Incorporate Content into Your Digital Marketing Strategy for Big Results
Content marketing is, like, so hot right now.
Because of its popularity – and power – small businesses are trying their hand at search engine optimization, including blogging, to drive traffic to their website and be number one, at least in the eyes of Google.
But do you really fancy yourself a writer?
And do you truly understand how content marketing works?
Spoiler alert: SEO experts do. (Hi, that’s us. ????) We’re here to share seven of our favorite blog post writing tips to help you find inspiration for your next small biz blog.
And if you need help, just let us know. It’s deceptively harder than it looks.
Get your keywords from an SEO expert.
To get the biggest impact from keywords in your content marketing pieces, you’ll need to conduct thorough keyword research using Semrush, Moz, or a similar service.
While anyone can research keywords, not everyone knows the best way to use them, and in what combination. For example, did you know that it can be unwise to dedicate most of your time to taking on the keyword with the most searches? Absolutely target that keyword, but keep in mind that there are other, often looked-over terms (we like to call these “low-hanging fruit”) that will still lead you to the top spot in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Professional SEO services help guide your content marketing strategy so your website consistently climbs up the SERPs ladder and maintains its hold as number one over time.
Never repeat information from your website.
Because search engines crawl your website content to determine where you land on the SERPs, you want to ensure that every bit of your content is uniquely written.
While it’s tempting to copy and paste word-for-word selling points from your website to use in a blog post, don’t do it. Your website will be penalized for lacking unique content.
Ask yourself one very important question.
Content marketing pieces are most often used as traffic generators to get your audience to your website by ranking high in SERPs. But readability and engagement are important, too.
A blog article with lots of keywords can be effective, but if you want your audience to trust you and see you as an authority, you also need to be providing them with valuable information in each piece you write.
Before you begin composing your next content marketing blog, ask yourself, “Can I write a more useful piece of content than my competition?” The answer should be yes, but the task ahead of you can be daunting.
Professional copywriters at digital marketing agencies can help you craft content that draws the reader in and convinces them to stick around to see what else your business has to offer. They also know how to make you look smarter than your competition.
Write the ideal blog post length for small business search engine optimization.
It takes time and effort to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard to produce a click-worthy blog post. Much of that effort is dedicated toward achieving a blog post length worthy of Google algorithm approval.
There are no hard-and-fast rules about how long your blog post should be, although experts know that content that is most-frequently shared is at least 250 characters long. Unfortunately, that’s too short for Google’s liking.
For the biggest impact, you’ll want to write blog posts no fewer than 750 words in length, but the closer you can get to 1,500 words, the better.
And don’t forget about your H1s and H2s! The H1 is the title of your blog post, and it should be 50 to 70 characters long and include your primary target keyword. The H2 is essentially the subtitle of your blog post, and it should include another keyword, a location keyword, and be at least 70 characters long.
If Google ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. Do what you have to do to please the algorithm gods.
Publish exciting, viral blog post titles.
If you cringe at clickbait, you aren’t alone – and you should change your perspective. Unfortunately, those clickbait-y titles are just the ticket to getting traction on your business’s blog. Yes, clickbait is a valid marketing strategy.
“You’ll Be Shocked to Learn…” or “Shoppers Couldn’t Believe…” are enticing ways to start your blog post titles. Readers also love titles that imply they’ll be reading a list (like this very blog) or getting step-by-step instructions in a “How to” blog.
Basically, if you’ve seen the title format used for clickbait, give it a try on your business blog. Remember, the contents of your post don’t have to be outrageous or sensational.
Include calls to action throughout your post.
You’d never approve a new website if it didn’t have calls to action (CTAs), so why would you approve and post a blog that didn’t either?
Aside from climbing the SERPs, blog posts also help you attract your target audience by providing them with interesting and relevant information. While they’re reading, encourage them to follow through with next steps – as they fall down the marketing funnel – and become a qualified lead.
You can keep your CTAs simple: “Call today!,” “Ask us how…”, or “Contact our agents.” Or, you can get creative with them: “Show me the money!”, “Feed me!,” or “Roll out the red carpet for me.” Just make sure your CTAs are relevant to your brand voice.
Paint a picture instead of stating a fact.
Ever heard of David Ogilvy? Most people haven’t. But they’re familiar with his work.
Long considered the father of modern advertising, Ogilvy is best known for his mid-1950s role in creating one of the most successful Rolls-Royce ads of all time. He penned the headline, “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in the new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.”
Even today, it’s still considered one of the greatest advertisements ever. What’s so poignant about it? The fact that it paints a picture, rather than stating a fact.
Anyone could come up with, “The Rolls-Royce engine is quiet.” But the way Ogilvy drew a comparison to the sound of a ticking clock almost injects the sound of that very car into your ear.
Do the same thing with your blog post. Write something in a way that no one’s ever written it before. Be the voice of your industry.
Your small business deserves good marketing. Can you provide for it?
You’re great at running your business – you know the ins and outs of your industry, and you’re good at what you do.
But few people are good at running their business and at successfully marketing it. Even fewer people are great writers.
For the best return on your investment, and to see where every penny of your marketing budget goes, you’ll want to hire iFocus Marketing, a digital marketing agency near you.
We’re obsessed with data, drenched in caffeine, and on a first-name basis with Google. And we’re ready to take your website content, social media management, online reputation management, display ads, and more to their fullest potential.
Writing content around digital marketing strategies isn’t what you do. But it’s what we do. Let us write really good content for you. Request an SEO services discovery call today.
