Content creation and marketing are among the most underrated tasks in marketing. It requires a mix of many skill sets along with the ability to constantly keep up with changing formats and burgeoning requirements. A content creator needs to be well-versed with various specialized forms of content like text (blogs, website copy), ad content (banners), images (visual content), social media content, audio, video, presentations, and other emerging formats. In addition to creation, there is the tough task of classification and storage for easy retrieval, content dissemination within the organization and outside, a content marketing and re-marketing strategy and analytical knowhow to determine the ROI derived from the content. In addition to all this, the constant check for outdated content and revising it is a task on its own. Although this sounds like the usual job description for a content manager, it is nowhere close to being simple. Often, the sheer volume of content can be exhausting. The job requires not only editorial skills but sound technical knowledge and functional knowledge of ATL, BTL and digital formats of content. The most immediate solution is to outsource some parts of the work to an external agency to do the heavy lifting. It eases the internal pressure and also allows you to expand the volume of work as and when required. The bone of contention here is that ‘managing the agency’ now gets added to the content manager’s job description. The agency-client relationship is one that needs to be handled with patience and understanding from both sides. Persistent deadlines or a deadweight team member can often strain the relationship, causing damage to the process as a whole. Even then, outsourcing content should be a valid consideration when you are making your strategy. Here’s why: 1. Tap into the skill sets of professionals you require, as and when you need it This is, by far, the biggest advantage of content outsourcing. While some content needs will be ongoing, a lot will change according to your campaigns and needs of your organization. From creating emailers in new languages to tweaking content on the landing page, or a GIF to announce a new product variant, you will require professionals with different skill sets at different times. Having a content marketing agency on board will give you the flexibility to pull in expert resources as and when you require. 2. Save time for your business The biggest contribution you can make to your organization is to drive a content strategy. With a load of content creation services outsourced, you will have the bandwidth to contribute on critical aspects of ‘why’ the content is being created and what are the best ways to drive its ROI. 3. You can create and publish more content Imagine that your Search Engine Optimization agency shares a new strategy that you write 10 long-form blogs every month in addition to 10 short articles. Don’t forget, you also need to do all the other regular content. If you have a sales meet at the end of the month, you may also need to create collaterals for it. Demands vary on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis and you will need flexible support to be able to deliver on these demands. 4. It’s cheaper From producing short films to translations, you will require professionals with various skills as a part of your content team. Hiring individuals with such specialized skills will not be the best strategy as, more often than not, each individual will be required selectively and will come at a lofty salary. Instead of hiring an entire team, outsourcing content to various agencies can be a better approach to saving on costs. 5. Get fresh viewpoints and ideas Everyone is creating content to the extent that the daily churn can be overwhelming at times. It is important to take a step back and not lose sight of the big picture. With new campaigns and channels, it is important for you as a content owner to be able to innovate constantly. Having an agency partner will mean getting specialized ideas from industry experts. You can collectively tap on their knowledge base and creative talents to come up with ideas. It also helps to have a sounding board with multiple viewpoints to be able to take a weighted decision. 6. Experiment with different types of content From infographics to cinemagraphs to Whatsapp updates, having a partner churning out content will give you a wider range of content to experiment with. It takes persistence and to keep experimenting with a particular type of content to determine if it is working for your audience. Having a partner share different formats as per your calendar requirement can allow you to schedule tryouts and have a more data-driven approach to your content marketing. 7. It is easier to measure your ROI At the end of the day, all our work comes down to how well we can measure the ROI for it. Measuring ROI from content is tricky as it is almost never the only variable in the equation (like blogs or SEO). It is easier when you are A/B testing emails or landing pages. Traffic, engagement, leads and ultimately conversions are some of the metrics that will have to be measured for all the content you create. Discussing these early on with your partner agency and setting key performance indicators (KPIs) will allow you to measure the ROI on your content on an ongoing basis. With the reports and analysis coming in, you can now spend constructive time to act on the feedback to tweak your strategy. Conclusion: Having a content partner allows your organization to take a lean and agile approach for all your content needs. Having you helm the relationship and own the strategy ensures the best use of your time and expertise. If you are looking for an agency that can not only create content but do it with a ROI focus, drop a
Category: Content Creation
5 Content Marketing Ideas to Showcase Your Brand This Republic Day
India’s emergence as an independent republic is observed with much pride and gaiety on the 26th January of every year. Since 1950, this day has been deemed as a national holiday, and it not only evokes patriotic sentiments in the common man but also allows him to spend quality time with loved ones and indulge in happy pursuits. So, what does this mean for brands? It means leveraging the unique importance of the Republic Day to showcase your products and services in a whole new light! From sales and discounts to new product launches, most brands engage in a variety of marketing activities around this time. But that is not all. With the advent of digital marketing services, attracting the attention of the target audience is a whole different ballgame. The concept of marketing has witnessed several transitions in the last few decades. While Marketing 2.0 was about highlighting the features and benefits of a product, Marketing 3.0 is all about sentiment. Brands are now shifting focus from talking about the product directly and moving on to things that consumers connect to, as human beings. It’s the emotions and sentiments that stay at the forefront — the product itself recedes to the background. Keeping this in mind, it’s a good idea to build some unique content for Republic Day. Here are five different approaches that have worked really well for brands in the past. Tugging at the heartstrings Appealing to people’s sentimental attachment to the country is one of the most effective ways to plan a Republic Day campaign. Most effective sentimental campaigns focus on one aspect of India that’s particularly appealing and then build an entire campaign around it. While images can work with this one, we’ve generally found that short videos with the