Which is more valuable? An empty picture frame or one with a beautiful piece of art in it?
A picture frame is a good start, but you need to put something in it to make it complete. Similarly, your website is a frame. You need to fill your website with content for it to be successful.
Here’s the challenge: you’re a busy person and writer’s block is real. For the vast majority of web design projects, content is the hardest thing to do right and finish on time. There are a few proven techniques that can help though. In this post, we'll share our top three tips for creating successful content.
Are you talking to me?
If you opened your mailbox and found a letter addressed to your neighbor, would you open it? I’d imagine not. Not only is it a crime, but the letter’s content isn’t written for you. It would probably be uninteresting and unhelpful to you.
People treat online content the same way. They look for content that’s addressed to them and spend their time reading that.
How can you address your users directly?
The simplest way to make sure your content speaks to your customers' challenges and needs is by creating buyer personas. This is a character that you create that represents your ideal customer. To create your buyer personas you should interview 3-8 customers and ask them questions like:
What are your demographics (age, education, marital status, income, etc.)?
What does your typical day look like?
What are your biggest pain points regarding [product]?
How would you describe a successful [product]?
Asking questions like these give you actual insights into how your buyer personas use your products. Once you've completed these interviews, fill out a HubSpot buyer persona template.
With your buyer personas in hand, you can start addressing your clients' pain points directly. This will make your content effective and engaging.
What's your brand voice?
The internet is absolutely full of information. It's like a crowded book store where only the most exciting book covers stand out.
Large corporations use something called a brand voice to make their content stand out. Local companies like Pure Rock Studios and Project Legacy are following suit.
But, what exactly is a brand voice? A brand voice is the unique way your company expresses itself in words and images. What are the steps for creating a brand voice?
The first step in creating a brand voice is doing market research. Since you already created your buyer personas, you know what communication style will appeal to them.
Run a brand sprint to learn your company's core values and its position on the market.
Choose a brand avatar and start defining how they’ll communicate. The best way to do this is by creating a brand voice style guide.
Implement your brand voice guidelines on your website, blog, social media, and print materials. Show people how you’re unique.
This simple step is something that most people overlook, but it can turn average content into extraordinary content. If you haven't done it yet, then consider creating a brand voice today.
How to use a sales funnel
Back in the days of the gold rush, miners would scour rivers for flakes of gold. They'd use pans, sieves, and magnets to separate gold from plain old dirt. A sales funnel is no different.
The most effective sales funnels use multiple techniques to attract visitors to their site. For instance, blog posts and social media posts bring a site traffic and then a form will filter out less interested prospects to ensure you only get contacted by the most interested ones. The best way to visual it is with this HubSpot graphic:
To create your own sales funnel, ask yourself these questions:
How can I drive more traffic to my site?
What content can I offer that will make people fill out a form?
Once I have their contact information how can I close the sale?
A sales funnel can turn a good site into a money-maker and help you drive sales without having to spend your day making cold calls.
Putting it all together
These are the three best ways for you to create successful content. If you feel overwhelmed or would like help with any of these steps, then please contact us. We'd be happy to provide you with a content consultation.
Most importantly, remember to ask yourself these three questions whenever you create content for your site:
What does my audience care about and want to know?
How can my voice make this information unique and better than what my competitors are offering?
What’s the next action I want the reader to take?