Of all the things social media has given us, it's provided us with a platform for promoting and spreading ideas and interesting information. If you run a site or are a blogger, then creating good content can be difficult. It can be even more difficult if you want to create content that's sharable and will attract new readers to your site, while serving your current readership.
Creating sharable content is the holy grail of marketing, and if you can figure it out, then you will see a boost in site traffic. However, it's not as simple as flicking a light switch - otherwise we would all be doing it - but there are ways to ensure that your content is seen by as many people as possible
Is Your Brand Trustworthy?
This may sound strange and irrelevant to content in general, but think about this. Let's say you're visiting a news site, why would you visit that site when there are so many others to choose from, each one covering the same events at the same speed? The answer is because you find the content trustworthy: You know that when you visit that site, you will enjoy its content and how it presents information.
The same can be said of your blog and brand. Before you can expect people to share your content, you need to build up a reputation and connect with your core audience by writing reliable content and developing a voice. How you write is entirely up to you, but whether you want to take a personal tone or write with a neutral perspective is dependent on which voice you're more comfortable with, and what you feel is the best way to present said information.
Have A Content Plan
If you approach things on a day-to-day basis or leave writing until the last minute, then you're only making things harder for yourself. That's why it's important that you have a content plan to work from. What it does is give you focus so that you know exactly what needs to be done and time to prepare. More time means that the quality of your posts are much higher than if you just thought up an idea on the day.
Preferably you want to know what your next five to ten articles are going to be before you start writing them. That's not to say that you can't deviate from your schedule if you come up with a brilliant, but time-sensitive idea, but scheduling will greatly improve your overall output.
Create A Catchy Heading
Part of the challenge of creating good content is coming up with a heading that will catch the eye and demand that you read it. Rightly or wrongly, a lot of articles are judged upon the heading used so creating one that intrigues the reader is essential.
Finding the middle ground between an honest and sensationalist headline can be a pretty difficult line to tread, but it can be done if you give it a little bit of thought. If you do go for a sensationalist headline, make sure that you're able to back up what you just said and that you are prepared for a strong reaction from readers.
Is This Interesting?
Be honest, if you weren't writing this post, would you want to read it? Is this something that your audience would like or appreciate? You can't be everything to everyone, but you can write about the topics and subjects that will appeal to a core demographic. Is the content useful, striking or funny? Will the reader come away from it feeling more intelligent? Think about the reasons why you share content and then apply it to your own work.
Focus on Analytics
Analytics is very important in any content strategy and none more so than seeing what type of content works and what doesn't. It's also important for understanding your audience and knowing exactly what they're looking for. Are they looking for business tips on Facebook? Do they like LOLcats? Are they more interested in smartphones? Knowing what resonates with your readers is important and while you are writing the content you want, it's good to know the type of content your readers are looking for.
Create Valuable Content
So you got people to visit your site, but how do you ensure that they will come back for more? The answer is to create valuable content by making posts as detailed and as comprehensive as you can make it. Again, if you give yourself enough time, you can flesh out a post and provide so much content that people will want to go back and read it again.
Provide Social Sharing Buttons
If you've created content that people will want to share, you want to make sure that it's as easy as possible for them to tweet, like or share it. Therefore, you should take the time to include social sharing buttons within your site. However, a word of warning, don't overload your site with numerous sharing buttons as it will make the site look rather messy. Instead, prioritise three or four plugins that your audience would use regularly.
Image Sources
All symbols via The Noun Project.
Play by José Manuel de Laa Artacho
Calendar by Unknown Designer
Refresh by Joris Hoogendoorn
Architect by Augusto Zamperlini
Community by Rémy Médard
Music by Dmitry Baranovskiy
Bar Graph by Fernando Vasconcelos
Media by Thibault Geffroy
Computer by Unknown Designer
comments powered by