Creating an effective Content Strategy can seem like the most difficult task sometimes, but it doesn’t have to be. Writing about your interests and fun topics in general may not be so hard, but writing about your favorite things in life is not going to benefit your business. So in order to encourage people to take action and still remain interested in your content, you need to form a detailed strategy. One that helps to captivate your readers and then urges them to take action after reading your content.
The first necessary step is to establish your purpose for writing and take action. This step may seem like a given, but we sometimes tend to forget our purpose or write something that doesn’t convey our purpose strong enough to the reader. You can have a wide variety of purposes, but be sure to pick one objective per piece of content. It could be anything from persuading others to buy your product, to obtaining a list of 500 e-mails for your weekly newsletter. After you finish writing something look it over and ask yourself, if I were to read this as an outsider, would I feel compelled to take action? If not, you may need to go back and rework a few things. Stay focused on your overall goal and be sure that purpose is easily identified within your content. Once it is identified you need to take steps to fulfill that purpose. For example, An effective way to lead viewers to your Facebook page is to create an e-mail signature that includes your social media buttons. If you are trying to sell a product, your packaging must make the appropriate statement in order to attract your target market. Figure out what your goal is and find ways to make this goal a reality.
The best way to understand your audience is to encourage feedback. In order to fulfill your customers’ needs you need to understand what it is that they want. Make sure your blog has a place for comments and share buttons. Creating a conversation is crucial because you want people to not just read your content, but to get involved. Stay active on all your social media pages and respond back to your followers and those who like your page. Consider setting up a poll or asking questions about what people would like to see next. Generating content that is initiated by the customer is much more successful than writing only about your own interests which may or may not be the same as your target market.
In order to keep the conversation flowing, use a content strategy over multiple platforms. We have so many ways to connect with people so be sure to take advantage of that. Creating a YouTube account and uploading videos can bring in those who need a visual. You can create all sorts of videos such as behind-the-scenes, how-to, humorous, and informational. More companies are using Pinterest to gain recognition and it is a good platform to share images. There are endless ways to reach your audience. Don’t rely on your company website and blog alone to do all the work. Make business pages on multiple platforms and start reaching out to your customers and they will reach back.
The thing about writing great content is that you just need to stay focused and make time to write . When you get five minutes to spare, take those five minutes to brainstorm some ideas. When you get more time, review those ideas and compile a draft. Later on, take that draft and form it into a final copy. Writing requires time, but it doesn’t need to be done all at once. Sometimes taking a breather and returning to it later can help spark better ideas. If you find that certain days are less stressful for you, take advantage of that day and write some content in advance. Writing requires discipline and if you do not make an effort to create content, it’s not going to just happen. Slowly get in the habit of writing a little each day and build upon that foundation until you establish a routine that fits you.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Ask someone to look over your content strategy and see what reaction they have. An outside perspective can help you get an idea of what your customers will think of your content. Have someone proofread your writing to be sure it is free from error. We sometimes look over the errors we make ourselves and need others to point them out to us. If your website content doesn’t seem to be giving you desirable results, seek outside help. Your website is one of the most important aspects of your business and if it has issues, it will turn people away. It is important to take responsibility for the success of your business, but asking for advice or seeking a professional can be a helpful tool.
It may seem like spending so much energy on content strategy is a waste of time, but if your content isn’t generating sales for your business then what is? Content is what allows people to search for you online. Your content makes a statement and tells a story about your business. If people don’t like your story they may not finish the book (make a purchase). That is why paying so much attention to your content is vital to the success of your business.
The bottom line: Give people something great to read and then lead them to take action.
