Archive for category: Content Marketing

10 Incredible Content Creation Tips to Turbo-Charge Your Content Marketing Strategy

15 Oct 2016/0 Comments/in Content Marketing, SEO /by Maryam

Could you characterise what precisely is “High-Quality Content”? All things considered, it can’t be clarified plainly as there are such a large number of methods for composing content and every visitor likes to read different types of content- some like descriptive and some like to read only the highlight points.

Creating quality content that is tempting to the audience out there is the most critical variable in making your website stand out like hot chicks! Considering that there are so many bloggers taking part on the web, it can be a quite a challenge crafting content that has the top notch substance, to the point that’s noteworthy as well as feed the visitor’s needs. Obviously, blogging nowadays is not all that simple and you need to surpass such a large number of obstacles to get on top.

Secrets to Creating Killer Content

So here I give you certain insider facts that are not privileged insights but rather hot tips that can make your content and SEO strategy better than average and emerge from the group.

1.Charming Blog Headlines

This is the one that catches a visitor’s eye when he’s going through Google’s search results. Since this is where he is going to begin judging what’s on your site, the headline should interest the visitor, so he clicks on to your site.

Regardless of whether the nature of the content is extraordinary and upgraded to the best, all endeavours go futile if the user is not going to click onto your site/blog.

Other than containing a fascinating feature, it ought to appear rare and if possible, even weird and negative. You can have a go at utilizing numbers, power words (or adjectives) like “important”, “unbelievable”, “fantastic” and trigger words like “what”, “why”, “how” and “when”.

Invite the visitor with a promise and deliver your content based on that promise.

2. An Interesting First Paragraph

Now the visitor has seen that great headline and has clicked into your site. He has begun reading the principal section, the first paragraph.

What he needs there is something that conveys the promise made by that dazzling headline. A few bloggers do the strategy of making astonishing headlines and after that compose a content that is absolutely boring and dull.

The result? It’s an immediate press of the “Back” or “Close” button on the user’s browser. One out of ten individuals look down through an online blog entirely and read the whole article.

After the headline, your duty has increased more. You have to snare the visitor who’s trying to run away from your site with a powerful content that describes in a simple and brief way, what you will be discussing in the coming paragraphs of your blog. This section of your blog is where the visitor figures out if reading this entire content is worth his time and attention and you can’t afford to lose it with boring sentences.

3. Express What You Know Best

Obviously, the matter in your blog ought to be enlightening and fill in the blanks of the user. It should give knowledge into some new regions in the niche which you are blogging/selling on.

It’s best to compose on what you have solid knowledge about. If by chance, which is highly likely, you are composing something new or something that is not your specialty, do an intensive and broad examination on the subject before you write the content.

4. Pass on something special like a story

A story-line always interacts with a reader. Attempt to make a few stories that match with your content in some or the other way. This can catch the user’s psyche and if he or she has gotten some experience like the one in your story, he is intrigued to go further and read more.

5. Pick a Target Audience

Despite the fact that positioning higher on Google is important, it is much more critical that individuals who click on to your site like you and trust you. When they believe you, they will hear whatever you say and take what you bring to the table for them.

Making trust in a vast crowd is not all that simple and I agree it’s a Herculean task. But be sure to particularly address and speak out to each one of the guests who is searching for what you are blogging about or those individuals who are now in the same field as you are in.

Devote all your efforts to offer them the answers to their questions in a proficient and conversational style. It is best to keep 10 out of 100 guests connected with you as opposed to making a decent attempt to get a 100 out of the billion individuals on the planet to go through your site.

6. Create content that is shareable

After you have figured the group of people that ought to visit your site, you have to figure out how to make content that is convincing and sufficiently enticing to make individuals share that on online networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Research on existing content online that has been shared significantly on online networking and take notes on the quality points the content has got to offer and makes it shareable.

On that note, construct something new based upon your insight and as your individual writing style.

7. Add links to other powerful websites from your content

Backing your content with links from high-power sites (like Wikipedia) enhances your reader’s trust in your website. Give credits to an influencer’s blog or website that has given you thoughts to create content for your site.

Connecting to such authority websites increases your Page Authority significantly and you are giving your visitors all the right reasons to stay associated with your blog.

