How to: content marketing

One form of content is not the other. The same applies, among other things, to its content, to whom you address it and for what purpose. From thought-provoking posts for various social channels to fully optimized web copy and from business interviews to inspirational blogs, content is everywhere and comes in many forms.

The text itself is of course an important part of the whole content thing, but cohesion between all the components is actually even more so. Thus, when creating all kinds of expressions, you have to deal with additional components such as images, hashtags, emoticons, design and the platform on which the expression is published.

For the latter, you can think about the usability of the platform in question, how it is designed and what possibilities or obstacles the design contains. When a visitor visits one of your platforms, you obviously want to get them interested in a short period of time.

This requires content that is suitable for your website, but also for the various social channels. Each of these channels is viewed in a different way and therefore requires different content to be present.

Optimize your communications

Good. You've fixed an attractive image, matching and popular hashtags or emoticons AND a text that seamlessly matches both your tone of voice and your target audience's area of interest. Then you've just created a piece of content that is relevant to your target audience, right? Although these conditions form the basis of quality content, it doesn't mean that this is an instant guarantee of success.

When drawing up your communications, you must also take into account any questions the reader may ask and at what times he or she comes into contact with the content in question. Think of the time of publication, which should ideally correspond to the time when the majority of your target group is active online.

In addition, it is also quite useful to capitalize on search engine findability. Here, it is particularly important that you optimize blogs and other web texts based on Search Engine Optimization. Speaking of SEO; this is a valuable component within the world of content.

Search engines love user-focused content, so you can imagine that some depth in your target audience is essential. Remember: No matter how well your text is written, if it is not optimized for search engines, chances are it will not be easily found. Bummer!

Attention, please!

This is most likely something you would like most from your target audience. Therefore, it is wise to take into account the length of time your target audience pays attention to your content. In many cases, your readers will decide in just a few seconds whether what they are viewing or reading is worth their time.

So be sure to excite them in this short time frame and put the most important or salient information from your message at the front of the text. If necessary, you can reinforce the first few words or sentence with a matching emoticon, making this part of your message stand out and even stand out among the other messages on a social timeline.

In addition, when someone sees your content for the first time, it is desirable that they quickly understand what it is about. Therefore, work with active, short and catchy sentences. So do not: "In our new blog we would like to tell you something about the best way to pick up and apply content marketing", but rather: "Content marketing? Here's how to do it!".

Commercialization can be learned

Last but not least: commerce. For many of our clients, the use of content ultimately has the realization of a commercial goal. Keep in mind that you are not pushing your target audience in a certain direction, but rather inspiring, attracting or even engaging them.

Once your content has won a consumer's attention, be sure to excite them in a way that makes your brand, product or company stick. This way, you build a positive interaction and the consumer can decide to return to your channels at a later time. This can be before signing up for a newsletter, but also certainly before proceeding to a purchase.

Make notes, because below are some tips you can immediately apply to your current web copy, blogs and social posts. Get started!

• Synonyms - Instead of calling it by its name, try writing around it, referring to it or looking for suitable synonyms. That reads a lot better.
• Kill your darlings - As much and as much as you can and want to talk about a topic, don't make it longer than necessary. Especially with online texts, it is important to take into account the limited attention span of your target audience.
• Show, don't tell - If you want to make something clear through numbers or other data, put it in an infographic. That way you show at a glance what you would otherwise have to describe in difficult and complex sentences.
• Create unity - Make sure you clearly articulate your services, products or message. For example, choose one form of address and name a service the same way everywhere so there is no confusion.

Commercializing can also be learned at FindFactory! Besides these tips there is much more to tell about content marketing. During a training we explain in detail how to engage your target group. You do not want to miss this opportunity, right?

Wondering what using quality content marketing can do for your business? Contact us for a kick-off session and then we will accurately find out for you where the opportunities lie!