by Marianna Muscat | Jun 1, 2016 | Content Marketing, Copywriting, Digital Media Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Website Design
It’s a pretty common thing these days to spot spelling mistakes and bad grammar when you’re surfing the internet – adverts, blog articles, website content – there’s no one area better or worse than another. While some people may not notice spelling or other errors, a lot of people do, so just how big a deal is accurate content?
There’s nothing wrong with using a conversational tone, especially in blog writing, but using slang, txtspk and sloppy grammar is just unacceptable. Studies have shown that people are less likely to engage with companies that post error-riddled sales copy, as they feel it undermines the credibility of the company (are they just as careless with their orders, accounts or delivery?). Creating any kind of negativity towards your business is a sure-fire way to kill sales, so why do it? With online companies like Grammarly, offering automated proofreading services, it’s a mystery why there is still so much room for improvement in online writing.
It’s been shown that over 40% of web users are influenced by spelling or grammar blunders in online content. When you sell or communicate online, most of the time it’s done by using the written word, so it’s quite obvious the damage it can do to your conversions. Questions have been raised over the importance of correct spelling and grammar in social media interactions, since it’s a more relaxed medium for communication, especially when using platforms like Facebook. That said, any business using Facebook to increase their exposure, should treat it with as much importance as their website or LinkedIn profile.
There are simple ways to improve your content, which can make a real difference to your bottom line. These are:
- Read your content backwards: this disrupts the natural flow of how you perceive things, so it forces you to read every word, making misspelled words easier to spot.
- Ask someone else to read your writing: a friend or co-worker who has not been working on the same piece of content for hours will spot inaccuracies that you will miss time and time again.
- Read your piece out loud: some errors can be more easily heard than seen, so reading your writing out loud forces you to listen.
- Use software like Grammarly: it really does make a difference. While you may not agree with all their suggestions, it does help to sharpen your eye.
Whether or not you agree on the importance of accurate writing, think of a website with sloppy grammar and lots of error. Would you be happy to give them your credit card details?
Didn’t think so.
If you’d like to know more on content marketing or need help creating the perfect content for your website or social media posts, contact us – we’d love to help!
by Marianna Muscat | Apr 19, 2016 | Blogging, Copywriting
We all know that to bring traffic to your site, you need to post regularly and while blogs are one of the simplest ways of doing this (that also helps with your SEO), it can be difficult to keep coming up with fresh and readable content, especially if your industry is fairly niche.
Here are some places to look for inspiration, that could help you create a list of possible topics for future posts. It may be a good idea to keep a notebook or list of ideas, to jot down whenever creativity hits, to keep those blank screen days to a minimum.
- Online news headlines: Set up Google Alerts and RSS Feeds of your industry and other news sources and get the headlines delivered to your inbox. Get the scoop on the latest trends, statistics, products or technologies.
- Subscribe to top business and personal blogs in your market: You can write a different take on someone else’s article, or find a topic in a comment about a blog. Don’t limit yourself to your industry completely; similar or related industries could be connected enough to give you content ideas.
- Client questions: Look at what your customers are asking and use the opportunity to write a lengthy response in a blog post, rather than an individual shorter response. Providing a solution for your customers can do wonders for your reputation and referrals.
- Social media platforms: Facebook and Twitter provide endless streams of blog inspiration, while LinkedIn group discussions will show you what people are talking about. TweetChats are an excellent source of fact, opinion, questions and answers, from all over the world.
- Pop culture: Although celebrity gossip may seem far removed from your industry, a quick glance at the latest scoop might offer something you can relate back to your business. YouTube can provide related content to almost anything!
- Use online tools: Bottlenose will analyse activity across all the major social networks; Quora is a Q&A site that can offer up a lot of ideas. You can answer an open question and publish the content from Quora’s site.
