Every marketer knows about the importance of generating high quality content. It's well-understood that well-written and interesting content engages an audience and plays a vital role in generating targeted traffic. However, what does quality content actually entail? Is it merely creating content for content's sake, or should content creation be more analytical, more purposeful and more focused?
Answering these two aforementioned questions ultimately comes from having an all-encompassing content creation strategy, one where the impetus is on understanding what your target audience wants and how they want it. In the end, it's all about generating content that speaks directly to those prospects you know are most likely to appreciate it, and most importantly, most likely to purchase. So, how do you bridge the gap between quality content and targeted traffic?
1. Research, Research and More Research
In an age where a lot of content is repurposed, duplicated, or even copied altogether, it's critical that your content references reliable sources, ones that are recognized as being relevant, applicable and highly-valued. Now, this doesn't just mean you just stick to finding relevant online sources. It ultimately means you research what your target audience wants most.
Part of the solution comes from better understanding your own website's analytics, but the other part involves a more investigative approach. Start by researching forums, online trade publications and social media websites where the most recent industry topics are highly searched and discussed. Check other comparable websites to see what customers are most concerned about, what they need answered and what motives them to act. Review comment sections and check the latest hot-topic news items.
Get your team to brainstorm. What do your customers want and need?
2. Combining Multiple Mediums
Written content alone won't get it done. You need to combine the written word with vivid imagery, colorful infographics, color-coded charts and tables, in addition to an engrossing video that clearly outlines your value proposition, your product's features and benefits and your business's market niche. Your customers must come to feel as if they are speaking with you, are directly in front of you and have a front row seat to the most sought-after information available.
Make a simple, straightforward and well-organized "how to" video about your products and services. Start with a brief introduction to your company and then move immediately towards describing how your products and services can be an all-encompassing solution to your customer's problems.
3. Attention-Grabbing Headlines and Insightful Viewpoints
Your headlines must be eye-catching and incentivize your customers to click because the information they're about to view is invaluable. Put yourself in their shoes. What do your customers want to know, hear and understand about your products, services and business? Focus on solving a problem and don't be afraid to stake your claim with an insightful and clear viewpoint.
Contrary to popular belief, it's sometimes better to tell customers what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear. However, success comes from making a clear, concise point, backing it up with research, and then quantifying the value of your offering in a way that speaks directly to the problems your customers need solved.
4. Organic Search Terms: Keyword-Focused Strategies
Again, your website's metrics and analytics will provide invaluable insight into the most important keywords and keyword-phrases your customers use online. Take the time to review how your existing targeted traffic is generated. How are search engines sending you visitors? What keywords and phrases are most often used by your customers, the ones who order and come back for more? Come up with a list of high-value keywords and use them throughout your content.
Put together a proactive content creation strategy.
5. Social Media, Link Building and Content Creation
Do you want to have a ready-made source of relevant, real-time customer issues and concerns? If so, then having a presence on social media is an absolute must. Your customers are voicing their concerns at this very moment on social media and either you're a part of that discussion or you're an outsider looking in. Use these hot-button issues as ideas in content creation and put together a strategy for link building with your market's most important influencers.
There is no magical elixir or convoluted process to generating targeted traffic. Instead, it's about truly understanding your target audience and using that insight in order to come up with valuable topics and viewpoints within your content creation strategy. Ask yourself what your customers want, need and value and the rest should follow.
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