Is content writing something that can help your business grow? Are you considering writing blog posts, guides, and magazine articles?
If you’re thinking about using content writing to grow your business, start with the end in mind.
You’ll want to focus on the best places to publish, connect with your target audience, provide valuable insights, and be ready to adapt, adjust and pivot.
Get Seen
Even with the best content, you’ll need to find the best places to publish. You can write for authority sites with guest posts – and link these back to your website.
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You can publish articles for Medium, the popular publishing platform funded by The Chernin Group (TCG). Medium has transformed how small businesses get noticed because of one simple reason: they receive heavy traffic. Medium has between 85 and 100 million monthly active users. With this massive audience it’s easy to see that you’ll get a lot of visibility.
If you want to publish great content – do it where you’ll get the most visibility.
Connect With Your Target Audience
Do you have the right publicity and media plan to connect with your target audience? Do you have your finger on the pulse of what they care most about?
Are they senior women, searching for tips on healthy living? Are they gadget lovers, looking for the latest cool gadget they don’t want to live without? Are they avid travelers, in search of the next awesome spot on the globe that hasn’t been found out by their neighbors?
When you know who your target audience really is, you’ll also need to understand what they are passionate about. This may come from your own experience – for instance, if you are a senior woman, gadget lover, or digital nomad. Or, it may come from a deep dive into customer data.
Perhaps you have a quiz or survey to help you deepen your understanding of what your target audience truly needs.
Of course, the better you know your audience, the closer you can come to providing them with exactly the content they are seeking. When you do this, they’ll search out your posts, read your Medium articles, follow your tweets, and ultimately buy what you’re offering.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Give Valuable Insights
Content writing is all about value. It’s not just what you consider ‘valuable’ that counts. It’s what your audience is looking for, needing, and wanting.
There are always long discussions about value in boardrooms, think tanks, and business meetings. It’s the kind of conversation that usually gets heated, with strong opinions from every expert. However, the only true value is what the target audience wants.
It’s not, as the scientific expert is pushing: more data. It’s not, as the finance authority insists: more numbers. It’s not, as you might believe, more of what matters to you.
While these elements may be significant for your audience, there is only one true answer on value. It’s what your target audience is craving.
This may fall into two buckets: hopes and fears. Some businesses market, write about and sell hope. They often are painting pictures of the dream life, the ideal solution, and the ultimate luxury you can’t live without.
Other businesses market, write about, and sell fear. They often are highlighting potential problems, looming threats, and how to promote safety and security. They may be selling solutions for problems you’ve not even visualized – until you read their copy.
Either way, connect with your audience. Find out what they are seeking. Orient your writing to reflect their priorities. Consider content, digital advertising, print advertising, and the best ways to reach your tribe.
Iterate, Iterate, Iterate
In product design as well as in content marketing, there is a single slogan to remember. It is: “iterate, iterate, iterate.”
While you might dream of waving a magic wand and getting everything perfect the first time, this is not realistic. You will try out one style, and wait for feedback. You’ll explore one type of content, and analyze results.
When you get feedback, listen. This doesn’t mean that just because your next-door neighbor has an opinion, you’ll shift your entire strategy. Not at all. Listen to the feedback from your target audience. Your neighbor may just be having a quirky day.
In summary, content marketing is a powerful way to share your insights, get your company known, connect with your target audience—and grow your business. It may take some experimenting in placement, topic, tone, and content – but you will see definite results.
