So now you realize that you need to publish content to get found online and use the Internet to grow your business; then there’s that big question looming like a dark cloud: What do I write about?
Brian Clark writes If Content is the New Advertising, What Does Your Advertising Say About You?
- You need to attract attention and make people aware of who you are and what you do.
- You then need to transform that attention into revenue or some other measurable benefit.
The plain truth is, great content is the most effective way to advertise online, because to be considered great content, it can’t look anything like what we consider advertising.
Great content naturally shows readers that you’re knowledgeable about your field of expertise, and that’s why it works so well.
Here’s an example. When you tell a story about a client with a problem and how you provide help, people are drawn into it. Especially if it is a common problem, people are identifying with the character in the story, and visualizing the results as you reveal how you solved the problem.
By engaging people through your story or anecdote, you are stimulating their own thought processes and imagination. They become one step closer to hiring you or to buying your product.
When I was starting my therapy business and needed clients, the first place I advertised was a family magazine. I bought space to write stories of people
with problems such as weight loss and cigarette smoking. I invented characters who had all the common traits I imagined my ideal clients would have. Then I described their problems, how it affected them and their families, and how I was able to help them.
Through reading my stories, people would call or come in and tell me how they identified with the person I wrote about, and how they knew I was the right person who could help them because how well I understood their plight.
The stories I told were clearly marked "Advertisement." It didn’t matter. My point is, 20 years later we have access to the Internet, space is free, and people are wondering how to write good content that sells.
Write about what is real. Show your expertise. Describe the common problems you can solve, but put it into a story form with ‘real’ people as you know they exist.
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