Leader in Your Field
Our community offered some valuable advice in this month’s chat. It’s everything you need to know if you want people to see you as a go-to resource.
Q1: In your opinion what does “thought leadership” actually mean?
To establish yourself as a thought leader, you want to consistently offer new and unique information for your community to consume.
A huge element of thought leadership is sharing your ideas and encouraging others to get involved at the same time, so don’t be afraid to speak up!
Q2: Why would someone want to establish themselves as a thought leader in their field? What benefits does it provide?
Building the Know, Like, and Trust Factor is crucial for creating success as a brand. When people view you as a thought leader in your industry, they have developed a trusting relationship with you and will be more inclined to support your business.
As a thought leader, you’ll have a certain level of credibility and respect in your field. This is great for getting your content shared widely, but it can also lead to tons of new opportunities for your brand.
Q3: What are some of the top qualities you feel thought leaders typically possess?
Thought leaders have a desire to help others through their content. They are also confident and willing to adapt over time.
Adaptability, flexibility, focus, and accountability are all characteristics you’ll want to have if you desire to be a thought leader. You also need to have a willingness to teach others, plus a desire to learn and grow.
Q4: What are the first steps in building a thought leadership strategy?
First, you need to set goals. What do you hope to achieve by becoming a thought leader? It’s also smart to research other thought leaders so you can learn from them.
Creating a thought leadership strategy starts with knowing who your audience is, what their pain points are, and what kind of expertise you have that will serve them. From there, you can begin creating content that appeals to their needs.
It’s important to have conversations with your community and other experts in your field. This is a powerful way to learn what others are looking for and what gaps currently exist in your industry that you can address.
Q5: Creating high-quality content is an effective way to position yourself as a thought leader. Is there a certain content format that’s best for doing this?
Always create content that showcases your strengths while also appealing to how your audience likes to consume content. You can also repurpose your content into multiple formats to reach a wider audience, as we all like to learn in different ways.
Be flexible with your content formats and remain open to trying new things to see how they work for you. There are tons of options available to us today, so it’s smart to experiment.
Q6: Part of becoming a thought leader is getting your content noticed. How can you increase traffic and impressions on the content you’re publishing?
Getting your content noticed starts with SEO. Make sure you’re taking the time to optimize your content so you can rank higher in Google’s search results.
Cross-promotion is another great tactic. If you can collaborate with other bloggers or podcasts, you can generate tons of traction for your brand and its content.
Make sure you have a digital marketing campaign in place if you’re serious about generating brand awareness. You may also want to contribute to leading publications in your industry for more exposure.
Q7: How will you know if you’ve successfully established yourself as a thought leader? Is there any way to measure this?
If you notice people are reaching out to you for help or advice, that’s a good sign! It shows they value your opinions and consider you a trustworthy source.
Focus on putting your best content out there and serving your audience and you’re on the right track to becoming a true thought leader.
Want to join the next #ContentWritingChat? Mark your calendars for the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central and meet us on the @ExpWriters Twitter account!
by Rachel Moffett | Sep 9, 2022 | ContentWritingChat
Looking for some copywriting hacks that will help you level-up your content?
Well, you’re in the right place!
For this month’s session of #ContentWritingChat, we asked our community to share some of their best copywriting tips that you can take and implement in your own content. Perfect if you’re looking to generate more traffic, engagement, and conversions. Let’s dive in!
#ContentWritingChat Recap: Copywriting Hacks to Up-Level Your Content
Be sure to check out our blog post, which is linked in the embedded tweet above. It was the inspiration for this month’s chat!
Q1: The first step in creating amazing content is to know your ideal reader. How can you learn more about those within your target audience to create content that serves them?
Always take the time to get to know your audience by having conversations with them.
You can talk to your audience via social media or even have 1:1 calls as market research if you have the time to dedicate to it.
Use this as an opportunity to learn about their favorite content, pain points, and more.
Q2: How can you differentiate yourself from your competitors and communicate your unique value proposition through the content you create?
