Inbound Marketing Insights

Writing engaging content is essential to a successful inbound marketing program. And not all content is created equal. Every piece of content you generate, whether it's a blog post, email, video, or even a social post, must be high quality, resonate with your audience, answer a question, and help solve a challenge.  

The goals for your content should be to engage your audience, improve SEO rankings, and increase traffic and leads. Whatever your reason behind having a purposeful website with engaging content, it's imperative to do it right. Here are a few tips to help you write content that will resonate with your audience, drive new traffic, and get your visitors to return to your website.

1. Use Headers and Sub-headers
Utilizing headers and sub-headers is beneficial for two reasons. First, titles and sub-headers draw your readers to the specific content areas that interest them most. Second, content headers and sub-headers keep your content coordinated and on target throughout the content piece, whether it is a blog, eBook, whitepaper, or more.

2. Be Concise
You should keep your data short, sweet, and direct when making content. Run-on sentences or data that are overpowering aren't effective or engaging. You want to provide enough information to the reader without overwhelming them with too much content at once.

3. Include Graphics
Illustrations (pictures, recordings, outlines, charts, etc.) are a helpful way to explain your content further in a visual format and give your reader another way to digest your content. Imagery often helps marketers describe an idea or concept a lot better than you could with just text.

4. Use Lists
Numbered lists can help your audience stay on track to know how much content they have consumed and how much they still have left to read. It's a great way to keep your data organized, ready to skim, and easily shareable. 

5. Utilize Call-to-Actions
Make sure your blog posts and other content include a call-to-action. Give your reader a next step or an action to take. For example, it could be downloading another piece of content or scheduling a consultation. You always want to lead them toward where to go next in your buyer's journey. 

6. Double Check Your Work
Even great content can only be effective if there are spelling and grammar issues. Try to have another person check your work to get another set of eyes on your content before publication. 

7. Focus on Your Target Audience
You need to make sure your content is focused on the audience you are looking to target. Think about your target audience's goals, challenges, and problems they are trying to solve. Always ensure that your content engages these individuals, helps answer their questions, and targets their specific needs.

8. Format Wisely
Arrange your content so that it is simple to read, follow, and comprehend. Ensure you use enough white space throughout the range so the reader can stay focused on the critical points. And where possible, use lists and headers to keep your information easy to read and skim for your audience. Formatting can make all the difference!

9. Utilize Keywords
Keywords are critical for your search engine optimization and organic traffic. Ensure that each piece of content is focused on a target keyword so you can optimize your content around that specific search term. Ensure you use your keywords in your title, content, URL, page title, and meta description to maximize the benefit of SEO.

Writing engaging content takes time to perfect, and there will always be tips and best practices to consider. Consider your audience, search engine optimization quality, formatting, and other ways to enhance your content and keep the reader engaged with your topics. If you're interested in discussing your current content strategy and how you can start to improve your content marketing results, we invite you to schedule an inbound marketing consultation.