Why Your Content Is So Crappy, And What You Can Do To Make It Better.

 

Ok, ok calm down. It’s probably not all that bad. Of course your content could always be better and if you follow just a few basic tips, you’ll be on your way to content super-stardom!

 

Before we dive in, let’s take a quick refresher to make sure we’re all singing from the same hymnal—so to speak. The Content Marketing Institute, which is the source for all things content marketing related says:

 

“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action”.

 

Content is the beginning phase of the inbound marketing cycle, and inbound marketing is one of today’s best ways to drive inbound traffic and leads. You have to hook ‘em before you can cook ‘em, and good content is one of the juiciest worms, so you had better believe that getting it right makes all the difference.  If your content is crappy, it may be because you have left out one or more of the following tips.

 

 

So? How do we make great content?

 

1. Know thy audience. You’ll notice that the Content Marketing Institute’s definition explicitly mentions valuable and relevant content? Well how can it be relevant and/or valuable if you don’t know anything about whom you are talking to? This is the A-1 Cardinal rule that should come before all others, and not just for content creation, but for writing in general.

 

2. Grab attention with the headline.   Try to succinctly sum up the general thrust of your content in 60 characters or less. Sixty characters represent the length that will be shown in a Google search. Go past that and your title will be cut off , and nobody wants that. The ideal title length is right around 55 characters.
   And while you are writing this masterpiece, don’t be afraid to go for the gusto and stir up a little controversy and/or emotion. I got you to click on this article didn’t I?

 

3. Keep it short and sweet.

 

4. Be conversational. Part of the point of digital marketing and content production is to put a face on your company and give it a more human touch. That can’t happen if you’ve got Mr. Roboto pounding out boilerplate copy all day. You want to “join the conversation” in a compelling and enticing way, not publish VCR instructions.

 

5. If it ain’t fun, why do it? I’d like to borrow a page from the Warby Parker playbook and say that fun content trumps dull content every time.   Obviously if you are writing content for Cancer Treatment Centers of America, “fun” content isn’t really an option. However, most other types of companies can benefit from a little injection of the ole F-U-N.

 

6. Tell a story.   There’s an old adage that says: “facts tell, but stories sell”. And that is as true today as it ever was, maybe even more so. Don’t meander around in your branded content, tell a story! Stories create experiences in the mind. Stories differentiate your message from all of your competition. Stories are much more likely to be remembered. And possibly most importantly, stories are more likely to be shared with other people.

 

7. Call to action.   Oh yeah, you forgot about that one.   Don’t fret young Jedi, many content publishers forget that simple tactic.   Think to yourself: “what is the real purpose for me to publish branded content? Hint: it’s sales. You can dress it up however you like and say you want to drive engagement, or web traffic or whatever, but at the end of the day you can’t eat engagement. Sales baby, sales. So make sure to include a simple CTA within your content. Don’t overdo it though or you will negate the benefits of using content as your draw. One CTA per page should suffice, but make sure to have at least one. Ask for that action!

 

So as you can see, the murky and mysterious world of content marketing isn’t as murky and mysterious as you once thought. In fact, it’s downright easy if you know where to start. Hopefully these few tips will help get you on your way.   Now get out there and publish, you magnificent beasts!

 

–Steve

 

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