It’s important to define your voice if you want to stand out from your competitors. It’s what makes you unique compare to everyone else.
Showing you care about your audience goes a long way.
Q3: Part of generating traction for your content is creating a headline that will get people to click. What makes a clickable headline?
Headlines should be on the shorter side and need to be relevant to your content. Never mislead your readers with a clickbait headline.
Bold claims can be an effective way to grab attention and drive traffic.
Q4: How do you ensure the body of your content is intriguing enough that people read it the whole way through?
Formatting plays a major role in your content, so don’t just focus on the copy. Sub-headings are a great way to make your content easier to consume.
You can even break up text with images to add visual interest and to provide a way for them to better understand your content.
Q5: When it comes to copywriting hacks, what are your favorite ways to encourage people to take action? Urgency, FOMO, etc.?
Urgency is great, especially if there’s a deadline. Just don’t lie about deadlines or limited spaces to fake urgency. Only use this tactic when it’s legitimate.
These simple tips will allow you to effectively incorporate urgency!
Q6: Editing is key when polishing your content. What does your editing process look like?
Combing through your content multiple times will allow you to spot grammar and spelling mistakes, as well as overused phrases and words. Perfect for tweaking your copy.
If you can, have someone else review your content. A second set of eyes can be a huge help in spotting mistakes you overlooked.
As you edit, remove anything unnecessary, revise for flow, and correct any spelling and grammar mistakes. Your readers will thank you!
Q7: How soon after your content is published do you monitor its analytics? Which metrics do you track to determine success?
You’ll want to give it some time for your content to gain traction on Google, so two to four weeks after publication can be a great time to start seriously tracking metrics.
Monitor things like link clicks, time on page, and acquisition to gain a better understanding of the actions your readers are taking.
Want to join the next #ContentWritingChat? It happens on the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central! Follow @ExpWriters to stay updated!
by Rachel Moffett | Aug 5, 2022 | ContentWritingChat
When building your brand, coming up with ideas to fill your editorial calendar can often be a daunting task. When the creative juices just aren’t flowing, it’s a struggle to come up with fresh ideas that your audience (and Google) will love.
So, what are you to do when you aren’t sure which topics to cover on your blog, social media, or other channels? Well, we have some ideas for you in the latest round of #ContentWritingChat!
#ContentWritingChat Recap: Generating Captivating Content Ideas for Your Brand
Q1: Why is it so important to carefully choose the content topics you cover as a brand?
As Kathryn pointed out, you want to write about topics that are aligned with your brand overall. Consider how the topics you’re covering relate back to your brand’s mission, vision, and voice.
Your content is what will attract people to your brand. You need to make sure you’re writing about the topics that will bring in your desired audience.
Content is also key for building authority, so you’ll want to cover topics that are centered around your area of expertise.
Q2: A huge part of generating content ideas is understanding your audience. What should you know about them?
As Andrew pointed out, knowing the pain points and interests of your target audience goes a long way. It’ll help you create content that will resonate with them on a deeper level.
Consider what gets your audience to stop scrolling and take notice! For instance, speak to their needs or a problem they’re facing.
Beyond coming up with the right content topics, you’ll also need to know how they like to consume content (blogs, videos, etc.) and how long they like content to be.
To help you figure all this out, Carla suggests checking out your analytics for helpful data and even taking the time to talk to your audience.
Q3: Google Analytics tells you a lot about your website visitors. How can you use it to generate content ideas for your blog, social media, etc.?
It’s all about what gets the most attention! Andrea suggests looking at the pages that are getting the most traffic, engagement, and shares and use that as an indicator that your audience is really loving that topic.
It’s also smart to look at bounce rates to see where improvements can be made to your content and also to find ways to keep people on your site longer.
Q4: Is it worthwhile to check out what your competitors are doing to gain inspiration? If so, what do you need to know about analyzing their content?
When checking out the competition, pay attention to what’s working for them and what’s not. Knowing what resonates with their audience gives you some ideas on what you can do with your own content.
