Ever wondered why marketing specialists always emphasize the importance of content marketing?
Think of established brands like Goldman Sachs, Adidas, and Dell. What is it that sets them apart from other brands?
The answer?
Their content.
Look at the following statistics I found on www.ignitespot.com before we move on:
- Interesting content is one of the top three reasons why people follow brands on social media
- 81% of US consumers trust the advice and the information they get from blogs
- Business to Business (B2B) marketers that blog generate 67% more leads
- 61% of US consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post
- 70% of consumers find out more about a company through articles than ads
As you can see, demand patterns are constantly evolving. As a result of this, content marketing has captured a unique place in the market, and it guarantees incredible sales.
Successful businesses make continuous efforts to better their content marketing so that they can attract and maintain their customer base.
Now the question arises — “How would I know if my content is good?”
Don’t worry. I’m here to provide an answer to that.
Content can be of two types.
It can either be entertaining, which leaves quite a temporary impact, or can be effective and actually sell.
Since we are entrepreneurs and not entertainers, we prefer the latter, don’t we? So how do we get there?
Here are three ‘tried and tested’ ways of creating content that will skyrocket your sales and hook your audience from the very beginning. In fact, it may even compel them to promote your product to their friends and family.
(I strongly advise you to move on to the following step only after you have successfully completed the previous one.)
1. Become a storyteller
According to QuantifiedCommunications.com:
“Research shows that messages delivered as stories can be up to 22 times more memorable than just facts.”
While I don’t mean begin your content with “Once upon a time,” a simple story will immediately grasp the attention of the reader.
It will also find its place in their memory, so even if they are not stimulated to purchase your product, the story will remain on their mind.
One day in the future, when they discover a need for your product, they will think of your story and come back to your website. This time, to purchase your product.
The story you share should be personal (tip — use the first-person point of view). Your reader will want to know how you got to where you are, why you decided to launch your product and the challenges you confronted during the process.
So for example, if your product is a traffic-boosting software for online businesses, begin by letting your customers know about why and how you developed this software. Talk about all the nights you stayed awake to reach your goal. Mention how lightly people took your idea and the times you failed and felt like giving up.
Then, you move on to describe your software and how useful it has been on a personal level and to your clients. Your readers, who are also your customers, will then be able to look at your product the way you look at it. This is also essential if you want to create consumer loyalty.
One of the best examples of using a personal story to sell content is that of Danny Iny’s “ How I became the Freddy Krueger of Blogging. “
In this story, Danny gets personal and talks about the days before his fame. Then he talks about how he worked hard to change the game and became a big name in the blogging and marketing world.
Danny is an established blogger and already knows what his readers want to know.
You, on the other hand, might find yourself getting stuck every little while. When this happens, ask yourself the following questions:
- “How does this relate to the reader?
- “Will this information help my reader in any way?”
The answers to these questions will help you re-evaluate what you have written and remove any unnecessary content.
A good story would typically contain four things:
- A problem, the struggles, and a solution
- Simple yet powerful language
- Vivid descriptions
- An impactful ending with a strong, thought-provoking takeaway.
Now you can take your personal success story that makes you proud and share it with your audience.
Just remember to give them only what they want to know.
Once you have done this, you can move on to step 2.
2. Breathe life into your content (Your audience are not robots!)
As humans, we are always looking for content that is relatable.
This is why social media bloggers also share a bit of their personal life on their blogs.
It satisfies the social animal that lives inside every human being.
If there is one thing your content must not be, it is robotic.
Think of how many times you have read through the Terms & Agreements before clicking on “I agree.”
Never.
The same goes with your website’s content.
If it is stiff and lacks personality, your reader won’t even get past the first paragraph.
So how do you create this kind of content?
Keep it simple. A very common mistake most people make is that they use sophisticated language that requires textbooks to define. Cut this out and use simple language. Include words like “really,” “probably,” and “almost” so that your audience knows that your content is fresh and not copied off another book.
Use power words like “agony,” “courage,” “daring,” “defeat,” “glorious,” in your content. This will awaken your audience’s mind.
Share just enough content — not too much nor too little. When you want to share some personal information, remind yourself that this is your business blog and not your personal diary. Your consumers will be interested in your life, but they are not here to read about the breakdown you had two years ago. Make the information you share as relevant as possible to your product.
I found Jon Morrow’s blog post “ How to Quit Your Job, Move to Paradise and Get Paid to Change the World “ an excellent example to emulate.
Once you’ve read his post, along with the tips I have shared as well, you can assess your work and make necessary corrections.
When you are sure that your content is not robotic and has just enough life in it, you can proceed to Step 3.
3. Tell your readers about how your product or service changed another customer’s life.
In the realm of content marketing, we would call this a ‘Case Study.’
Generally, in a case study, you would include the story of a customer before, during and after your service.
Case studies have the power to make your content more realistic.
They support the claims you would make in your content with real-life lessons and act as proof of your expertise in the field.
Through them, you can inform your customers of how your product had changed someone’s life, without bluntly stating that it did.
This will also inspire your customers to imagine how useful your product would be in their life.
One of the most popular a/b split testing software on the web is VWO (Visual Website Optimizer).
Their website is full of case studies that guarantee the effectiveness of their software.
Their clients are companies like ICICI Bank, Lenovo, eBay, Virgin (you get the idea).
Had they included only blog posts that shared the owner’s personal story or tips on how websites can be optimized, they wouldn’t have been able to capture customers like those mentioned.
The links below are some other examples of content that includes effective case studies.
They don’t only provide information to the customer — they also make them want to purchase the business’s product:
Need more help? Here are some simple ways of ensuring that your case studies are just as awesome:
- Use the example of a customer who everyone can relate to.
- Don’t use too much jargon in your case study. Make use of simple words that are easily understood.
- Include the statistics. Show your customers that your interference really did have a substantial impact on your client.
- Be specific and clear about your strategy and remain focused on that.
These are some useful tips on creating impactful case studies for your customers.
If you are still looking for more, https://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/howto-case-study.html has others tips that you may find helpful.
Time to take action.
Great content is essential for the success of a business.
However, learning how to do this doesn’t really require another degree.
What I’ve provided should be enough to kick-start your marketing career. Now that you know how to create content that will hook your customers, what are you waiting for?
Start creating already!