8. Your content must compel them to make a move or take a step they haven’t done before

In spite of your content being of shareable worth, it ought to be one that initiates some sort of activity from the reader.

A content that challenges the reader to explore a new territory or do something that’s different makes your content an actionable one.

9. Have an incredible website design

Since individuals skim a content whatsoever, an awesome content should be presented with great design. The use of pictures which gets the user in touch with any of his feelings or by arousing his interest can expand the engagement rate for your article rendering it a converting piece.

10. Attempt to make Timeless Content

An immortal or timeless content, basically, is one which is intriguing and is significant for a long stretch of time. If your content is ceaselessly new and applicable, odds are that the content will get more linked and voted for popularity. So try and create content that’s immortal and evergreen.

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9 Marvelous Ways to Get Everyone to Read Your Content

12 Oct 2016/0 Comments/in Content Marketing /by Maryam

You slaved, carefully crafted each phrase. Your precious words and sentences. You just know that they will attract the audience you are targeting. You finally hit the “publish” button. And then, what happens?

No one reads them. No likes, no comments, no shares and tweets! You keenly watch the number of page views in your Analytics dashboard but they move at a snail’s pace!

It’s enough to send a blogger into a stage of grief and depression and de-motivate him from producing great content consistently.

Do you think spending another 10,000 hours perfecting your writing skills will improve it? No way!

As a matter of fact, the solution is just a lot easier than what you would expect!

Write less and style your text so it’s easy to read or rather scan (more on that later) could be all you need to do to attract and hold attention.

Consider those Impatient searchers out there

According to Jakob Nielsen’s study on “How Users Read on the Web” in 1997, 79 percent of web users scan rather than read. And only 16 percent read word-by-word.

Just pause and think how you would use the web. You are searching some information. And if you don’t get in the page you visited, you click on “close” or “back” button, to go look for it elsewhere.

The web is more like a “lean forward, concentrate & participate” type of medium. Contrarily, television is a “lean back, relax & let it wash over me” type of medium.

What writing tactics can you use to engage your readers so they lean into your content, pay attention to the information you have written out, and interact with it?

1. Write in the Inverted Pyramid Style

To write successfully for the web, you need to forget some of w1hat you learned in English composition class. You might be familiar with the writing that starts with an introduction to a particular subject, then gradually builds up on it in the body part only to end with a conclusion.

It’s totally boring!

Accept that people just scan your page, rather than reading it in detail. Work and write with this reality in mind, rather than trying to fight it.

If you are covering a complex subject, consider breaking it into a number of posts. It’s also a great tactic to make people come back for more. And your reader will easily be able to digest your content as you provide them in controlled portion sizes.

Use the inverted pyramid style to structure your paragraphs. With this style, you start with your conclusion first, support it with the important facts in the sentences that follow and then give a background. It’s used widely by journalist and as readers break away in the middle of reading the content, they have already grasped the most important information.

The inverted pyramid style helps scanners move from one point to another in a breeze. As they read along, they get to decide where they want to dive in deep.

Next, use these easy design techniques that follow and get your content to be more reader-friendly.

A few minutes is all it takes to turn a post from an overwhelming block of black text to something that magnetises the reader’s senses and pulls him/her in.

2. Break up your content with compelling subheadings

A basic writing technique often repeated around everywhere, is to write your headings and subheadings first.

A strong, promising headline is essential to get readers to check you out first. And when you combine them with solid subheads, it keeps readers engaged. Subheadings are like “mini-headlines” that keep your readers moving throughout the rest of your content.

Make your subheads thought-provoking and informative. Don’t tick off your readers’ BS meters, by exaggerating or you are going to lose credibility. “Compelling” doesn’t mean “hyping.”

After you have written your subheadings, review them to see if the readers/scanners will understand your article by just reading them. Have they got a compelling storyline? Will they get the gist of what you are saying?

3. Embrace lots of white spaces in between your content

This is one of the few easiest ways to render your content more readable. Even complex, tough content could become more reader-friendly with the simple usage of lots of white space.

Keep your paragraphs short and feature just one idea per paragraph in three to four sentences, nothing more nothing less.

And write some paragraphs with just one sentence only.

4. Use bulleted lists

There’s a reason why they are called “bulleted” lists.