right words, images, and background score have the maximum impact. Here are some great examples: Tata Salt In 2019, Tata Salt used the hashtag #NamakKeWaastey and created a wonderful video using salt art. The video talks about the spirit of the Indian constitution, which can always make the sentimentalists teary-eyed. We often take for granted the freedom and privileges of living in the largest Democratic Republic in the world. Here’s a salt art tribute revisiting some of the many reasons to celebrate the Indian Constitution #NamakKeWaastey pic.twitter.com/35v7aZjDzD — Tata Salt (@_deshkanamak) January 25, 2019 Sony Pictures Network Sony Pictures really nailed their Republic Day Content last year — their beautiful video talks about unity in diversity in their filmmaking. This one was a tear-jerker— and a perfect example of sentimentality meets patriotism. View this post on Instagram Cinema that entertains and binds this great Republic together! ❤️ Here’s wishing all our fellow countrymen a #HappyRepublicDay! ?? गणतंत्र दिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ । ? A post shared by Sony Pictures Networks (@sonypicsprodns) on Jan 26, 2019 at 12:42am PST Paper Boat Paper Boat focuses on a very specific kind of Republic Day sentiment— nostalgia. With vivid memories of numerous Republic Day celebrations in school, this one finds an immediate connect with its audience. This campaign is particularly clever because the theme of Paper Boat’s overall marketing also revolves around nostalgia— and this post fits in perfectly. Tongue-in-cheek While one doesn’t traditionally associate humor with Republic Day, it’s still a great opportunity to design some witty, tongue-in-cheek content. Here are some examples of brands that nailed it: Zomato This image is the perfect example of tongue-in-cheek — it wishes the reader a happy Republic Day, while also focusing on their love for food (which in turn is very closely related to their business). Chances are, many viewers saw the image, realized they were hungry, and decided to order from —you guessed it — Zomato. Visual product placement This is one of the easiest and yet most effective ways to create a successful Republic Day campaign. All you need is an incredibly creative graphic that allows you to integrate your product with a Republic Day campaign seamlessly. Here’s our list of brands that really got this right: Amazon This campaign is simple yet so effective — making the tri-color a part of the Amazon packaging integrates the product and the Republic Day message with great ease. Strangely enough, Flipkart put up a very similar post not long after Amazon — but they went a step ahead to subtly emphasize that Flipkart was “born Indian”! Oreo Oreos Republic Day image gets it completely right. Visual, evocative, and most importantly, delicious-looking — need we say more? Engagement building campaign Republic Day is a major foundation stone in the idea of India as a nation— which makes it a big talking point, especially nowadays. Hence, a great content marketing services idea would be to build a thought provoking campaign, inviting opinions from the viewers. This doesn’t have to be very political or controversial — it can even be fun and frivolous! Myntra This is one of the best examples in this category. Myntra uses the constitution— and the principle of fundamental rights — to create the hashtag #RightToFashion. It then asks users to come up with their own definition of style and fashion— redefining their Right to Fashion. It’s fun, relevant, and designed to instantly invite engagement. Also Read: Here’s How Brands Used Social Media to Celebrate Republic Day 2019 Action-driven campaign Since Republic Day is such an important and momentous occasion, it’s a great way to encourage viewers to take some action— building on a particular sentiment associated with the day. Here are a couple of great examples: Axis Mutual Funds With this campaign, Axis Mutual Funds is focusing on what it means to be a responsible citizen— and correlating that with what it means to be a responsible investor. https://www.facebook.com/AxisMutualFund/photos/a.719225541430944/2193682630651887/?type=3 Robin Hood Army and Girliyaapa This was one of the more interesting Republic Day campaigns from last year. The Robin Hood Army collaborated with popular YouTube channel Girliyapa
Content Writing 101: How to Become a Successful Content Writer
Content writing can be a tricky profession today. On the one hand, everyone’s potentially a writer in the age of the internet, which can make it really hard to stand out. On the other hand, with the number of brands that rely on content marketing agency today (newsflash, it’s almost everyone), there is no dearth of opportunities. It’s important to remember that being an effective content writer is very different from writing for magazines, newspapers, and journals. It also isn’t the same as typing out a few posts on your different social media channels. At Justwords, we have built a successful business over the last decade because we truly empower our writers, investing in them, so that they get the skills they need to succeed. Here are some of the basic things you need to keep in mind while embarking on a journey as a content writer: Find your niche(s) This is one of the most important things you need to do as a content writer, especially if you plan on freelancing at some point. There are a huge number of content writers today; and many of them are floundering, unable to make a sustainable career out of writing. And then there are others who are on top of their game and are constantly in demand. The major difference between these two sides is this — people who succeed at content writing, get ahead of the curve, and invest time and effort in finding the right niche(s). To be a successful writer, you can’t be a jack of all trades. You have to find niches that you’re good at and stick to them. To choose the right niche, think about three things: Is it a profitable niche where writers are in high demand? Is it a niche where I can build expertise and write with authority? Is it a niche that I would enjoy writing about? Zero in on the niche that fits the bill and then stick to it. You don’t have to stick to just one niche — you can develop expertise in multiple niches as well. But you need to find these niches and build your expertise— don’t try to write about everything under the sun. It may mean multiple assignments in the short run, but it won’t ensure a sustainable content writing career. Also Read: 10 Tips To Get Past The Writer’s Block Write as if you’re talking It’s important to understand how content writing differs from any other kind of writing. At the end of the day, your words are the medium through which a brand is connecting to its audience. In the age of constant information and instant gratification, people are not going to work hard to read your content. This means, your content needs to be simple, interesting, and effortlessly readable. One of the best ways to write in a simple, readable way is to imagine that you’re not writing a blog— you’re just having a conversation with a member of your target audience. When the blog takes on that conversational tone, it automatically clicks better with readers. Use short simple sentences, don’t convolute things too much, and try to relate to your audience. Also Read: The content writer’s easy grammar cheat sheet Formatting is everything If you think spewing some words on a blog is enough, think again. Today, people scan content, rather than read it. For people to go through your content in a matter of a few seconds, it really needs to stand out. Here’s how: Use