writing advice

What Kind of Content Should I Be Posting on My Website?

It’s no secret that search engines love content that’s optimized, engaging, and relevant to your industry. But remember — robots aren’t the only ones reviewing the information on your website. Creative, credible content can also help set you apart from your competitors, gaining you loyal customers and brand followers. Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a lean start-up, strong content can help you generate leads, convert browsers into buyers, and encourage referrals following the sale.

The trick is knowing what kind of content you need to produce in order to initiate and nurture client relationships.

Build trust with better content

According to a recent study by Focus Research, companies should use a mix of content types to attract customers, depending on the type of business they operate. Blog posts, white papers, research papers, and infographics all offer unique opportunities to engage and build trust with your audience.

But what if you want to shake things up a little bit? Here are three unconventional ways to create content that attracts attention to your company.

1. Create a competitive analysis

You heard that right. Publish a downloadable document to your website that compares your product or service to a competitors’. Today, most consumers begin the buying process by Googling information on products or asking advice from friends on Facebook and Twitter. Publishing content that clearly explains how your product measures up (and outperforms) your competition will make it easier for potential clients to appreciate what your company has to offer.

Industry insider tip: According to TechTarget’s 2009 Media Consumption Benchmark Report, technology consumers are especially receptive to competitive comparisons. This report found that technology companies seek out content comparing a vendor’s offering to the competition as they get further along in the decision-making process.

2. Don’t shy away from controversy

A little controversy can give your company’s blog a big boost in readership, but only when the topic is well executed and properly researched. This means quoting reputable sources that support your argument and lend validity to your stance. When done properly, controversial content can increase engagement and brand awareness, as well as drive traffic, comments, and inbound links to your website.

3. Use your FAQ page properly

Never underestimate the value of the frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on your website. When executed properly, your FAQ page can help enhance your customer service and communicate your brand value.

Unfortunately, many companies seem to go out of their way to avoid answering questions that could open their product or brand up to criticism. Of course, these are exactly the questions every company should address. Publishing this kind of content to your website is your first line of defense against negativity and skepticism. Be transparent and address any uncomfortable issues up front. Your customers will appreciate your honesty.

4. Interview an expert

Running out of interesting content ideas to incorporate into your blog or website? Then why not ask an expert for their opinion? Interviews are a great way to provide your readers with a fresh perspective on a popular topic. If you’re lucky, you might even learn a thing or two yourself!

At the end of the day, the goal is to develop content that your audience finds useful. Quality content can position your company as an industry leader and a reliable source of consistent, credible information.

6 Article Marketing Tips for Your Business

Creating content for your website is a great way to promote your business. You can indirectly promote your business and encourage readers to become customers if you provide your readers with interesting information they enjoy reading.

Articles are an excellent form of content for marketing. Articles can be any length; they provide information that customers find useful, and they can be published regularly, often in a short time. These articles must be published online strategically so they can effectively promote your business and give your website the engagement it needs to succeed.

How do you achieve this? How can you ensure your article marketing reaches your audience?

1. Give your readers something unique

Article marketing is the presentation of written material that gives customers useful information about your product. This means that the articles you write must give your customers something no one else can. This content should be unique and interesting, as well as encourage readers to visit your website again. A really good question to ask yourself when thinking about what to write about is: “How can I serve my customers?” By making it about your customers, and not about you, you will provide value.

2. Summarize your article

To convince your customers to read your article, try writing a summary paragraph to accompany the full article. Beyond a catchy headline, a summary will give your readers a better idea of what your article is about so they will be more inclined to read it. In article marketing, a summary could be the deciding factor of whether someone browsing the Internet will devote time to reading your business’s material. The one or two line summary should reinforce the headline and suggest the article’s value proposition. You want to reassure the reader that the article will be worth his or her time.

3. Build authority

Obviously, you should share your own content to your followers. However, you should also share good material from other authors. Why? Because doing so will help you build authority in your niche.

The key word here is good material. Try to find articles that will provide high value to your followers. The more value you provide, the more likely people are to trust your judgement. You will become an authority in your industry, and you will find more people willing to share your articles.

4. Publish your articles elsewhere

While it is necessary to publish your articles on your own website, it is a good idea to publish them on other websites, as well. Some websites only accept new and original guest articles, while others allow you to republish material from your site. Readers that might not have previously heard of your business can be directed to your website, opening up new possibilities for potential customers.

