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10 Secrets of Content Marketing

Use these 10 secrets to develop a content marketing plan and to better market online.

1. Write for the reader, not your company

Help your target market do their job better and improve the quality of their lives. Answer the following questions: How will people use your content? How will they scan and dig through your Web pages? How is the content perceived? Don’t write for yourself, write for your readers. If you don’t know what they want to read about, ask them.

2. Use quality thinking to improve lives and avoid marketing-speak content.

Your content should solve problems and make work easier. Strive to make the content on your Website the most useful in your marketplace. Quality content has an impact and brochure marketing-speak content gets ignored.

3. Use content to get found in Google.

The first page of a Google search result is branding. Research the proper keywords not only for the benefits of search, but for readability of your content and Website navigation. Your content should educate and drive loyal customers to your Website.

4. Make consistent content the voice of your brand.

Many may contribute to your Website’s content, but your company should have one voice to ensure brand consistency. Put in lace content guidelines to make sure this happens.

5. Use content to translate what you already do very well.

Get very specific on product and service content that is unique to you. Remember, ads are not for content. Use content  loaded with benefits to communicate what your company does very well.

6. Make content a competitive advantage.

Not only should your content explain your competitive advantage, but it should also be  a competitive advantage. This means that the quality of your content actually sets you apart and can be used as a competitive advantage.

7. Always use captions with photos and graphics.

Photos are the most popular content on the Web and a photo without a caption will be defined differently by each person who sees it. Captions on photos are some of the most widely read content on the Internet.

8. Communicate in layers, starting with brief tag lines and headlines.

Use brief tag lines, headers, and captions on your main landing pages, followed by brief paragraphs of specific content on interior pages. These pages should contain links to volumes of content for readers who want to go deep into your content. Communicating in layers will meet users’ needs as they scan landing pages and also provide great SEO content.

9. Website navigation menus are very important content.

Website navigation is also one of the most important content areas on your Website. Make sure link titles are very easy to understand and intuitive to users. Almost all Web users will read navigation systems and click on links from your navigation system.

10. Write direct and simple tag lines and headers.

Users scan Web pages and look for brief content sections to find what they need. The usability of your Website is often driven by the use of strong Website content that starts with a tag line, headers, captions, and related content.

Bonus Secret: Online content is cheaper and more permanent than almost all forms of sales and marketing materials. It also has a great ROI. Communicate with strategic purpose and a solid content marketing plan to drive results.

Thomas Young

Thomas Young is the CEO and Founder of Intuitive Websites. He is a consultant, award winning Vistage speaker and author of “Winning the Website War” and “Sales and Marketing Alignment.” Tom has helped thousands of companies succeed online and has over 25 years digital marketing experience.