How do you create quality content that attracts online readers and yet works to promote the growth of your business?
Creating great content for your business blog is a what and how issue, as in what constitutes “good” content, and how does one produce that content so that it brings in the readers that a business blogger wants. Quality content stimulates reader/customer engagement.
Here’s what quality web content looks like: It’s short, sweet, smart, and funny:
- Content has to be short to accommodate the average reader’s attention span and need to scan quickly.
- Sweet because it has to attract readers to your article (think arresting titles). You want to hit that sweet spot right in the center of their curiosity and desire to know more.
- It has to be smart to stimulate the reader to think, tell them something they don’t already know, and trigger them to join in on the conversation, to share or comment.
- And finally, the content needs to be funny or at least clever to hold their attention and trigger good feelings. (Note: an alternative would be to be outrageously negative, which also stimulates comments and sharing.)
Without any of these factors, you risk losing readers to boredom. It’s click and bye-bye!
How do you keep readers interested and coming back to your blog?
Posting content that regurgitates old news won’t win you any readers. You have to assert yourself and offer challenging opinions in order to get noticed.
Shake things up within your niche, step on some toes, rile up your readers! It’s a sure way to draw attention to your blog and what you have on it.
Great content has context. If you want to get noticed by more readers, you have to contextualize your articles in an ongoing conversation so your words have meaning to your targeted audience.
- You can team up with a fellow blogger in your niche by participating in an ongoing discussion, or in an argument. What are the issues your business niche people struggle with?
- You put in your two cents on a breaking news story or controversy. Always, however, relate it back to what’s relevant for your business blog’s readers and their lives.
- You cite facts and figures to back up your assertions. Build your credibility by citing experts and knowing the research.
- Run your own online survey, and ask pertinent questions that your ideal customers struggle with.
Without context to frame your content, you risk appealing to the readers who would be ideal clients for your business.
Some people just can’t write well no matter how hard they try, and I can appreciate that. If you’ve given it your all and decided that you’re better at other aspects of your business, then consider hiring a freelance writer.
There’s no shortage of ambitious and hungry writers and journalists out there looking for writing assignments. Consider hiring a talented professional to do your blogging for you. Just make sure they understand content marketing and what quality content means for you, and how to write so that your ideal customers become avid readers.
—- Lauren Bailey is a freelance blogger and writer who covers stories on higher education, online colleges, freelancing as a career, and business advice for various publications. Feel free to send any comments her way.
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