Content is considered king by the World Wide Web. Content is the primary basis by Google’s algorithm to rank websites, not to mention, it is the driving force behind sales and engagement online.
Unfortunately, according to a recent survey among marketers, only 6% believe that their content strategy is very effective. That means that a majority of companies and businesses still have a lot of work to do.
The good news is that there are ways on how you could improve this aspect of your online marketing strategy. Here are some effective ways on how you could boost the effectiveness of your content strategy.
Hire specialist copywriters
Every marketer should be a believer of high quality content. And what most companies don’t realize is that generating content is sometimes best done by those who are considered experts in the industry. For instance, if you cater to health products, you might as well hire health practitioners who are also copywriters to make the content for your website.
It is also a common practice to get guest bloggers to write on your blog. This is a great way to maximize each other’s network. Not only does this keep the blog active, but you are also using their knowledge and expertise to your advantage.
Observe successful websites
The easiest way to find a workable formula in writing content is by observing the successful websites in your niche. Keep in mind that emulation can help save you a lot of time in experimenting which formula works.
Do they focus on graphics? Or perhaps, they also produce podcasts integrated on their blog posts? Copying the strategies used by industry leaders can help you achieve traction within your niche.
Try to take a closer look at your market’s needs
If no one finds your content useful, you can expect poor traffic, poor number of shares, and even backlinks. These are things that can ultimately affect your site’s overall performance. It is imperative that you write with one intention: to provide free high quality information.
To determine the needs of your audience, it is a good idea to be involved in your niche. Building a community using your blog is an effective means of determining the needs of your own audience. Reading the comments and interacting with your readers will give you sufficient information on things that they want to read from your website.
Backlinks
Backlinks are still important to this day. Though no longer the priority in ranking websites, backlinks still affect your ranking, not to mention your site’s traffic. Does this mean that you have to perform link building? Questionable practices of link building are no longer tolerated by Google and chances are, your site could even be de-indexed.
So how do you produce quality backlinks? In order to produce high quality backlinks, you don’t have to force anything. It naturally comes if you have high quality content. In fact, quality backlinks takes some time. Investing on useful information can encourage people to link on your post.
To know more regarding the value of each backlink that you use on your site, Moz made an illustration regarding link valuation.
Post regularly
You also need to post regularly if you wish to improve on your content marketing strategy. How often do you need to post? It depends on the type of content you generate. Posting twice a week can be a good start. Here, not only are you going to give positive signal to search engines, but you are also going to give your readers a habit to visit your website.
Use visuals
Did you know that 60% of internet users are visual learners? Visuals play a huge role in keeping your readers interested, and explaining the concept that you are discussing. From photos and videos, these are things that can enhance user experience.
It keeps your content from becoming stale and boring. But most importantly, visuals can also be used in order to point the important things. It is used in order to enhance comprehension. For example, infographics could be used to summarize the numbers in a more creative way.
So how many images and videos should you be using? As rule of thumb, you need to have a photo or a video for every 400-500 words. Here, you’ll be able to keep things interesting.
Create long and detailed articles
According to experts in the industry, long form contents can lead to better ranking, traffic and engagement. In a study in 2012 involving 20,000 keywords, the average length of top ten contents is at 2000 words.
What this tells us is that you need to invest on long form content to improve on your overall content strategy. So if you are using the 500 word rule in writing your articles, might as well try to invest on longer articles.
Have a clear goal/intention in writing
People constantly use Google for answers and information online. Now, what’s your reason for publishing content online?
It is imperative to have a clear intention when you write. Is your goal to provide answers to a common problem in your niche? It is also possible to write in order to inform. It is a must that you have clear intentions in your content strategy why you are writing.
Improve your headlines
According to studies, 80% of people read headlines. This means that you have the opportunity to catch majority of your reader’s attention when you have catchy headlines. Link bait strategies have utilized sensational titles and headlines in order to keep people reading their posts.
So how exactly do you write headlines? It is imperative that you create excitement, urgency, or even panic. Headlines should have an effect emotionally to the readers in order for them to keep reading through the entire content.
Make a name via social media
With billions of users on different social media platforms today, social media is undeniably a useful tool in promoting your website. It plays a huge role how much traffic your site gets. Sharing your site’s blog post can reach your followers and could even go viral.
Using social media isn’t only about organic reach, as well. In fact, the average Facebook page only has an organic reach of 3%. It is a good thing that you could boost the post and target your Facebook audience.
Conclusion
Is there an attempt on your part to enhance your content strategy? Generating the right content is never too easy. It takes time, practice and a lot of research in order to come up with a high quality content that your audience would like. In fact, marketers are planning to invest a lot of money on content marketing strategies in order to stay relevant.
Should you always aim to improve your content? Always view content as a long term investment. Chances are, well written content can still be linked, shared and read even after a few years.
Do you have your tricks in content marketing? Hit us up on the comments below.
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