How to Write Effective Content

Effective content is the cornerstone of any digital marketing plan. However, many small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) struggle with creating content that achieves their objectives.

Lackluster content results can occur when content is simply misaligned with organizational goals or when the content itself is uncompelling. First and foremost, content creation should be focused around furthering the conversation on a given topic, instead of just adding to the noise. To be effective it must be readable and actionable. Without these pillars content can’t gain traction, but even with these key elements it should still be promoted through brand channels and within industry corridors.

These “secrets” to writing effective content aren’t really secrets at all, but they’re often more difficult in practice than in name. Before creating blog posts, emails, scholarly articles, videos, white papers, infographics, or any other form of content, follow this content checklist to ensure the best possible results.

Have a Goal

• BEFORE writing anything ask yourself or your team, “What do we hope to accomplish with this?” and write down your answer.
• After writing the content, go back to that initial goal and determine whether the content actually achieves it. If not, keep editing it until it does!

Know what you want to accomplish with your content before starting and save that goal somewhere so you can revisit it again later. If you have multiple goals, write them all down and then prioritize them, so you have a singular main purpose for the content. Throughout the process go back to your main goal and determine whether the content is still achieving that goal. Regularly checking in ensures that content isn’t being steered away from it’s primary purpose as it goes through multiple rounds of revisions (especially if these changes are being done by different people or across multiple teams).

Add to The Conversation

• Do industry research to find out what other people are doing and saying to avoid repeating what’s already out there.
• Make people think – challenge existing ideas and opinions.  
• Write for your audience, not search engines.

Take the time to create content that does more than add to the noise. Simply parroting everything that’s already being said in your industry is a worthless endeavor that wastes precious resources. Instead, aim to add to the conversation. Create content that changes paradigms to establish yourself as a thought leader. This is the kind of content that gets people talking, goes viral, drives leads, and reassures existing clients that they made the right choice.

Make It Readable

• Write content that’s easy to read by breaking it into easily digestible pieces.
• Have another professional or a copywriter read over your content to determine if it’s engaging enough to hold their interest.
• Incorporate ways for readers to share your content.

The most effective content is exceptionally readable. It’s easy to get through yet engaging. Improve readability by breaking up content with headers, bulleted lists, and easily quotable chunks. Use punchy short sentences and write in a way that’s both approachable and authoritative.

Aim to create the kind of content that people can’t help but to bookmark and share. The ultimate test is whether someone likes your content enough to share it with their friends, family, colleagues, and followers. When you create a valuable resource, people will be compelled to pass it along to help others, and that’s the best place to be in as a content creator.  

Make It Actionable

• Tell readers why they should care by answering the question, “so what?”
• Provide next steps for readers to take.

Always answer the question, “So what?” with your content. Imagine a reader saying, “Okay, I just learned something new, so what does that mean for me?” or “Okay, I have a better understanding of this topic now, so what should I do next?” Tell readers why they should care, what it means for them, and what they should do next. Don’t think about your content as a standalone piece, treat it like part of the puzzle – a component of the customer journey. Use your content to drive awareness and action.

Promote It

• Share it on social media.
• Send it to clients.
• Use it on the company website.
• Pass it along to other bloggers.
• Get into digital or physical industry publications.

Get the most out of your hard work by promoting your content extensively. Ensure that your content is showing up wherever your existing and potential customers are looking. Make full use of free platforms and carefully gauge whether paid options are worth the investment.

Don’t be afraid of reusing your content. Plan to push your content out through your business channels more than once to maximize traffic. You can share the same article on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other channels a few times a year with a unique angle to appeal to different audience segments. 

Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Business Blogging and Web Copywriting. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and two children and enjoys cooking, watching sports, and spending time together as a family. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about current marketing trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!