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Content is the linchpin of inbound marketing. It fuels your business blog, website, email marketing, search engine optimization, and well pretty much everything else. The problem is, this critical component often get delegated to the lower rungs of the priority ladder. As a marketer, it is easy to get caught up in flashy design or the mechanics of a new social media application and ultimately lose sight of content's value.
At the same time, you hear marketing experts around the globe constantly shout about "remarkable content." The challenge is that most people don't actually hand you a blueprint for remarkable content. While the strategies in this post will instantly make your content better, they are also part of the blueprint for creating remarkable business content.
9 Ways to Create Awesome Content
1. Be Brief - When it comes to great content, brevity is your friend. Your content should be long enough to convey your idea, but no longer. When editing your content, set aside a special review pass for identifying content that isn't necessary and can be deleted.
2. Understand the Audience Persona - Great B2B marketing is about having a clear persona for your target buyer. Great content is no different. Know the problems that your target audience is trying to solve. At your next tradeshow, observe how people consume information and ask target readers what type of information they are looking for. This information is priceless and will guide your content for the long-term.
3. Marvel - Be confident, not cocky. People want to be cool. As a business creating content, it is important that you show you believe in the information you are distributing. If you think an idea is awesome, then say it is. Marvel at your own insight to model for your readers how they should feel.
4. Use Visuals - Images and video are great storytelling devices. They have the power to convey a complicated message quickly, which, for B2B companies, is an important skill. Use visuals whenever possible to help demonstrate and simplify your story.
5. Segment - When writing a blog post or an ebook, you want to hold the reader's attention. One way to do this is to ensure you're not overwhelming them with information. By using section headers and bullet points, you can easily segment information and avoid daunting your readers. This practice of segmenting makes it easy for your audience to quickly understand, consume, and engage with your content.
6. Be Positive - Nobody likes a Debbie Downer. Positive content beats negative content any day of the week. Illustrate why an idea or product is great, not why the competition is bad. Think about the tone of your website, blog posts, and other content. Do they tend to lean positive or negative?
7. Don't Preach - People don't like to be told what to do. Instead, they want to be empowered to know how to do something new. Focus on how-to content that directs the reader down a path of information that, over time, allows them to adopt your idea on their own.
8. Cite Others - Sharing information or quotes from others helps to add credibility to the idea you're working hard to get adopted. Link to content on other websites that is relevant to your idea. Look for ways to incorporate content from others such as guest blog posts that can add credibility to your business.
9. Inspire - Emotion matters. It is a factor that moves people to take an action. Tell stories related to your industry and business. Fact sheets are a thing of the past. Transform what used to be a black and white decision into one guided by emotion.
What would you add to this list? How do you define remarkable content?
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