Blog post. After blog post. After blog post.
How many ways can you imply “PLEASE BUY OUR PRODUCT” without yawning your way through the day?
After a while, content marketing can become seriously boring. And when that happens, your results are sure to show it.
No matter how many tedious hours you clock, you won’t see results. No traffic. No engagement. No conversions.
There’s hope for you, discouraged writer, because I’ve got news: You have resources that can inspire your exhausted brain to create new, interesting content.
You can expand your internet presence, draw traffic, and increase conversions. Really. I’ve assembled six quick tips you can improve your content—and you’ll see results, I promise! Here are my tricks.
1. Open every piece with a great headline.
This is the first thing viewers see when scanning a list of Google search results. That means your headline has to be great.
What do we mean by “great”?
Content marketing is all about giving people what they want. Entice them with a unique headline that makes them say, “This site looks like it’s going to meet my needs.” That’s when they click.
How do you do it? Quicksprout offers a fantastic tutorial on headline-writing, teaching that good headline possesses four qualities:
- It’s Unique
- It’s Ultra-specific
- It conveys Urgency
- It promises something Useful
While it’s rarely possible to infuse all four qualities into one headline, using these are your guidelines can help you turn the most boring headline into dynamite.
Need help? Try these headline formats to craft better headlines faster.
2. Step outside your writer’s cave.
Don’t get stuck in your own brain. (It can be a scary place!) Involve those around you, especially your coworkers, your peers and your customers.
Talk about what you’re working on. Ask for ideas. Share where you’re struggling.
Getting out of your own head can open you up to new ideas as well as new resources and trends. That’s the type of input we all need as writers if we’re going to churn out quality content on a regular basis—plus, you’ll build a strong community that can feed all your content creation efforts.
3. Partner with other industry blogs.
It’s pretty simple: You give a shout out to a related business, and they give a shout out to you. This is networking for content marketers.
It’s also a great way to build strong partnerships and get your content in front of new people.
Find a blog about a service related to yours (not in direct competition, obviously) and see if the blog owner will let you post some content as a guest. Write the best post you can—an informative article that addresses readers’ needs, and include a link to your site if it’s relevant. At the very least, you can include a link in your author bio.
Let’s say you sell specialty teas. Send some feelers out to a natural health blog and offer to share about the health benefits of tea. They get free content; you get exposure. It’s time for you to start building some business relationships.
4. Consult an expert.
Sometimes it’s hard to be objective about your own content. When you feel totally stuck, take the pressure off yourself and get some ideas from someone who knows what they’re doing.
It may cost you a consulting fee—but if you’re gaining conversions while saving hours of headaches, it’ll pretty much pay for itself.
For content marketing help, you need to find a consultant with a background in both writing and marketing—someone with an English degree, for example, and a lot of content writing/copywriting experience.
5. Relax on the words.
Okay, obviously the point of writing content is to get people to read your words. But you should already know that engagement depends on much more than words: It’s all about the visuals.
Include pictures. Use video instead of or in addition to text. Create infographics.
You can also create visual interest with your layout.
- Bullet points
- Numbered lists
- Interesting punctuation!
Use eye-grabbing words. (Have you ever noticed how “sex” stands out in a block of text?) And don’t be afraid to use ALL CAPS or ITALICS for emphasis.
Shorten your sentences. Shorten your paragraphs. Shorten the whole damn thing.
Appeal to your readers’ A.D.D. and they will love you.
6. Share your story.
You can’t connect with a human being unless, well, you’re human too. So in your “About Us” or “Who We Are,” be a human.
Use the first person voice. Tell your readers what passions motivated you to build this business. (Hint: “making money” should not be listed.) Talk about why your clients like you and share what they say.
Develop a personality that jives with your product and underscores every piece of content and every conversation. Oh—and don’t forget to share a company picture!
This team photo by Mirasee shows the energy behind the brand. Very engaging.
Bottom line
Content marketing can be a fun, upward journey. The key is to stop thinking about selling and start thinking about connecting.
It’s about developing relationships. Starting conversations. It’s about people.
So take a deep breath.
You’ve got this.
Grab some coffee, plug in the laptop, and get to work!
About the Author: Nick Rojas is a business consultant, self-taught entrepreneur, and established writer for publications such as Entrepreneur, TechCrunch, and Yahoo. He writes about topics to help business owners thrive including marketing, social media, and technology. In his spare time, Nick enjoys kayaking, a good pizza, and connecting with new people. Reach out to him @nickarojas.
