In today’s online world, content is everywhere, be it videos, emails, social media posts, graphics, or blog posts. Nowadays, more than 70,000 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube and about 2 million blogs are posted online daily. But, do you think people read or watch all of this? “No.” Internet users go through endless content every day but they tune most of it. So, if you don’t want to get lost in the crowd, you should provide good, useful, and engaging content.
Content marketing should be your priority if you want to raise brand awareness, improve your exposure, and earn your audiences’ trust. It also paves the way to forming a great first impression, which is the key to your success in this digital world. Your content should provide value to your audience so they trust your business and convert to it as a result.
Good content is useful, readable, clear, relevant, and appealing to readers. However, that’s not the whole thing. Language, tone of voice, and graphics matter too. That’s why your content marketing plan should consider your target audience, industry, and user experience, applying SEO techniques every step of the way. Publishing poor or irrelevant content will harm your business as you risk being penalized by search engines or dismissed by your audience for a competitor.
So, what are the main characteristics of high-performing content?
Readable
Readable content is the most important factor for the success of your content marketing plan. Your content should be easy to understand so that your reader won’t struggle to get the point. Otherwise, they will be confused and scroll down or click “Exit” to find more engaging content. But, what affects the readability of content?
Engaging
A recent study proved that people can make a purchase based on emotions. So, your content should be vibrant and engaging to create the right emotional connection with your audience. And, that’s how you attract attention, boost your reach, and increase sales. It isn’t about good content only but also a captivating headline to encourage your audience to click and read. Don’t underestimate the power of headlines as they can make or break the performance of your content. Don’t forget to add relevant call-to-action buttons to guide your customers to the next step.
Consistent
How to be recognized in the busy market? The answer is “Consistency.”
Consistency enhances brand recognition and helps you to be recognized in the crowded timeline of your target audience. To outpace the competition, you should be consistent across all your social media platforms and web-based applications in terms of company name, products, key message, visuals, and colors.
Visible on Search Engines
Your content won’t give you the desired results unless it is discovered by your target audience, even if you have the best services/products in the market. Search engine optimization is the magical way to boost your ranking on search engine results. Using SEO techniques puts your content in front of audiences that are interested in your business, which boosts your exposure and increases revenues. So, you need to implement precise market research to identify the relevant keywords and craft quality content using these keywords.
Clear on User Intent
Why are users searching for your business? Why do they visit your website? If you want to drive traffic to your website, you should be aware of the user intent. That way you understand your target audience; their behavior, needs, and interests, and know how they search for your services/products.
Navigational intent
Informational intent
Investigational intent
Transactional intent
With Relevant Visuals
Your content should have an engaging presentation of visuals, colors, graphics, and videos. If you publish bulky paragraphs, your audience will get bored and put off reading your content, even if you provide interesting information. That’s why your content should be visually appealing with relevant visuals to catch attention and encourage visitors to read more.
It has been proven that articles that have visuals every 75-100 words are shared twice those without photos. So, using photos throughout your content is important to engage your audience and present your idea in a unique way. Your visual media should include informative graphs, memes, screenshots, photographs, and illustrations.
Shareable
Your content should have a “share” button to be easily shared by your audience on social media platforms. It is a good idea to put sharing buttons at different spots throughout the blog so your readers remember to share your content. Also, based on the number of shares, you can indicate the success of your content and the overall performance of your marketing plan.
In this digital world, you don’t just create content. Your content should be incredible and shed some light on your brand identity. Do you want to rise above the noise of the crowded marketplace? Contact us now and our content writers will help you to make the most of your online presence, boosting your exposure and increasing sales.