Don’t forget how important it is to blog regularly – sporadic posting will not build you a strong following. For more on social services and how we could assist with content creation, copywriting services or a social strategy, give us a call, we’d love to hear your thoughts.
by Marianna Muscat | Apr 12, 2016 | Content Marketing, Copywriting
A recent research report conducted by Buzzsumo and Moz, found that an astonishing 50% of posts get 8 shares or less, and 75% of these posts achieved a zero referring domain link. The study analysed one million posts, selected at random, revealing some shocking truths about content. So why does content fail?
It’s just not possible that all content is poor. In recent years, great content would work its way to the top of the pile, be found and shared, but the problem now is too much. There’s just so much content out there, that great content no longer stands out. Many popular sites with great content are being affected by content shock – an information density that has seen a steady decline in shares.
There are three mistakes that people make that compound the content shock problem, resulting in very low engagement. These are:
With a lot of pressure being placed on content teams to produce regular content, there’s often not enough research conducted. If you find out why and what content resonates with your audience, you have a much better chance of increasing engagement. Your odds improve if you can answer a question your audience is asking. Research also includes understanding what your competitors are doing and what content is working for them.
A common problem emerging is good content is not being amplified enough to the point where your audience will find it. You need a strategy to determine who will share it, link it and why. Promoting your content by using social networks is vital. You may need to go the paid route to get your content amplified. There’s speculation that you need to spend as much time on amplification as you do on your content creation.
- Lack of monitoring or tracking trends
Social sharing usually takes place very quickly, with an article exploding but then dying after a limited time. It’s extremely important to keep on top of trends and issues engaging your audience and act quickly.
Paying more attention to these three commonly made mistakes and figuring a way to get round them, will give your content more chance of succeeding. Quality, however is still very important.
If you need some advice on your content creation, or social selling strategy, contact us. Using social media optimisation is a great place to start your strategy and we know just how to do it.
by Marianna Muscat | Mar 15, 2016 | Content Marketing, Copywriting
The point of content marketing is to deliver high quality information to your customers, that educates them and ultimately brings their business and loyalty to you. So why is it some content that looks awesome, doesn’t actually do much to build your business? As great as the content may be, without business goals, it’s just content. You need to understand your marketing and business goals to create content that will serve them, not just pass on something for your customers to read.
Without a strategic framework, you won’t get the most out of your content. Your blogs, podcasts, articles, email marketing or eBooks need to form part of the bigger plan, or you’re wasting valuable time.
So here are six goals worth looking at and seeing if they fall into your bigger picture. Implementing just one or two could make a tangible difference.
- Build trust with your audience
A very obvious use of content marketing, but an important one. With interesting, valuable and useful content, your audience learns to trust you, seeing you as expert in your field. Your potential customers get a sense of who you are, which makes a conversion easier.
- Attract new visitors
Your content needs to be attention-grabbing, compelling and remarkable enough to attract links, social media shares and conversations. This is how your reach will expand and the only way your business will grow is with a steady stream of new prospects.
- Explore the pain points
Understanding your audience’s problems is the key to solving them. Knowing what they fear, their irritations, annoyances and grievances will give you plenty of material for problem solving content. A good content marketing programme invites comment or questions – use these as a guide for future content.
- Illustrate the benefits
Using your content to solve problems and provide solutions shows customers what they could get from working with you. It’s not about telling customers you have a solution; it’s about showing them.
- Create an experience
Storytelling is a very effective strategy with content marketing. Providing an experience through your writing allows your audience to ‘try out’ the product or service before committing to a sale. Case studies work well here – people love a real life story.
- Build your reputation with search engines
Search engines want content that provides value to their users. You need write content that readers find valuable enough to share.
For more on content marketing and how it can grow your business, contact us. We can help create a strategy that meets all of these business goals and more.
by Francois Muscat | Mar 2, 2016 | Content Marketing, Copywriting
Headlines are one of the most important aspects of your blog posts, since they can be the key to success or failure. With a flood of online communications to wade through each day, readers give your blog about 10 seconds of their time before deciding to read or move on. A catchy headline could be the difference between getting your post read and shared, or sudden death. On average, only 2 out of 10 people will read beyond your headline, so brushing up on your headline writing skills is critical.