bullet points wherever you can, to draw attention Use subheads and short paragraphs Incorporate images and infographics wherever you can — visuals drive home the point much faster Learn the rules of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) As a content writer today, you need to know the basics of SEO — it gives you an immediate edge over competitors. Fortunately, you don’t have to know too many technicalities. As a writer, the main SEO-related skill you need to have is to be able to figure out which keywords (anything from a few words to a long-phrase) need to fit into which content piece. You can do this by using simple tools like SEMRush or Google’s Keyword Planner. Once you have a set of keywords, you need to be able to incorporate these organically within your content. This means that the keywords should exist in your content, but never in a way that feels forced. Keyword stuffing is a huge no-no— remember, you’re writing for your audience first and foremost and not Google’s algorithm. Also Read: 13 actionable copywriting tricks to get your SEO content rocking The world is your oyster One of the biggest advantages of being a content writer is the freedom and flexibility that come with it. You can get several well-paying gigs even as you work from the comfort of your home— which means you can work as a content writer from anywhere in the world. What it also means is that you should be able to find clients across the world (especially if you write in a global language like English). Invest in marketing yourself — set up your website, showcase your portfolio of work, and focus on meeting the right people. Marketing yourself as a writer can seem a bit intimidating but it’s well worth the effort. You’ll find yourself commanding higher rates and working with better clients, and not just in your home country, but across the globe. At the end of the day, content writing can be one of the most satisfying and lucrative professions. But given the sheer amount of competition, you have to make sure that you invest enough time and resources to acquire the right set of skills. Do try these tips and let us know if they worked for you. If there are any important tips we’ve missed out on, let us know in the comments below. Watch: We are a Content-First Agency
5 Types of Content to Get More Traffic to Your Blog
Are you suffering from blogger’s block? Or, just wondering how to liven up your blog so that you can find a better connection with your audience? If so, you’re not alone. Most content marketers struggle with this at some stage of their journey— maintaining a blog that’s consistently exciting isn’t easy. Luckily, over the years at Justwords, we’ve been able to figure out certain types of content that can immediately boost your blog calendar. What’s more, with different types of content, you can even recycle old content in new formats — like old wine in a new bottle, so to speak. So if you’re looking to make your blog richer or increase blog traffic, make sure you incorporate these 10 types of content. How-to articles/tutorials An effective how-to article is one of the best ways to draw attention from your readers. Here’s why: Many queries on Google are related to learning to do something — whether that’s changing a tire, baking a cake, or writing a good blog post. A how-to post guarantees that you will be found by people looking to solve a specific problem. “How to” posts come under the category of “evergreen content”. This means that as long as you keep making minor updates, your article will continue to be relevant to users, even if they are reading it 3-4 years down the line. This increases the longevity of your post and brings a steady stream of traffic. It’s a great way of informing people about your business. If your how-to post is essentially a summary or short glimpse of what your business does, you’ll definitely be in the minds of users when they’re looking for a paid solution. Also Read: 8 Proven Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Blog in 2020 Topical, curated content You don’t have to do Content creation from scratch — curating a newsletter with high-value content from thought leaders in your industry is a great way to add that extra zing to your blog. You need to keep a few things in mind here: Choose quality over quantity— only share articles that add value to the users. If you spend time in researching quality content, it will help build your credibility as an industry expert. The format and theme of the newsletter are critical — it’s the way you link different pieces together and showcase them through a particular lens that really matters. The frequency of a curated newsletter depends on the nature of your content, and how easy it is to find quality content in your industry — it can be weekly, fortnightly, monthly or even daily. Also Read: How to Write Content That is Future-Proofed for Google Algorithm Updates Product Reviews and Comparisons If it makes sense in your content marketing plan, product reviews or comparisons are a great idea. Customers are always looking for reviews before they make purchase choices so this one is guaranteed to get you those eyeballs. These blogs are also fairly straightforward to execute and can become a staple part of your blogging calendar as long as they don’t detract from the overall messaging and aesthetics of your blog. Of course, once you become a regular with reviews, chances are that you’ll be inundated with free samples of products, which is a nice little bonus! Also Read: How Customer Reviews Can Bring a Whole New Meaning to Your Content Marketing Infographics It is said that 70% of all sensory receptors are in your eyes — which means that humans are visually wired. What’s more, color visuals are likely to increase our willingness to read something by 80%. In short, anything that’s extremely visual is appealing — and that’s why infographics are becoming so popular. Some things to keep in mind: Infographics are a combination of great content and great design. It’s important to have a great theme, a particular format for presenting the content, and some great data to back you up. At the same time, you need a top-notch design— consider using a professional graphic artist to build those infographics. If you can’t create your own infographic, you can still share existing infographics. Most of them are ready to be embedded — so add a paragraph or two of your own perspective, and share an existing infographic. Also Read: Visual content formats that can triple your content marketing results Case Studies Case studies are one of the most effective ways to demonstrate your value to potential users. If you’ve already achieved fantastic outcomes for someone, a prospective customer needs to know that. Keep the following in mind when designing case studies: It might be tempting to throw in all the facts about a particular case. But it’s more important to design a compelling narrative that draws readers in. If a user reading your case is able to connect with the situation being presented, your job is 70% done. Focus on outcomes — big, important metrics make a huge splash. Showcasing the impact you had in a real, meaningful way will go a long way in finding the right customers. Don’t try to show off your work. Be more focused on showcasing the actual solving of customer problems through the case. Using these content types is a sure-shot way to get more blog traffic and add some freshness. Best of all, many of these content types can become a recurring feature in your blogging calendar. If there are any other content formats that you’d like to add to this list, let us know in the comments below!