They create a compulsion that your readers just can’t resist.
They can be easily scanned to infer multiple points.
They are like visual breaks for your reader as they look different from the rest of the text.

5. Harness the Power of Numbers

Think that numbered lists are boring and way too plain? Think again.

Incredibly, numbers are an effective way to capture attention and keep the reader on your page.

Just by numbering the main points, you can make a post much more compelling. Give it a try yourself.

6. Add links to relevant and helpful content

Internal links benefit you by backing to the cornerstone content on your website itself. It keeps people lingering on your site, reading your best material.

External links prove that you have done a research on the topic and want to credit the other experts. A good piece of content uses both internal and external links to give insights to your reader besides adding value.

7. Use image captions

As studies have shown, images are processed 60,000 times faster than text.

Pair an image with a caption that’s two to three sentences long. It’s enough to get your reader intrigued to dig and dive into the whole of your article.

8. Highlight certain parts of your content strategically

Add emphasis to certain parts of your content by bolding important facts. It helps the reader as he is scanning through the page and grasp the most important information in just a glance.

Don’t highlight each and everything as they would simply have the same effect of highlighting nothing. Instead, bring emphasis to the key points so the reader can easily single them out.

9. Format and Re-Arrange your content to turn the scanners into your readers

After you incorporated all pf the above design techniques, read through the whole article again — looking only at that part of the text you have drawn special attention to.

Will your readers get the gist of what you are saying? Have you singled out the interesting and relevant words, the words that will be singled out by your scanners in and converted by them into your readers?

How about you? What are your favourite tactics for captivating your readers with your content? Let’s talk about it in the comments section.

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10 Quick Editing Tips to Create Awesome Content

14 Aug 2016/3 Comments/in Content Marketing, SEO /by Maryam

Whether you are a bestselling novelist or a small online blogger, you have got to edit your work. Your first draft is always a garbage of your thoughts disorganized and points that are uncertainly stated. Ever since writing dawned, it started with chaos and was restructured to end in order. Editing is such an important part of writing that you should be dedicating a big chunk of your writing time. While you go through your first draft, you need to check if your content is the best you have to offer and whether it’s got a flow or a rhythm going on in it.

Every writer creates a piece of content with a goal. For most of us, saving time while also polishing our writings is the main goal. Here are ten quick editing tips just to help you achieve this goal of presenting your best work in no time.

Write Awesome with these 10 Quick Editing Tips

So you have just finished writing your first draft and now it’s time to edit before you hit that “publish” button. But before you edit, I suggest you run away and leave off that piece you have been writing. If you were to do it all in just one sitting, you are committing the big blunder of letting all the errors fool your eyes into believing they don’t exist. Talk about ghosts in your content! When it’s time, wear those horn-rimmed eyeglasses and use these quick editing tips to make sure that you have hit the right notes and end up with the perfect final piece of content.

Tip #1 Skim the cream off your content

People read quickly these days and skim your content as much as possible without going over each and every word. So why not make it easy for your audience by keeping your content crisp, brief and fat-free? For your readers’ sake, don’t add so much fat into content by dragging out your sentences. Break up your content into bullet points with interesting benefit-driven sub-headers.

Take a look at these sentences and see the difference when reading them without the bolded words.

Every single person should read.
But the real issue here is people have a short attention span.
You are going to have to keep your writing short and brief.

Don’t you feel that these sentences are better off with the bolded words?

Tip #2 Use commas only wherever needed

In the English language, there are lots of rules to be followed when using punctuation. Even the usage of the little comma is subject to so many rules and regulations. Don’t over-complicate commas by putting them here and there like mayo on your sandwiches! The idea is to read your sentences out loud and if you feel that a certain sentence is longer than ordinary, break it up with a comma. Alternately, use commas on those spots you feel that the reader is going to stop reading.

Tip #3 Remove Empty Filler Words

The use of phrases like “here is”, “it takes” and “there is” takes the focus from the nouns in a sentence. They require other filler words to combine with them like who, how and when. Such phrases also stretch your sentences longer than necessary.

If your sentences contain a lot of these phrases, then it’s time to rewrite them.