Good headlines have three key elements: a goal, an audience and a platform. Your blog should (hopefully) have an intention – boost your online presence, convert customers, inform on new products. Knowing what your content is trying to achieve makes the headline creation more directed. Think about your audience – who’s going to read the blog, will it appeal to them, is it relevant to them? And lastly, the platform you intend to use – Twitter, Facebook, Google or your own website – will dictate the length of the headline.
There are several different styles of headlines you can use, which will form the tone of your headline. It could be a statement, a question, a ‘How to’, a need, an emotional line or a number, e.g.:
- Write better headlines today.
- Why are good headlines so difficult to write?
- How to create a killer headline.
- Why YOU need to be able to write great headlines.
- Headlines: The agony of coming up with the perfect line.
- Ten ways to improve your headline writing.
Single words can make a headline stand out and since headlines should be short and to the point, it’s important to choose them carefully. Interesting adjectives like incredible, essential, unmissable or ground-breaking can describe your post, while rational words like facts, tricks, approaches and principles can resonate with many readers. Trigger words like what, why or how get people reading and although not always necessary, a SEO keyword phrase can be used in a headlines as an added bonus, as long as it’s strong enough.
Sometimes, you may need to create more than one headline for your blog post, if you intend to post it on different platforms. A Tweet gives you 100 characters, Facebook 40 characters, Google 60 characters, Email 28-39 characters and a Title Tag (what appears in the Google search engine results page) 55 characters.
It’s worth spending a bit of time playing around with your headline, since the better it is, the more people are likely to read your blog. Remember, if you make a promise in your headline, ensure it delivers. Making the expectation really high in a headline and then under delivering on content is a sure-fire way to lose credibility.
For more on content marketing and blog writing, get in touch. We’d like to see if we can help your digital marketing campaign achieve new heights.
by Marianna Muscat | Feb 16, 2016 | Content Marketing, Copywriting
Creating quality content is not the easiest thing in the world. There’s no quick way to write meaningful and useful content, but thankfully, there are some tools that make it easier. Tools that help you research, write, edit and design content – the right tools not only make content creation easier, but more purposeful.
Here are 10 of the top tools, as used by content writers all over the web.
- Google Drive Research Tool
This tool allows you to conduct Google searches without ever leaving your Drive window. Click “Tools” on your menu bar and choose “Research” from the dropdown menu.
- Twitter lists
A great source of inspiration, including breaking news.
- Polldaddy
A tool to create surveys and quizzes that can make content interactive and interesting.
- Ubersuggest
This takes your word or phrase and offers the best related topics people are searching for. This really helps when researching accurate information.
- Audacity
This tool records interviews and edits audio. You can clip out bits that are not relevant, as well as convert to mp3 if you want to share your interviews on social platforms.
- Headline Analyzer
A tool that scores your headline quality and rates its ability to drive social shares, traffic and SEO value. It reports on perceived sentiment and harmony of word types.
- Evernote
A great tool to store lists, ideas, eBooks, research, your writing; it’s best feature is its mobile, desktop and web apps sync automatically as long as you are connected.
- Infogram
A visual content tool that helps you create infographics, charts and data visualisation.
- Canva
A fantastic tool for creating visual content quickly – it offers a huge library of templates and assets that you can manipulate, with many of these for free.
- Giphy
Finding great GIFs in minutes – use this tool by opening the extension in Chrome, search, choose a GIF, drag and drop. It works in Gmail, Twitter and Facebook, among others.
Tools like these can certainly make your writing easier, but ultimately, you still need to write the right content. Know your audience and add value and information into your content, and it will be well received. Contact us if you’d like to talk about content creation and our copywriting service.