Dana offered some great advice here. While you want to watch your competitors, don’t undercut them or diminish them in any way. This practice is meant to inspire your content, so never copy what someone else is doing directly.
Q5: What are some other smart tactics or tools that can help you come up with fresh content ideas?
If you’re stuck for ideas, send out a survey to your email list, run polls on social media, or even ask people to hop on market research calls for in-depth, one-on-one conversations.
Jennifer suggests checking out Answer the Public. It’ll give you a look into what people in your target audience are interested in, allowing you to create content that answers their questions.
Carla’s advice is to also pay attention to what’s happening in your industry. This can often spark content ideas that will help you keep your audience informed.
Q6: What do you do if you chose a great topic for your content, but aren’t seeing the traffic and engagement you hoped for?
Simple tweaks to the content title or the imagery used can make a huge difference. However, in some cases, you may need to put a few advertising dollars behind the content to drive more traffic.
Consider repurposing! This is a great way to gain traction as a particular piece of content may work better in another format.
Andrew suggests adjusting the title, copy, and imagery first. You can also try different promotion techniques to see if that helps improve performance.
Q7: What’s the best thing you can do when you feel like the creative juices aren’t flowing?
Check out your analytics! See what people are searching to land on your website. Perhaps those keywords or phrases could spark some inspiration.
Don’t be afraid to talk to a friend in the industry. As Andrew said, it could offer a new perspective on things that could help generate tons of new ideas.
This is great advice from Jennifer, so be sure to always save any ideas that come along immediately. You don’t want to lose them!
But if the creative juices still aren’t flowing, take a break. Getting out for a walk, listening to music, or whatever else refreshes you can make a world of difference.
Want to join us for the next #ContentWritingChat? Mark your calendar for the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central! And be sure to follow @ExpWriters to stay updated.
by Rachel Moffett | Jul 8, 2022 | Uncategorized
You’ve made it halfway through the year!
But are you on track to hit your content marketing goals? That’s an important question to ask yourself at the mid-year point as you’re reviewing all your brand has accomplished so far.
Why? Well, by conducting a content marketing audit, you’re able to see where you’ve been successful and where your efforts have fallen short. Then, you can make tweaks to your strategy, as needed, to ensure success in the second half of the year.
However, if you’ve never conducted an audit of this sort before, you might be wondering how to get started. And luckily, that’s exactly what we talked about in this #ContentWritingChat!
#ContentWritingChat Recap: Conducting a Mid-Year Content Marketing Audit
For this month’s #ContentWritingChat, we hosted a community chat where our chat participants are the stars of the show. Each one offered great insights into conducting an audit, so let’s dive into their tips!
Q1: What is a content marketing audit?
An audit will require you to take inventory of your content on all the channels you’re actively using. This way, you can measure the performance of everything you’ve published and identify areas for improvement.
As Andrew said, an audit is an opportunity to identify what has and hasn’t been effective within your content marketing strategy. He says to make note of things like posting days and times, popular topics, etc. You can also compare titles, time on page, and other details to previous content to see how it stacks up.
Q2: Why is it important to conduct an audit of your content marketing strategy?
A content marketing audit is a great way to see how your content has been performing. Doing this allows you to see what adjustments should be made to your strategy moving forward.
When you know what’s been working and performing well for you, you can continue to focus your efforts there to ensure you’re providing value to your audience.
Q3: Before diving in, you need a few tools to make the job easier. Which tools would you recommend for a content marketing audit?
Google Analytics is great for tracking website data. If you use a scheduling tool for social media, such as Hootsuite, it’ll be smart to check their built-in analytics as well. Then, you can record data in a spreadsheet to easily review later.
Andrea shared a helpful list of tools that’s worth checking out if you need some ideas!
Q4: Everything goes back to your goals. What kind of goals might someone set when it comes to their content marketing?
Consistency is always a great goal to pursue!
Everyone’s goals will vary, but some common ones include: attracting leads, boosting sales, and generating brand awareness.