Here are some examples so you can teach yourself to rectify them:

It’s fun to read- Reading is fun
There are many people who love to read- Many people read
Here are some DIY ideas for you to try- Some DIY ideas for you to try are

If you have already given a little description on the subject, then it’s okay to use words like “here”, “it” and “there”. For instance: I love being an SEO Analyst. It’s a great profession.

Tip #4 Replace weak verbs with strong ones

Certain words can reduce the impact of what we are implying. Look out for those words and replace them with strong, powerful verbs. It can drive home the point you are stating through your content, besides making it interesting.

Certain examples:

She had gone from Greece to Rome- She traveled from Greece to Rome
Dominos is giving out coupons- Dominos offers coupons
Make out a plan- Create a plan

Tip #5 Use Powerful Adjectives

Avoid using so much of “really” and “very” when you are describing something. Many people use “very good”, “really bad” to emphasize something while speaking. It looks good when you speak but when you write it down on paper, you get to see the difference. Words like “very” and “really” sound inadequate and are so much less of an intensifier than they ought to be. Keep in mind your reader’s time is precious. It pays not to waste his time by being as concise as possible. Get straight to the point with confidence using power words.

Really bad- Dreadful
Really good- Exceptional, Marvelous
Very Huge- Enormous, Tremendous
Very impressive- Catchy

Example: 5 Marvelous Benefits of Data Entry Service Outsourcing

When you use power words, remember to deliver your readers something that’s in pace with those adjectives. Don’t charge up your audience’s expectations and then give them some mediocre content to read. I gotta tell you, it’s a crime!

Tip #6 Use contractions

Contractions make your writing sound more friendly, conversational and informal. You don’t want your reader thinking that he’s reading a newspaper or a textbook. Examples of contractions are it’s, I’m, you’re, gonna, wasn’t, haven’t and so on. They are easy to pronounce and make your post easy to comprehend. So do me a favor and use as many contractions as you can in your post and connect better with your readers.

Tip #7 Remove those unwanted ings in your posts

“I am writing about…”, “She was running to…”, or “We are thinking about…” When you see so many ings in your copy, think twice about whether they are really needed or not- simply because you probably don’t.

You can get rid of an “ing” and say “I write about…”, “She ran to…”, or “We thought about…”. This gets your copy clear and easy to read.

Tip #8 Use Bullet points that match up

Talking about breaking up sentences, you might be doing it with bullet points. Bullet points state points quick and clear (like a bullet!) without much fuss. They are popular for breaking up long content and making your copy more readable. When using bullet points, make sure it matches up to the blog post title as well as the surrounding content. Many of the writers do the mistake of creating bullet points that are completely different and totally not related to each other.

For example, in a post that’s titled “5 Mistakes that could ruin your interview”, here’s a bullet point that actually goes along:

Forgetting to prepare a formal introduction

Here’s one that doesn’t go along with the title (because it’s not actually an error- you are suggesting what is to be done, not the mistake):

Prepare a formal introduction

If you are writing a post with a title that goes “5 Tips for Instant Success at Job Interviews”, you should be laying out “tips” in your bullet points.

Another quick tip for bullet points is keeping them symmetrical as possible. If your first bullet point finishes in a line, make the rest of them finish in a line. It’s good to the eyes and hence, easy for the reader.

Tip #9 Unpack longer sentences

A simple guide to writing better is to use one idea in a sentence. Long sentences make your writing a drag. Hunt for those long sentences in your copy and fix them as follows:

Eliminate unnecessary words
When you see a comma, think twice about whether it could be a full stop
If you see the words “which” and “that”, think if you can start a new sentence
Rewrite and rephrase

Tip #10 Track your mistakes while editing

As a final piece of advice, keep track of the mistakes you make. It can be a spelling mistake too. Certain words are hard to spell correctly. For example, I tend to add an s after onward. So when I edit my posts, I keep an eye out for onward so I can make sure I was not butchered again. When you keep a list of your writing mistakes, it becomes an important reference resource. It just helps the task of editing in future a lot easier and is a sure fire way of not making the same mistakes over and over again.

In Conclusion

Grammar is something you might hate right now. But a good writing that encompasses good grammar earns so much respect and credibility from its readers. (Personally, bad grammar is my pet peeve!)

If you care about your readers, you must edit your copy and proofread it over and over again. Tweet it!