Best Content Examples of 2019
As the year comes to a close, it’s time to share our favourite picks of content from around the world that has induced a range of emotions. We had the team pick and vote their favourite content and these are the ones that we want to be on our list in 2020 too. The most interesting newsletter(s) whlw What Happened Last Week is an amazing email magazine circulated by Sham Jaff every Monday. There are over 5000 people who subscribe to this ‘human-curated’ magazine. The magazine does not give news but adds perspective to each facet of the story. From how the current situation in South Sudan is affecting the world to what Christine Lagarde – Forbes No. 2 most powerful woman – is planning, you’ll read different stories in a new light. The magazine works on donation from patrons. Subscribe here https://www.whathappenedlastweek.com/ TMAI Being a digital and content writing agency, The Marketing and Analytics Intersect circulated by Avinash Kaushik holds a special place in our heart. Most of his newsletters hold an interesting nugget of wisdom on the one piece of a campaign that many marketers want to cover up in fluff – real ROI. It always brings the focus back on data and analysis and the overall purpose on why you started with content marketing in the first place. The Best ads of 2019 Ballerinas, footballers, an astronaut, a hummingbird, a tiger, fairy lights and a cloud of smoke – we can’t imagine what the brief for this ad would have been! Clearly, it looks like Indian viewers found the combination along with the animation an interesting way to introduce a new car. The Kia Seltos ad bagged 232 million views on YouTube, making it the most-watched ad of 2019. Not too far behind, with 205 million views, is the Samsung Good Vibes ad. With the perfect mix of product innovation (an app for the deaf and blind) and feel good factor, this 2:59 minutes long ad can stir up teary emotions in its viewers. Have a look if you haven’t seen it yet. Great UGC campaigns Cisco’s #WeAreCisco It’s hard to push out UGC content in the B2B space but Cisco seems to be doing this just right. They invited 20 super ambassador employees from all over the world to connect with the Gen Z population of new graduates and university students. Named ‘Kitten Rainbow Unicorns’ (to reflect everything that is awesome about the internet), the group was responsible for posting daily snapchat stories of the awesome work-life at Cisco. What we really liked is that they got the pulse of the audience right. GenZ is looking for authenticity and validation from their online experience. And having employees of their peer group post positive content does both. Innovations India is home to 40% of the world’s blind population but the masses are hardly sensitized about it. Savlon decided to change this. On World Sight Day, they did the first mass media Braille campaign where two daily newspapers – Dainik Savera and Vijayvanni, worked to publish fully Braille newspapers. The campaign reached 549mn people and improved Salvon’s trust scores from 51 to 64. Most viral videos of 2019 We all have videos that we’ve watched and shared instantly with friends. Whether it was Ruby the dog who patted a tiny kitten or a porcupine frustrating a leopard with its spikes, or Chad Kempel sharing hacks on feeding his quintuplets, here is a quick recap of the most viral videos from 2019. Best digital strategy The ad that took home the Emvie this year comes from Brooke Bond Red Label, continuing on its Swad Apnepan Ka theme. The theme focuses on inclusion. While last time the ad showed a Hindu couple having tea at a Muslim house, this ad addresses the vegetarian / non-vegetarian divide and leaves you with a smile. HUL used TV as the main medium and also used digital, outdoor and print to improve its reach. Buzzing Community Building a brand community is a difficult task but some just know how to do it right. Our pick this year for a buzzing community goes to Spotify. There are music chats, playlist exchanges, idea sharing, issue tracking and the best of all, their brand advocate program called Rock Stars. Simple and clean design, good UX, clear communication and lots of buzz from its users makes this platform a great go-to place for the 71,94,451 people connected with Spotify. You can also check out Spotify’s newsroom for their top stories of 2019. Best of radio The ‘Knock Knock.. Who’s There?… Its RJ ALEXA!!’ campaign took home awards for its witty presentation on radio. Amazon Echo’s Alexa has been answering both straight and quirky questions. Alexa now supports over 350 radio stations which include live broadcast of 17 All India Radio stations in 14 languages. The best of tongue-in-cheek content We have three contenders – Netflix, Swiggy and Zomato here that you should definitely follow on Twitter. The internet broke out laughing when Netflix and Swiggy got on the Parle-G memes for Sacred Games! Netfilx even ended up ordering ‘Kaali Chai’ from Swiggy! Season 1: 0 mentions of Parle-G. 0 hit songs written by Bunty. Season 2: 1 mention of Parle-G. Bunty becomes a world-famous producer, casino owner and lyricist. Coincidence? We think not. https://t.co/VJKyOBu8Bt — Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) August 21, 2019 Take the recent spat on Paneer and Radhika Apte where Netflix ended up having the last laugh. Well, she is everywhere. pic.twitter.com/XcEw0OjtHf — Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) August 29, 2018 These brands show that wit and brand tone together can make you stand out on social media. Visual presentation of content When was the last time you gave a miss to the same old company newsletter? Though content is interesting, presenting it in a visually attractive format is necessary for that content to draw attention. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) was having trouble grabbing its employees’ attention on internal communication. The communication was then revamped to meet
