Marketers who place a priority on blogging are 13 times likelier to see positive ROI. But what should you write that won’t wear out your welcome with your customers and prospects? How can you create a lot of fresh content for the new year without sounding too salesy?
When we write blogs for our clients, we use our proven Media Grade Content® strategy to produce quality, relevant content readers find worthy of their time. Done right, your marketing content will establish your expertise and nurture trust in your brand. It adds value to doing business with you. Here are some ideas for inspiration.
- Maintain a content calendar. Content marketing is more than creativity. There’s a science to it as well. A content calendar will help you cycle through your products and message themes. First, determine which products and messaging themes should get the most attention. Then schedule blogs, social posts, etc. based on that ranking. The free SAM 6® tools have more details for structuring your calendar.
- Tell everyone about your media coverage. Researchers have found that news coverage is more influential to buying decisions than the opinions of friends and family. Capitalize on that impact by reposting your earned media coverage to your blog and social feeds. Online ad campaigns can also extend the reach of your best media stories. Here’s more information about this idea.
- Focus on problem/solution. A 2018 survey of buyers found that 62% want to hear from vendors when they are “actively looking for a solution to fix what’s broken or to solve a problem.” Says Media Relations Agency CEO Lonny Kocina, “One reason ads and salespeople turn off a market is they get to the point too quickly. They don’t spend enough time exploring the frustration their product is intended to solve. It’s like having someone watch only the end of The Wizard of Oz – the part where Dorothy realizes it was a dream – then expecting the viewer to have the same feeling as if they watched the entire movie.”
- Make a list. People love reading lists! A list does not have to be 100% about your product. In fact, you don’t want it to be overly promotional. Consider how you might include your product as one of several solutions in a broader category, then describe why you like the other solutions as well as your own. Example: One of our publicists arranged for our client’s unique sleep product to be included in an article targeting insomniacs that also mentioned sleep masks and sheets.
- Dig deeper into your FAQs. Chances are each of your FAQs is a chance to differentiate your product from your competition.
Still short of ideas? Talk about what you like about your headquarters town and how you give back. Make buyers feel good about doing business with you by giving them a sense of how you fit into your community.
Remember: Well-written blogs will lead people into the buying process without resorting to heavy-handed sales messages. Always think WIIFM (What’s In It For Me).
Content writing is often cited as the most commonly outsourced marketing service. Perhaps that’s because good writing takes time to produce.
For a more robust content marketing plan in 2020, call us at 952-697-5269 or use this form. Try us for the next six months. You’ll like the results. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
