Did you know that websites with a blog have 434% more indexed pages than those companies who don’t?
This little statistic clearly shows the power of blogging for driving massive amounts of traffic to a site. But, it cannot be any ol’ content – it has to be written with certain things in mind so that it drives precisely the right kind of traffic. Do the following when crafting blog posts and you will have no trouble whatsoever becoming the King of Content Land:
1. Know your target audience by conducting exhaustive market research using Google Analytics.
Google Analytics will tell you if you are targeting your brand message through the right channels, how well your message is getting through to your customer, and whether the voice of your brand has a tone that resonates with your buyers. When you have all of this information, embody it all into a single buyer persona. This buyer persona is the quintessence of your ideal customer – his demographic and psychographic characteristics, and why he acts the way he does.
You should also become intimately acquainted with what your customers want by building powerful relationships with them. Do this by spending time with them in their natural habitat and ask them why they bought your product. Analytics is good at getting to the “whats,” but not so hot on the “whys.”
2. Format your blogs in a reader-friendly way.
First, you need a great headline that grabs your readers attention without relying on gimmicks. Also, your paragraphs should be short and scannable and have lists that are either bulleted or numbered. Paragraphs shouldn’t have more than four sentences or six lines.
State your big idea right at the beginning and be ruthless about slashing all extraneous words and concepts.
If it isn’t, get rid of it without mercy. And get rid of Frankenwords – no buzz, jargon, clichés, or other verbal monstrosities that will make your reader roll his eyes (see what I did there?)
3. Publish topics that are timely and trendy.
This is best done through newsjacking – finding creative ways to insert yourself right into the middle of a story. If you can do this while also embedding relevant keywords, you will get all the traffic you ever wanted. But when you do this, make sure you don’t come off as overly opportunistic, or your marketing efforts will fail, like Kenneth Cole’s ill-advised tweets about Syria. A safe way to news-jack is to use pop cultural events.
And always be on the lookout for opportunities to inject yourself into the larger narrative. Sign up for Google alerts to be on top of the trending developments.
4. Provide content that is useful for the reader.
You want your stuff to be so useful, your readers will be begging you for more. This sort of content has what Ann Handley of MarketingProfs calls “pathological empathy.” Put the needs of your reader above your own, and be a genius about clarifying the lessons you want your readers to take away.
Figuring out a way to put your reader into the story makes your content relevant and super relatable, too. Publishing is a privilege and not a right – what makes you think your reader has to read your blog? And make your content is actionable – things they can start to use RIGHT THIS MINUTE.
5. Have a unique brand voice.
Are you talking from a perspective only you, out of the billions of souls on this planet, could have? If you’re not, then do us all a favor and zap your content into nonexistence. There is great opportunity in the digital world to really hone what your brand voice is, and it has to be substantially differentiated from the cacophony of voices out there.
You wouldn’t endlessly repeat what all of your neighbors, in their bland little ranch houses in suburbia are saying? That’s so boring. Your words, images, and style create a personality for your brand, whether that is yourself or a company you own.
You really build brand affinity by mirroring the way your audience talks and acts. Make your voice an inspirational one by using shorter sentences, powerful and evocative verbs, and bold appeals to your audience.
6. Show that you are an expert in your field.
This naturally builds up your brand authority, and people will be then eager to buy your stuff. However, you cannot crown yourself as a brand expert; that is a distinction others have to confer on you. When your brand has authority, customers trust you, and this makes it easier for them to buy from you.
Also, look to the conversations your industry is having to see how you can contribute to the expertise that already exists.
So, there you, have it. 6 Great ways to make your content so irresistible, your customers will be chasing you down in the streets demanding more. A great place to get impeccable content is from normtedford.com. Why don’t you check out this site right now, and take your content strategy to unparalleled heights?
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