If you want your digital marketing strategies to succeed, you can’t ignore the content that you create. Content is king, as every SEO professional will tell you. Grammar, spelling and punctuation have a strong impact on a first impression, but is there more to it than following technical best practices? With tools like grammarly, the role of a copywriter and copy editor are expanding further and further into creativity.
Copywriting helps content shine
Content generation services are a dime a dozen, and you can get copy written on any number of topics for as little as a crisp $5 bill, if you catch my drift. With the industry fully aware of the importance of content to online performance, there must be more to a successful strategy than simply volume. For new topics that have yet to be established, newsjacking is a great way to boost your organic traffic, but what about if content already exists? What if your’e trying to get yourself noticed where hundreds or thousands of others already are?
You’ve all clicked a link that sent you to a site you may have never heard of, for information about a new model of phone coming out, or some topic that you’re interested in, only to be disappointed with what you found. Formulaic and uninspired posts may get you an initial click here and there, but if the content isn’t engaging, readers will quickly leave.
Engaging headlines are just the start
The most pressing concern for most content writers is to get their content noticed. This starts from the headline, and which is why “click-bait” posts are so ubiquitous these days. You may even realize before clicking that the post you are going to is likely going to be full of ads, maybe a “gallery” of images where you have to click next to see each one, with ads each time. But even then, your curiosity gets the better of you, or maybe the title was just so clever you had to see what it was about.
Writing engaging headlines that encourage people to read is just the first step in writing creative copy. Most sites that post content with the goal of improving visibility, building trust, and growing name recognition will not be interested in users that immediately close the browser and leave out of frustration. Google’s own RankBrain AI and BERT algorithm use artificial intelligence and machine learning which are becoming ever more important in determining performance on the search engine results page (SERP). These take into account not only the bounce rate and time spent on site, but also the content found within. Templates aren’t going to work here!
Know your audience and solve their questions
People use search engines above all else to get answers to questions. These questions range from the inane to the highly technical, and can be worded in numerous ways, but the goal in the end is to get an answer to something that is on their mind. This is the heart of content marketing, because a successful content marketing strategy will result in original and authoritative results that answer users questions in such a way that they’re encourage to stay longer and even share with their friends.
The most successful content will not only be free of any glaring grammatical issues and have a clever and engaging headline, but will continue to satisfy a reader’s needs throughout. This is especially true for businesses that derive most if not all of their clients from the web. The content that users read quickly forms their opinion of you and your company, regardless of whether you’re in the content creation business! After all, if a software developer can’t be bothered to check the content on their page, what does that say about the quality of their code? It most likely means nothing, but a seed of doubt has already been planted that will shape a potential client’s opinion of your brand.
Creative copy means trying something new
Copy should be creative, knowledgeable and unique
When writing copy, or searching for a copywriting/copy editing service, it’s important to identify what it is you are looking for. If your goal is brand building and giving clients a positive opinion from the onset, the focus should be on delivering content that is creative, that understands the industry and uses familiar topics and jargon, and that stands out from the rest. This is no easy task, and one that demands a fresh approach to content creation, outside of templates and keyword goals. If your business or your product is unlike any other, then shouldn’t your content be the same? Your goal is to stand out, how can you do that if your copy doesn’t?
And remember, creativity doesn’t stop with your content. It should be found in every aspect of your digital marketing strategy, from content to design and even how and where you share! A successful digital marketing strategy requires a thoughtful, multi-disciplined approach that we would love to help you with.
