Now and then you’re going to take stock of your market position.
Why are your competitors outgunning you?
Why is your website traffic so low?
What can you do to engage with people more?
Two words – content marketing.
That doesn’t mean scouring the web and then linking out to all manner of posts that interest you.
Firstly, if you’re going to have an impact with your content strategy, you need original content. With Google’s ever-evolving algorithms, producing fresh content is more important than ever. But Google stresses it must be of high-quality.
Secondly, your content should no reflect your interests. Instead, it must be the type of information your audience will find useful.
Why does quality matter?
Let’s face it; quality matters in every walk of life.
In the case of your content marketing, everything you put out on the web under your business name reflects in your reputation. If you put crap out, that’s how potential clients will view you. But post original, thought-provoking, educational, high-quality content, and you’ll have readers flocking to your website.
Remember though; your content can’t be a blatant advert. If it is, people will shy away from you.
Are you beginning to see why quality is important?
If you’re still struggling, here are six points worth remembering when it comes to content marketing.
1. Reflection
As mentioned above, every piece of content you put out under your company’s name will reflect on you.
If the content is sloppy, grammatically incorrect and downright boring, it will damage your reputation.
2. Crowds
Because there’s loads of content on the Internet, yours must stand out if it is going to be seen. Second-rate articles will fall by the wayside, but something that’s well written, engaging and informative will rise to the top of the pile.
3. Longevity
Unlike print, what appears on the Internet today isn’t going to be tomorrow’s chip wrappings. Once you publish an article under your name, it’s there for life. So if it’s poorly written, it will have a long-lasting detrimental effect.
5. Quality vs price
Rather than swallowing hard when the copywriter you approach tells you how much it will cost for high-quality, well researched and superbly written articles, consider this. If the content is good and demonstrates a compelling reason for the reader to buy your product, its value is considerably more than one written as SEO padding that couldn’t even tempt someone lost in the desert to buy a bottle of water.
6. Business magnet
In the same way that people will judge your business on your website, brochures and emails, they will also judge you on your online content.
Poorly written articles and blogs won’t inspire anyone to pick up the phone and want to do business with you. But if you’re content is refreshing, original, and useful your reputation as a ‘thought leader’ will grow and you’ll become the ‘go-to’ person in your field.
These six reasons show why it is vital that you put quality content before price. Even if that means you put less ‘out there’, what you do put out will bolster your reputation as a quality company that offers excellent information to its clients.
Copywriting fees differ significantly, so it’s best to shop around. But rather than be swayed on price, look at their previous work and for whom they are currently working. That will give you an idea of the quality of work they are producing. It may be tempting to go for the £5 per article option, but the £400 writer is far more likely to give you a better return on your investment while maintaining the reputation you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Can you afford to jeopardise your reputation with sloppy, substandard content?
I doubt it.
Sally Ormond is an international freelance copywriter who has been producing high-quality content for over a decade. Call her on +44(0)1449 799605 and get your content strategy on the right track.