Where should you publish? Where your customers are, of course. Rather than just submitting your articles everywhere and hoping for the best, it’s a good idea to figure out what your potential customers are reading and submit your work there. This will have two benefits: First, you will help search engines understand what your site is about if your inbound links come from places that are semantically related to what you do. Second, the best inbound link is one that also sends you visitors.

5. Use social media to share

Social media is an excellent tool for increasing your website’s visibility and engaging in valuable article marketing. Sharing your articles regularly on these newsfeeds will remind your followers of your business and brand. As well, customers can re-share your posts to their own networks.

6. Ask for the share

If your articles are well written and informative, other websites will probably link to them or share them organically. However, it doesn’t hurt to gently remind readers occasionally to help you get the word out. This can be done via share buttons at the bottom of your page, or in your status update (e.g., if you like this piece, please share it with your friends!)

Writing Cats and Dogs: Which Blog Style Should You Adopt?

I couldn’t possibly begin to tell you why a raven is like a writing desk, but I can tell you how a pet is like a blog post. As you’re probably aware, there are different types of blog posts, just as there are different types of pets. One easy way to break down blog styles, particularly if you’re as great a fan of four-legged companions as I am, is to think of the different types of blog posts in terms of two groups: the Dog and the Cat.

No, I’m not saying that some blog posts rule while others drool. And no, your blog posts aren’t going to drink from your toilet or shred your curtains. The analogy is a bit subtler than that, though I think we can agree that blog posts would be much more exciting—although also more destructive—if they did get into such shenanigans, no?

The “Dog” Post

The first type of blog post is the Dog. Much like my favorite type of furry friend, this blog style tends to have a short attention span. Most dogs are content to chase a ball, but only until they spot a squirrel. Likewise, a Dog-type blog post only addresses one topic, and it only does so long enough to cover the basic information about that topic. Just as your dog must investigate every smell in the backyard, the readers of your Dog-type blog post have other posts to . . . smell. Don’t try to limit their noses to just your post. Instead of sticking around, they’ll probably just get distracted and—SQUIRREL!

Short-form content is best for Dog posts. This blog style also lends itself to fun topics, like this one. Dogs enjoy playing and generally having a good time; similarly, you should use Dog posts to focus more on enjoyment than on information. Just as certain dog breeds are more suited to some people than to others, different types of Dog posts will be enjoyed and shared more by some readers than by others. This means you need to create lots of different types of blog posts to appeal to different kinds of readers. Think of each type of Dog post as a different breed of dog, if you will.

One of the great benefits of the Dog post is that this blog style encourages social sharing. Dogs make great companions to almost all people, and Dog-type posts tend to get along with a wide variety of people as well. In summary, Dog posts are fun, easy to read, and highly shareable.

The “Cat” Post

My dog has one solution to most of life’s mysteries: sniff it, lick it, and hope for the best. My cat, on the other hand, is a much more pensive creature. While my dog is happy to abandon any problem that cannot be solved with his mouth, my cat investigates each new scenario she encounters until she comes up with what she deems a reasonable solution (or until she gets scared and runs away—whichever happens first, really).

In terms of types of blog posts, the Cat-style post tends to be longer, more focused, and more targeted (here’s an example). This blog style lends itself to long-form content, allowing the reader to learn lots of specific information about a given topic. Each Cat-style post should be targeted to one specific group of readers. While dogs get the happy title of “man’s best friend,” cats aren’t always so universally loved. However, those who do have cats love them a lot. So each Cat-style post should be tailored to the type of person who needs the information that post has to offer rather than be written for everyone.

Ever asked someone to watch your cat while you were away? If your cat is anything like mine, it probably hid every time that person entered the room. It may have even refused to eat until it felt safe enough to come out of hiding. Like real cats, Cat-style blog posts are not always shareable. Sure, your cat may accept an elite group of people into its life, but for the most part, that feline is not willing to spend time with strangers. While Cat-style blog posts aren’t necessarily as shareable as their Dog-style counterparts, they provide great benefits for the people who do choose to read them. After all, cats make great pets, too!

Which Type of Blog Style Should You Use?

I know there’s an epic battle between “dog people” and “cat people.” Some may argue that you can only have one or the other, but when it comes to types of blog posts, you definitely need to take advantage of the benefits of both Dog posts and Cat posts. One works to attract and entertain people, while the other works to target more specific groups with the information they need to make educated business and consumer decisions. And, as with real dogs and cats, why would you choose only one when you can have the best of both worlds?