10 Incredible Blogging Stats to Inspire You to Blog in 2020
Have you recently started a blog or are planning to start one — but still skeptical about whether it’s worth your time and resources? You’re not alone — with the number of blogs out there, most new bloggers are thinking about whether blogging is worth it or not. Yet, blogging continues to be one of the most effective ways of putting content out there and finding the right audience for it. It’s also one of the most sustainable and effective ways to make passive income online, as long as you get it right. At Justwords, time and again, we’ve seen blogs become the most successful content marketing channel for our clients. So in 2020, we decided to share some fascinating blogging statistics with you, in the hope that it inspires you to go all guns blazing into your blogging journey. 3 Million+ blog posts are written every day This is the one statistic that is often used to scare prospective bloggers, so we’ll get it out of the way first. While it’s true that there are far too many blogs written on a daily basis, there are also 3.5 billion Google searches happening every day as well. This means, more and more users are looking for information online. What’s more, while there are a ton of blog posts written on a daily basis, most blogs are neither consistent nor uniquely informative. So when you think about high-quality, consistent blogs, the number comes down considerably. Also Read: https://justwords.in/blogcorporate-blogging-eight-things-remember/ 77% of internet users regularly read blog posts If this statistic doesn’t inspire you to become a prolific blogger, we are not sure what will. 77% means that most internet users are regular readers of blog posts, so if you’re looking to build a target audience, a well-planned blog is the best way forward. 72% of online marketers say that content creation is their most effective SEO strategy As far as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is concerned, creating effective content is the best way to go. Good content lies at the heart of every single SEO tactic — whether that’s building backlinks, creating credibility, or optimizing for long-tail keywords. 47% of buyers viewed 3–5 pieces of content before taking a step towards product purchase This is a great statistic for those who are wondering about the efficacy of content marketing. Today, most users will buy your product if they look at you as an expert authority in your field. This means that your content has to be both compelling as well as highly informative, if you want it to convert leads for you. Only 20% of bloggers create posts that are over 1500 words This statistic simply means that there isn’t enough long-form content out there. But this is also important because the average word count of top-ranked content in Google searches is between 1140-1285 words. Plus, long-form content generates 9 times more leads than short-form blog posts. This means that instead of churning about 3-4 posts of 400-500 words every week, it’s a much better idea to publish fewer pieces of content but make sure that they are in-depth, unique, and informative. 70% of consumers would rather get to know a company via an article than an ad There was a time when ads were all-powerful — they were really the only way consumers came to know a brand. But today, it’s all about content. As of 2015, a whopping 200 million people had ad blockers installed on their devices. So, having content that actually understands the target audience, solves key problems, and adds value to them is the best way to build a loyal customer base. Also Read: https://justwords.in/blog/do-this-dont-do-that-while-executing-your-content-marketing-plan/ Content marketing is 62% cheaper than traditional marketing If you need one more reason to invest in content marketing, what can be more compelling than cost-effectiveness? Traditional marketing in the form of pay-per-click advertising will only give you returns until you’re actually investing money. With blogs, on the other hand, you will keep getting organic traffic long after you’ve invested the time and effort to create and publish the blog. Almost 50% of marketers say that if they had the chance to redo their content marketing strategy, they would focus more on blogging This is perhaps the most telling statistic out there. These days, there’s a lot of focus on social media and even on newer content formats like videos. Yet, consistent and high-quality blogs have paid off for brands across the board. It’s a very good idea to make sure blogs are an integral part of your content marketing from Day 1. The median time spent reading an article is 37 seconds If users are only spending 37 seconds on your article, is there even a point to creating those long-form posts? Yes, there is. The only thing to keep in mind here is that you need to make your posts skimmable. This means lists, sub-headings, simple sentences. Basically, do what it takes to make your posts readable. Blog posts with images get 94% more views than posts without images This statistic is inspiring because it makes your work as a blogger that much simpler. Instead of sticking to a wall of text only, use graphics and images that help you make your point more effectively. At the end of the day, blogs continue to be one of the most effective marketing techniques in the digital landscape. Not just from an SEO perspective, but also to establish you as a credible authority and get users interested in your products and services. If you’re still on the fence about whether blogging is going to be your thing in 2020, stop over-thinking it and get started as soon as you can. If there are any other amazing blogging stats that we missed out on, let us know in the comments below. Watch: How does content marketing work to get your business traffic?