It’s key to making your content marketing strategy work out great for the long term. Have more editing tips that worked out for your content? I would love to hear it over your comments.

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The Ultimate Content Marketing Checklist

14 Jun 2016/0 Comments/in Content Creation, Content Marketing /by Maryam

The tedious content marketing drudgery, we have all been there. Everybody must have experienced some weakness with content marketing at some point or the other. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try you can’t seem to:

=>Get enough content to write on
=>Engage the audience with your content, especially if you are marketing content in a boring niche, say insurance
=>Bring interesting ways to innovate the content

Content Marketing can sometimes be a Herculean Task. And as the current SEO Statistics state, the need for engaging content can never get extinct like the dinosaurs!

Ever wondered if you had a checklist handy to tick off while producing content? Well, look no further, here’s the ultimate content marketing checklist that you can look up to whenever the need arises.

LOOKING TO MAKE A GREAT IMPACT WITH YOUR BLOG?

1. Consider your objective- Each piece of content you create should be part of one and only puzzle and that’s your objective. The content you create should aim to achieve the goal you have in mind.

2. Analyze the type of content and where the focus has to be- What are you intending to achieve? What part of the buying cycle -awareness, research, comparison, purchase- are you focusing on?

3. Stay specific and focused- Concentrate on a particular topic and convey your opinions on it. This attracts a lot of attention as well as creates inherent trust for you to the visitors

4. Select your audience- What is the type of audience you are looking for? Who can buy what you are selling? Which category of professionals/people should refer to your post?

5. Perceive your audience- Respond to people’s opinions and questions with your content

6. See past yourself and connect with your audience- Connect with your audience for inspiration for new blog topics. People ask questions if they have listened. Get them to listen to you with engaging content that’s responding with answers to their questions, a content that’s also creating more discussions

7. Get your audience to inspire and feel something- Dare your reader into thinking about something he never did. Drive your reader to take an action!

HAVING A WRITER’S BLOCK?

A writer’s block is a creative shutdown, where you are unable to think of something to proceed. As I said earlier, we all face this sometime or the other. Here’s a way out of it:

8. Create a rough outline- Research on what you are going to write about and create your personal outline on it. The next step is to add more substance and grow your rough outline to a big piece of content.

9. Strike a conversation with your reader- Speak to your reader as if he was your long time companion. Write as if you are talking, exaggerate if you wish!

10. Avoid perfection- Aren’t you a human being? As you try being perfect, you are stuck at some point and you revert. Be yourself and write what think- even if it’s rubbish. After you are done, turn on the editor inside you and improvise, rearrange and rescript what you’ve written.

11. Find your comfortable time- I can write content when I am at a quiet place. I write best during the day. Find your best time to be creative and bring out the best in you at your own comfort. Of course, stay away from all distractions when you are writing your piece of content.

HAVING TROUBLE WEAVING CONVERSATION INTO CONTENT MARKETING?

12. Develop an effective story in your content- Make your content powerful with story- something that everyone can relate to. Stories help to create strong brands and a long lasting impression on people.

13. Show out the numbers- Try using statistics and percentages that support the facts in your content.

14. Share an influencer’s thought- Give examples of what a leader in your niche is speaking to your target audience.

15. Visualize the message– Inspire your audience with an image or infographic that portrays the whole message that’s in your content.

HAVING DOUBTS ABOUT REPURPOSING YOUR PUBLISHED CONTENT?

Repurposing your content means recycling your existing content in the form of videos, podcasts and webinars. It helps to engage a new set of audience as well as make you get the most out of your endeavors.

16. Break your content into different parts and then customize- Separate your existing content and repurpose it into the way people prefer- YouTube, Slideshare, podcasts or Webinars

17. Create a list of all the new topics you are going to convey- Collect distinct resources and rank them as per the needs of the target audience going to look at it.

18. Select the way you will be presenting your repurposed content- Choose the medium you want your content to be on. Maybe it can be an infographic, a presentation or a webinar.

19. Incorporate influencers’ thoughts and quotes- Find live or recorded clips of famous influencers’ quotes or tips that are relevant to your niche and incorporate the same in the content you’ve created.

Hope this checklist has been of great use when intending to make an outstanding content marketing strategy for your brand! What’s your gimmick that’s helped you in content marketing?