Your marketing content is a very visible reflection of your business, and is literally the first thing that many potential customers see when they come across your company online. If you want to demonstrate to prospects that you provide quality products and services, you need to make certain that your content conveys that sense of quality.
Producing high-quality content takes time and resources. However, there are several relatively easy things you can do to improve any piece of content and make it more attractive, interesting and useful. Below are eight such ways to quickly boost the quality of your marketing content.
- Use data. When at all possible, have real numbers to back up your claims. It's true that the specifics are often not truly necessary, but that doesn't mean they're not interesting. Stating that "61 percent of respondents" replied a certain way is not fundamentally different from saying "the majority," but it does add credibility and show that you know exactly what you are talking about. It's even better if the data comes from your own original research, and therefore provides information that cannot be found anywhere else.
- Be factual. In other words, make sure your information is correct. There's a lot of questionable information on the Internet, so check multiple sources (or at least one highly respectable source) before making any claims. Being factual also means being current, as numbers and statistics can change over time.
- Use clear terminology. Partly, this means knowing your audience. However, your potential Internet audience could be anyone. Generally, it's best not to use obscure industry jargon.
- Tell a story. Illustrate your main point with a clear example, whether it be from real life or simply a hypothetical situation. People like to hear stories (see also the entire entertainment industry).
- Quote somebody. Preferably an expert on the topic at hand. A relevant quote implies that you are connected, that you have done your research and that other people support the idea you are presenting.
- Incorporate visuals. It could be a simple photo or a detailed infographic. Visuals help get your point across while making the content more interesting to look at.
- Make it easier to read. This means formatting the text in a clear, attractive way. Images are not the only visuals in your marketing content; the text itself is a visual element, and is particularly important in that first glance when people are deciding whether to read it or not. Break the text into sections, or use lists (such as this one) to make the content easy to scan and make it easier to go back and find the most salient points.
- Use two sets of eyes. Have at least one other person look over and proofread each piece. It is easy for an author's eyes to read what they meant to say when editing a piece, and therefore not notice fairly obvious mistakes. Web content in general is typically not well-edited, so setting a higher quality standard for yourself will make your content stand out as professional and reliable.
Along with having a killer content strategy, utilizing these tips to improve your content's quality will help you get the most out of your marketing efforts.
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