There’s a phrase that gets floated around when it comes to running online businesses that you’ve likely heard: content is king. It’s one of those things that is just and assumed truth as far as a lot of business owners are concerned. Well, this is one of the rare moments where an assumed truth ends up being completely accurate! Content is one of the most important parts of your website and if you’re not making the most of it, then you’re letting your business down. Of course, that’s much easier said than done. This simple guide is designed to help you understand what high quality content can bring to your website as well as what you can do to get everything you can out of this incredibly powerful tool.
What is content, anyway?
In the simplest possible terms, your content is the stuff that visitors to your website are actually going to see and engage with. Of course, as always, things get a little more complex than that.
Website content
Your website is often the first salesperson that any potential customer comes into contact with, which means you need to make the right impression. All of the content in your website needs to grab a visitor’s attention, convey all the relevant information, and let them know what your business is all about. Whether it’s your home page, an introduction to the services you provide, or a history of your business, the way you communicate the information on your website can make all the difference.
Blog posts
Website content is incredibly important but it’s also a little static a lot of the time. The internet moves at lightning speed at all times so you need to be sure that you’re offering visitors a steady stream of fresh content to hold their attention. Blog posts are one of the best ways to do this. A blog allows you to post fresh, relevant content as often as you like. That not only keeps the attention of your customers, but it helps your website stay at the top of the algorithm for Google’s search results.
Visual media
Of course, don’t make the mistake of text is the only kind of content that your website could benefit from. Photo and video content is one of the most powerful tools in your toolkit. The digital world is one where every second counts and there’s no better way to capture someone’s attention and hold it than with exciting, attractive visual content. Of course, the flipside of that is that poor visual design and lacklustre visual content can turn people off in an instant. Make sure that the moment people open your website, they’re presented with the best possible impression. Avoid stock photos at all costs and make sure that all the visual content on your website is as professional as possible.
Ask not what your content can do for you…
Content marketing
Your content is about more than having something attractive available to your customers when they arrive at your website, it’s also about driving traffic towards your website in the first place. That’s where content marketing comes in. The reality of the modern world is that people are increasingly cynical about advertising. That means, if you want them to engage with your business, you’ve got to give them something to really sink their teeth into. Publishing content that lets you connect with your customers and promote your business is absolutely essential in the modern, constantly connected world. From blog posts and news articles to infographics and how-to–guides, content is one of the best possible ways to market your business.
Using Social Media
Social media and content go hand-in-hand much of the time. Social media is one of the best possible ways to promote your content and generate traffic. For one thing, it allows you to distribute your content to the widest possible audience by using sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. People go to social media to find content to enjoy, so if you can get great content in front of the right people, you’re onto a winner. Of course, you need to be aware that people go to different social media sites for different reasons. The content you create for Twitter needs to be very different from the content you create for LinkedIn. It sounds complicated but there’s a whole lot of help out there to help you get the most out of your social media.
Creating quality
If there’s one thing that you should always remember about your content, it’s this: you need to tell a story. At its heart, that’s what content is all about. The dry, data driven information about your business might be valuable and educational, but it’s not what most people will gravitate to. People want stories that delight, move, and engage them. You need to be sure that your content is offering that kind of value.
Of course, not everyone has that Shakespearean flair! At LogicBarn Digital, our content marking services help you to tell the story of your business and connect with your customers like never before.