Read it to me:
Marketing is a competitive field, and as such, it's important that your content stand out from the rest. There’s no doubt that content marketing is an essential aspect of business growth. However, it can be difficult to harness the power of this tool.
In this blog post, we offer some best practices for writing better content marketing that will help your business grow. These simple guidelines will help you create high-quality content that engages your audience, generates leads, and converts prospects into customers.
Define your marketing goals
One of the most important things when coming up with new content is to set specific objectives before beginning work on the project. This way, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to go about achieving your goals by including certain pieces in your post or article. Identify the purpose of your marketing content and what call-to-action will help you achieve your goals. For example, are you trying to get people to sign up for an email list, download product info, or request a quote? What's in it for them if they do?
Understand the needs of your audience
Content marketing isn’t just about telling people about your business or services. It’s also about understanding your target customer and focusing on their needs. Use the terminology and language that your target customer uses in their business so that they feel like you understand them and know what you’re talking about.
Keep it concise
Long blocks of marketing copy are intimidating and difficult to read through quickly. One of the best ways to engage readers and convert leads is to keep things short and concise with simple language that will engage your reader.
Use creative visuals
To create an engaging marketing post, use lots of pictures. Images help to visually tell a story about your topic. Include pictures, gifs, video clips, etc., when possible, for maximum engagement.
Use stats and facts
Numbers tell a story for marketing content. Statistics are especially attractive in marketing copy and are one of the best ways to demonstrate the validity of your solution. A good stat can support your point and hook the reader to help improve engagement. Present important facts as infographics to help substantiate your points.
Have a call-to-action
Offer valuable content that will help the reader improve their life in some way (e.g., tips for saving time or money). Include a call-to-action in your marketing content that encourages readers to take further action on what they've read or watched, such as visiting a website or signing up for an email list. On a website that could be a link or button that directs the visitor to a landing page with a form for the viewer to enter their contact information. In print collateral, it could be a phone number or a QR code.
Solve for your audience
Remember, your marketing content should be about the customer’s benefits. Steer clear of self-serving phrases like "we," "ours," and "I." Instead, address your customer's needs. Answer questions that they commonly ask. Although your product or service is ultimately the answer (we hope), avoid talking too much about all its fabulous features. Focus on the solutions that it solves for your reader.
Use active voice
It’s best to use the active voice in formal writing. Passive sentences are more common in colloquial and informal speech, but they may not sound clear or professional. When the passive voice is used, often "to be" verbs are used along with the past participle of a verb. Try these steps to change a sentence from passive to active voice:
- Find the subject and verb (or subject and helping verb) in the sentence.
- Example: “This new product (subject) eliminates (verb) the need to water the lawn by hand.
- Rephrase to start the sentence with the verb and relate the subject to something the reader does or may consider being of personal interest.
- Example: “Eliminate watering your lawn by hand with this time-saving new product.”
- Take out any words that are not necessary to the meaning of the sentence
- Try reading your sentence out loud to see if it sounds natural and flows nicely
Be genuine
When you write for your customers, make sure to keep your tone natural. It’s best to not come across as too “sales-y” and instead focus on the benefits of your product. Be genuine! Try not to get carried away with sales speak but use a conversational tone while still being professional.
Whether you're a seasoned marketing professional or just starting out, these best practices can help improve your marketing content. There are many things to keep in mind when crafting your marketing message: understanding your audience and what they want, keeping things short and concise with simple language, using numbers and visuals as well as active voice to create an engaging post. And if all else fails, just be genuine! The most important thing when writing for customers is to understand their needs so that they feel like you’re talking directly to them.
Let us help! Heinzeroth Marketing Group offers full-service digital marketing services including content marketing to attract website visitors and convert leads. Contact us for assistance in creating better marketing content for your business.
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