Q5: Part of conducting an audit requires you to take inventory of your content and analyze its performance. Which metrics should you be tracking during this stage?
As part of your content marketing audit, you may want to track things like shares, engagement, email open rates, etc.
If your site is still on the newer side and hasn’t generated much traffic yet, review the content itself. Are there any opportunities for improvement?
Q6: If you notice your content isn’t performing as hoped, what can you do to turn things around in an effort to drive more traffic, engagement, and conversions?
To improve performance, you need to first identify where things are going wrong. If you’re not seeing a decent amount of traffic on your content, review it to see if it’s properly optimized. Then, step up your promotion on social media and via email marketing.
If you’re seeing a decent amount of traffic, but your content isn’t converting… Look at the content itself. Is your post appealing to its reader? Is your call to action clear?
Compare content that isn’t performing well to the content pieces that have been effective in the past. Andrew suggests looking at the title, intro, etc. to see where improvements can be made.
Q7: How often should you conduct an audit of your content and your content marketing strategy?
A quarterly audit is a great way to go!
Or you can go for monthly, especially if you’re producing a lot of content.
Want to join us for the next #ContentWritingChat? Mark your calendars for the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @ExpWriters.
by Rachel Moffett | Jun 10, 2022 | ContentWritingChat
You worked hard to not only build your website, but also to fill it with amazing, high-quality content for your target audience to enjoy? Don’t you want them to be able to find it organically through a Google search? Of course!
However, securing one of those coveted spots on the first page of Google is easier said than done. There’s a lot of competition, after all!
Luckily, there are a few things to ensure your site and its content are effectively optimized so you can not only rank higher, but also attract tons of new traffic your way. And that’s exactly what we’re talking about in this #ContentWritingChat.
#ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Optimize Your Content & Website to Rank in Google
This month, we held a community chat all about optimization. If you want to learn what it takes to rank, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive into the tips!
Q1: Why is it important that we take the necessary steps to get our content and our websites to rank high in Google search results?
Taking the extra steps to optimize your content means you stand a better chance at getting discovered by new people. Not only will you see an influx of traffic to your site, but it’s great for boosting engagement and conversions.
Q2: Part of ranking is choosing the right keywords. How do you select keywords to use in your content and on your site? For instance, should you consider factors like search volume, competition, etc.?
When choosing keywords, focus on relevancy, search volume, and user intent. There are tons of keyword research tools out there that will help you determine the right focus keyword to use on your web pages and within your blog posts.
Q3: Once you’ve chosen your focus keyword, where do you place it in your blog posts and on your website? Are there key places that shouldn’t be overlooked?
The title, meta description, introduction, and headers are important spots for placing your keyword. You’ll even want to sprinkle it throughout the body of your copy in a way that’s natural, not forced. The article from our blog that’s linked in the tweet above offers even more great advice.
Q4: Is there anything you should avoid when it comes to optimizing your content and your site? For instance, any old SEO tactics that are no longer relevant today?
Focus on creating amazing content first. After all, it’s about providing value and serving your audience. That’s always the top priority. Optimization should merely amplify your content.
Q5: How can you check to see where your content is ranking?
Invest in SEO tools that will provide all the data you need to measure your progress. If you can’t afford tools right now, manually search for your focus keywords to see where you’re ranking.
Q6: What do you do if your content still isn’t ranking? Is there anything you can do to ensure your content and your site begin to perform better?
If you’re not already creating longer, evergreen content, give it go. Google wants to see that you’re providing high-quality content and being of service to your audience. This could be what turns things around and gets you ranking at the top of the search results.
Q7: Which tools have been essential for optimization? Do you have any favorites for monitoring your website analytics and for conducting keyword research, etc.?
Google Analytics and Semrush are always winners!
Q8: Do you have any go-to resources for learning about SEO? Share them!
If you want to learn more about SEO, always refer back to our blog and visit Search Engine Journal as well.
Come join us for the next #ContentWritingChat! It happens on the first Tuesday of every month at 10 AM Central. Just follow @ExpWriters to stay updated.