Discover the Top 5 Secrets to Successful Content Creation
They sometimes say that great ideas are a dime-a-dozen. And there’s probably some truth to this. Having a brilliant idea isn’t very hard! It’s the journey from idea to execution that’s challenging. It requires a framework, craftsmanship, discipline, and persistence. In today’s world, where content is being thrown at us from every direction (as an example, a whopping 2 million blog posts are published every day), creating successful content becomes all the more tricky. In the past decade, we’ve seen many clients struggle with content creation services — there are those who face such inertia that they never get a content plan in place while others create a few brilliant pieces and then just stop. But the good news for all is that, here are some of the best-kept content creation secrets that we’ve discovered over the years: Build the right content creation model As a brand, you have to figure out the content creation model that will work best for you in the long run. If you have the bandwidth and the resources, you can hire an in-house content creation team. This is the best option if you need to produce a high volume of content or create content for multiple platforms. If your subject matter is highly technical and requires you to educate your audience, consider hiring subject matter experts. If you don’t have the resources for a full-fledged in-house time, hiring specialist freelance writers or content agencies is a great, cost-effective option. If you have a B2B product with a strong community, you can even consider guest posts from contributors as a viable engine for great content. Whichever model you opt for, it’s important that you find what works for you before you start executing a full-fledged content plan. Read Also: Here are 25 of the most amazing content creation tools ever Build your audience persona and work with it This is the most important rule when it comes to creating effective content. You need to understand your target audience and build effective buyer personas. This means you have to define everything you know about your ideal audience member — how educated they are, where they live, how old they are, what kind of work they do, which gender do they belong to, what their interests are, and so on. Sometimes, if your audience is a bit diverse, one persona won’t be enough. So, you might have to create a set of personas. Fleshing out these details about audience members will help you understand exactly who you’re addressing, and your content will be much more relatable as a result. Zero in on a content niche Do you know what they say about stand-up comedy? You’re more likely to become successful in the long run if a small group of people consider you to be hysterically funny, rather than if a large group of people think you’re mildly hilarious. The same is true for content. When you’re starting out, you don’t want to invest all your energy and resources across multiple channels and different content formats. Zero in on a viable content niche where you can become the master of the domain and build your following from there. Identify your unique content prowess by asking yourself some important questions. These include: Is your audience longing for this kind of Content and not getting it anywhere else? Can you become an authority in your industry within this niche? Do you have the time and resources to create valuable content within this niche and in the right content format? Create shareable content It’s not enough to just create brilliant content. It’s important that this content is focused on topics that will help you generate shares and backlinks. For this, you need to research keywords to make sure you’re choosing the right topic. To start with, get on Google and search for keywords in your niche. Remember to use informational keywords rather than product-based keywords. For instance, you should use keywords like “how to make good coffee at home” rather than “mocha pot” or “coffee maker”. You can then enter the details of the websites of the top results into a backlink checker like Ahrefs.com or Open Site Explorer. This will give you a list of the top-performing content. Now what you need to do is build a piece of content around the same topic, but one that’s much richer and more valuable than the existing content on the subject. Remember, the pieces that rank high have been around longer than what you will produce, so you need to make sure your content is far superior, or you’ll find it harder to rank higher. You can do this by making sure that the content is more relevant to your audience, that it has better design, is more current, or has more details. Use long-form, evergreen content for sustained traffic There are two rules of thumb that every content creator should keep in mind. The first is that long-form content works better in the long run. If you look at Google’s search engine rankings, the top 10 results are usually of 1000 words or more. So, while consistency is the key to better SEO, 400-600 word blog posts writing simply aren’t enough. Try to create more in-depth content (anywhere between 1000-3000 words) to eke out a position as an authority in your niche. Another great trick is to use evergreen content. This refers to content which doesn’t change significantly with time. Writing high-quality, in-depth beginner’s guides or how-to articles are great examples of evergreen content as they don’t really come with an expiry date. Having great evergreen content also helps you to attract traffic to your blog in the long run. The last word These are some of the secrets to effective content creation that we’ve discovered along the way. They should work as a great framework for you. If you have any more questions, or if you think there are some
7 Actionable Tips to Give Your Content More Personality
It’s true- there are over 2 million blog posts being written every single day. So how do you engage readers in this era of short attention spans and information overload? The only way of effectively doing this is by creating unique content. But as our clients always ask us, “is any content really unique in today’s day and age?” Of course, most topics under the sun have already been written about. But unique content doesn’t mean you have to a unique topic. What it means is that you have to bring your unique perspective to the topic, whether that’s in the way you structure your article or the personality you bring to your content. In fact, content writing in a voice that’s interesting and unique can put a fresh spin on even the most mundane topics. So without further ado, here’s our pick of the 7 most effective ways to give your content more personality. Tip 1: Don’t write, talk Does that sound confusing? Believe it or not, this is one of the simplest ways to give your content more personality. Unfortunately, ever since school, we’ve been taught that’s there’s a difference between how we speak and how we write. So long-winded sentences, extensive vocabulary, and complex ideas meant you were a better writer. But that simply isn’t true. When you create content today, it has only one main purpose— to engage the reader. So a simple technique is to just imagine your reader is standing in front of you and you’re having a conversation with them. The words will be simple and direct; and will flow naturally. And your content will automatically become so much more engaging. Tip 2: Tell a powerful story Humans have been telling stories since the dawn of civilization, and there’s a reason for that. Stories immediately hook the reader and capture interest. Of course, you’re not always writing a compelling narrative. Sometimes, you’re writing a 1000-word guide on which building materials to use. Even in that case, use anecdotes. Anecdotes are an effective way of transforming a drab and dry