But, here's the problem: Most businesses put out content without ever seeing a return on time and investment.
While there are some tips and tricks you can apply to your content, if you don't have the following basic rules down, the best tips will not make a difference.
Here are my top 3 Techniques for bringing the best out of your content, and increasing conversions. There are many more strategies you can implement (winning headlines, calls to action, etc.) but if you are not applying these foundational techniques, you will not experience the results you desire.
1. Quality Over Quantity
What is the definition of quality content?
Quality content provides a "real" solution to the reader. It solves a problem or problems, and this rates it above similar content on the web.
Poor quality content offers the same information found all over the web. For articles or blogs, it centers on one or two sentences that are drawn out just to increase word count. Poor content also does not take the Audience into consideration. Most likely, the author of this type of content is not concerned with the reader, but with meeting a certain quota for content distribution.
Most of the content you find on the web consists of poor quality content as defined above. This is the reason Google continually adjusts its algorithms to bring searchers the most valuable content when they query.
You can distribute hundreds of 'content pieces', but if not one of them is of high quality, you could be wasting time and inhibiting profit potential. Every piece of content says "something" about your brand and should reflect your business values.
High quality content should evoke a response from your readers.
2. Stay Focused
Jack of all trades, master of nothing…
While there are those who knowingly put out poor content, there are others who honestly try to distribute quality content and do so in many different avenues, but the dots never seem to connect.
If you are a "one-man-show" and you cannot afford to hire a skilled content writer, it can be difficult to know where to begin and where to stop.
One person cannot take on more than a few tasks at a time. If so, quality suffers. You are better off investing more time into less content and making it valuable and of a higher quality, rather than trying to take on every content marketing strategy out there. Once your content converts, you can accomplish more by outsourcing and continuing to grow.
3. Know Your Audience
What does quality content look like? In a nutshell, if you know your audience and their pain-points and you solve them with your content, you will be successful. Unfortunately, this is often easier said than done.
Knowing your audience is more than studying a particular demographic. For example; if you are selling wedding dresses, your audience will most likely be females between the ages of 25 - 45. However, if you stop there, you are doing yourself an injustice.
Imagine you were a customer. What would your thoughts be? What problems would you have? What solutions would you need? What day-to-day issues would arise for a woman in this demographic.
Take time and research your audience and really try to understand who they are. By taking this more detailed approach, you will be able to identify their problems. Your content should be the SOLUTION.
These three foundational strategies are, in my opinion, crucial for creating content that converts.
Before you approach every piece of content, reflect on the following statements. The more you do this, the more it will become second nature:
- Consider the reader/viewer’s needs and stay focused on why you are creating the content.
- Put the needs of your audience first and you will receive more in return.
- Speak directly to the pain points of your audience.
- Focus on quality first, not quantity.
When the content is complete, honestly ask yourself this question: "Would I read this content and see it as valuable?". If yes, you have done your job!
Do you have any other content strategies that have worked for you?
Feel free to share them in the comments section below.
To your success,
Jonny Tyson