piece. Every time you feel the pace is slowing down try and use a compelling anecdote. Of course, you need to find an anecdote that is both interesting but also relevant to the point you’re making. Also, try and sprinkle them through the content without going overboard. Too many anecdotes can be jarring and take attention away from the meat of the content. Tip 3: Craft a detailed buyer persona A buyer persona is basically a detailed account of an average reader of your blog. Put some time and effort into cultivating a buyer persona so that you’re able to understand your audience better than anyone else. Figure out who your reader is; how old they are, what gender they belong to, what their income is, whether they have kids, where they went to school, what their hobbies are, and so on. Once you start writing, always keep this buyer persona in mind and address your post to them. You’ll notice your writing immediately becomes more intimate, personalized, and effective. Tip 4: Tug at the heartstrings Jonah Berger analysed over 7000 articles from the New York Times to figure out what made a particular piece of content engaging. He found that stories that provoked an emotional response in readers — whether that was empathy, joy, frustration, pain, or even anger — were far more likely to be shared than stories that weren’t high on emotional content. If you’re stuck wondering how to make your staid content idea evoke an emotional response, just think of it from the reader’s point of view. Which pain point of theirs are you addressing with this piece? Why will they value what you have to say? Once you figure this out, writing an emotion-driven piece shouldn’t be hard. Tip 5: Formatting The right formatting is just as important as the actual words. You need to understand that in this age of frenetic content consumption, readers don’t always “read” content. Sometimes, they just scan it. So making your content easily scannable is the key. Formatting is actually one of the easiest tools to pick up. For starters, keep your paragraphs short; ideally no more than 100 words. This helps break the monotony for readers. Another technique is using subheadings to break down the text and let the readers know what’s coming next. Other techniques include using paragraph spacing, emphasizing important words and phrases by putting them in italics, using em and en dashes, and parentheses. Tip 6: Be interested in the topic This one can be tricky, especially for those of us who are professional writers. You may not always get to work on content ideas that you find inspiring or even interesting. But the trick is to move past this. The reason you’re writing that piece of content is because it will add value to someone who’s going to read it. This means that just because you don’t find the topic interesting, doesn’t mean no one else does. Instead of writing on a topic you don’t care about, take some time out to do your research. Not research on the topic, but rather research about and around the topic. Keep doing this till you find something about the topic that piques your interest. You’ll create a much more authentic piece if you’re actually passionate about what you’re writing. Tip 7: Break the rules When it comes to modern content, you don’t need to be a stickler for grammar rules. Starting a sentence with “and” or “but” is perfectly acceptable if it drives your point home better. As is using sentence fragments and even run-on sentences. The idea is to be unique, authentic, and relatable. Your customer needs to understand and identify with what you have to say — and if some rules get broken in the process, don’t sweat it. These tactics are fairly simple to implement, but they can really
How Customer Reviews Can Bring a Whole New Meaning to Your Content Marketing
Content Marketing and Customer Reviews have traditionally been two very different things, belonging to completely different domains. Content Marketing is used to build interest and educate users while customer reviews come only after the product has been purchased. Yet, in a world of peer reviews and social proof, the lines between the two are blurring rapidly. Let me give you an example. One of our clients that has a very niche B2B product, came to JustWords claiming that they simply didn’t have enough content surrounding their product that users would actually be interested in viewing. The product they sold was extremely vital for most businesses, it just wasn’t particularly interesting or exciting. We realized we didn’t have to inform or educate users through the content, we simply had to convince them of the credibility of our client’s product. We also found that our client had a solid and loyal base of existing customers. So our content marketing strategy really became about showcasing why customers loved the product through different channels and content formats. Simple and yet very effective. It’s not hard to understand the appeal of customer reviews — people tend to trust each other more than they trust businesses. With social media becoming such an integral part of everyday life, this peer reviewing has become even more important. A Brightlocal survey found that a whopping 84% of people trust online reviews as much as they trust a personal recommendation. Not only are peer reviews becoming more trustworthy, but people are actually using them to make purchase decisions. For instance, the same survey found that 70% of consumers need to read at least 4 online reviews before they trust a business. Tips to integrate customer reviews If you want to revamp your content marketing strategy to make sure it incorporates customer reviews, here are some key tips. Make it easy to collect customer reviews The first step towards creating a content marketing strategy based on reviews is to make sure you have a steady stream of positive reviews coming your way. For starters, make it as easy as possible for people to leave a review. Use email software like ActiveCampaign or MailChimp to send an automated mail to customers requesting them to leave a review on your preferred platform. Make sure you also leave a link on your home page to make it easy for people to leave a review on your preferred website. You can also ask customers for more detailed feedback through an online form submission. You can use this longer, more personalized feedback on important landing pages or critical content pieces. Use an independent review platform For reviews to be taken seriously, you need to make sure they are published on an independent, third-party platform that customers trust. If your reviews are not trustworthy, all the effort spent in collecting them will be wasted. There are two ways to approach this. The first is to find a platform that works for your industry. Zomato for restaurants, Amazon for e-commerce, and TripAdvisor for travel and hospitality are some credible forums. The other approach is to collect your reviews on a review platform like Trustpilot. In any case, make sure you check the site’s policy on sharing reviews before you make it your go-to review platform. Use embedded reviews in your website Well researched articles, versatile writers, and wide coverage of topics! Posted by Arielle Ann on Friday, February 3, 2017 Embed reviews from the third-party platform within your website, especially those critical landing pages. When users enter a new website, they are immediately looking for signals to confirm the credibility of the product. Embedded reviews from a credible, independent site like Yelp, Trustpilot or TripAdvisor can go a long way in building credibility right off the bat. In fact, customers won’t even need to go elsewhere to look for social proof; they will find it on your website itself. Use the latest marketing tools to incorporate reviews into your marketing content Recently, Promo.com and Trustpilot came together to create an integration that makes it extremely simple to incorporate customer reviews into your marketing. Promo.com is a tool that makes it easier for people to create marketing videos while Trustpilot is an online community for trustworthy reviews. With this integration, Promo.com customers can now identify important customer reviews on Trustpilot and easily incorporate them into their marketing videos. Similarly, rich-snippets stars that show up on SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) as a result of reviews can lead to an increase to a 10-20% increase in CTR (Click Through Rate). Reviews also help businesses to qualify for Google Seller Ratings which is an automatic extension in Google Ads that can lead to higher CTRs. Do some research and use the many different tools available to incorporate reviews into your digital marketing effort. Use customer reviews as an inspiration for other content Many times, we don’t know how to create content that is valuable to users without directly promoting the product. Did you know that 79% editors end up turning down guest blog pitches because they’re over promotional? For instance, if you’re looking for content to promote your gourmet snack company, a blog entitled “5 Reasons Why Our Snacks Are Amazing” isn’t going to go down well. A great way to combat this problem is to actually go through customer reviews. Many customer reviews will have detailed insights into how your product is solving customer pain points. For instance, a customer may have written, “I love your snacks because I know they are good for me. They also tend to fill me up without bingeing and leave me feeling full for hours afterwards.” This could inspire you to write a blog post titled “How to Snack While Also Taking Care of Your Body”. Understanding customer pain points through meaningful reviews is a great place to look for content marketing ideas. Summing up Companies are always on the lookout
6 Reasons Why your Content Marketing may be Failing and How to Fix it
If you ask me, content marketing is probably one of the best long-term marketing strategies that you can adopt for your business. For starters, there is enough evidence that it works. And there is research to support what I just claimed. As per research, content marketing is actually three times as effective as outbound marketing and costs 62% less. And yet despite the fact that content marketing has been transformational for so many businesses, many brands still look at content marketing with skepticism and suspicion. For eg, a small business owner very recently declared to me that the whole content marketing thing was a sham and nothing really works. Turns out that he had hired a small-time agency who had promised great results through “a foolproof SEO and SMO content marketing package” and significant results are still to come in after 3-4 months in the game. And there are many like him who are simply not sure whether they should invest in content marketing when the results won’t come for days or even months. The reason for this hesitation and skepticism is not unfounded. The fact of the matter is that many companies who do content marketing get it completely wrong and struggle for months, if not years. This survey found that a whopping 96% of respondents believed that content marketing isn’t very effective. At Justwords, we’ve have met several clients who came to us saying that they’ve been publishing content regularly but they don’t think it’s having any impact. However, what people don’t realize is that content marketing is just like any marketing effort. It can be broken down into a number of logical steps. If any of those steps are being neglected or followed incorrectly, chances are your content marketing will fail dramatically. So in this article, I have broken down these important steps so you can see where you’re going wrong and take action to correct it immediately. Problem 1- You’re executing without an effective strategy This may seem basic, but it is one of the biggest problems we’ve seen over the years. Most companies are vaguely aware of the benefits of content marketing so they start publishing a blog post twice a week and then wait for the magic to happen. Even worse, they hire writers who start churning out content without any basic content strategy in place. The biggest mistake with content marketing is to start executing without a proper strategy. You have to begin by outlining your goals as clearly as you can at the very outset. The next step is to define the content formats and communication channels that you will be using to achieve these goals. Then use this strategy to prepare a weekly or monthly content calendar so that every piece of content is now aligned to the marketing and publishing plan and the overall goals. Simply put – If should know for what you are generating content for, which platform you are using and why, how are you publishing and marketing that article, where is that content piece sitting in your marketing plan and what is its final goal. Once you know this, you have a strategy in place. Problem 2- You don’t have a brand voice There are many companies that are churning out content regularly. The problem is, far from going viral or even creating a ripple in the vast ocean of the internet, most of this content goes by unnoticed. With over 2 million blogs being created every day, it’s easy to think there’s just too much competition and creating content is simply not worth the effort. But, there is also the fact that people’s capacity to consume content has also increased manifold. In fact, there are new blogs building a following and becoming wildly popular every single day. So what are they doing right? The answer is two-fold. First, to stand out, your content has to be truly exceptional. Ask yourself if you’re actually solving customer pain points in a clear and succinct manner, preferably in a way that hasn’t been done before. Secondly, there has to be a seamless flow between your content and your brand. In order to achieve this, you need to focus on what your brand voice is all about, and then create content consistent with this brand voice. Problem 3 – You’re using the wrong content format This is a very easy one to get wrong; especially if you haven’t focussed on audience research while building your content strategy. While it’s easy to follow some standard patterns— for instance, lifestyle brands should use Instagram stories while newsletters are a great idea for B2B brands — there are other nuances which need extensive research. Invest the time to understand what content is working for your competitors, what is the format in which your audience regularly consumes content, and so on. You really don’t want to waste time drafting blog post after blog post when an Insta story is what your audience needs or vice versa. Problem 4- You’re not being guided by metrics It’s great to go by your gut, but it’s not nearly enough to be successful. Your content marketing will only work if it is also backed by solid data and analytics. Unless you inculcate a culture of scientific, data-driven decision making, your content marketing strategy is unlikely to work. It’s important to have objective metrics to evaluate every single piece of content and alter strategy accordingly. Conversions, article views, CTR(Click Through Rates), shares, etc are all important metrics to track. Google Analytics is great for basic insights and you can also use specialized tools like Kissmetrics for more detailed analytics. Problem 5- You’re doing everything yourself This is one of the biggest traps smaller organizations fall into. The founder might kickstart the content marketing journey by writing a few blog posts, but it’s nearly impossible to sustain this. From content planning to strategy to metrics, there is far too much for a founder or marketing