We know content is important – it’s on everyone’s radars. However, creating quality content for the web can be tricky. Get started with our top 10 timeless tips in our content writing guide:

1. Be relevant

Know the purpose of your content, why you are creating it and what you want to achieve. Ensure it is in line with your business objectives and overall strategy. This will keep your content on the right track. Listen and monitor what your audience is reading and sharing, and make sure you stay relevant to them.

2. Be consistent

A single piece of content, even if it is great, will struggle to increase the reach or retention of your audience alone. It is by being consistent and frequent with the what you publish and share, that you stay in the minds of your customers.

3. Be real

It’s important to be human, personable and professional. The voice of your brand needs to be at the same level as your customers. You need to relate to them, the challenges they face and the things they’re interested in. Do this and you will cultivate trust and loyalty to your company.

4. Be short and snappy

We use the internet all the time: on our phones, tablets, in cafés, on the move… and have non-stop access to all sorts of information. One result of this constant stream of information is that our attention spans and desire for in-depth analysis is shrinking. Therefore, stay true to the medium and make key information easily digestible.

5. Be varied

Have a think about what you can create for your customers and come up with a range of topics to base your activity around. Foster collaboration with different people in your organisation, between different departments and employees so you can share their knowledge with your customers. Moreover, ensure you use different methods of communication, whether that’s a short video tutorial or Q & A piece with someone from your company.

6. Be led by your audience

Invest the time to research and find out what interests your audience. If your content is relevant to your consumer, it gives them a reason to stick with you. Therefore, your content becomes valuable to them and being involved in your brand means they have access to things they didn’t have before. Develop content for different types of customers: those aware of and supportive to your brand, as well as potential, current and past buyers of your product or service.

7. Be searchable

Relevancy to the user is what drives search engines. Be sure to incorporate the correct relevant keywords to help Google correctly index what you have written. It’s important to have a balance between content optimised for search engines, and content that is written specifically for your audience.

8. Be responsive

Make sure you measure and respond to everyone who engages with your content. Not only does acknowledging social shares and comments have a positive impact on those customers in dialogue with your brand, but also those researching your products and services. It shows you value your customers, respond to their questions and are involved in the conversation.

9. Be integrated

Integrate your content across all your relevant communication channels. Post on Twitter, share on your Facebook page or send it out in an email. Integration is also about providing direction for your customers through your content. Therefore, make sure that if they want to find out more, or they would like to see an example, you’ve provided them with easy to find ways to do just that.

10. Be confident

Try not to be apologetic. Be authoritative. Know that what you are writing is interesting and is of value to your customers. So, be passionate about the fact they will want to read it. Enjoy it and don’t be shy; you know your stuff.

11. Follow The Three Pillars Of Content Marketing

In order to get the most out of the time you invest in writing, reworking and sharing content. There are three fundamental questions to ask yourself before you even start writing:

  1. What content do I need to create?
  2. Who will need to write it?
  3. Where will my target audiences find it?

Follow this simple checklist every time you plan a piece of content to maximise your efficiency and enable your customers to derive the most value from the content they are consuming. These are known in the Chartered Institute of Marketing as the ‘three pillars’ of content marketing.

Take these top tips from our content writing guide away with you and be analytical about the content you see online. If you have any questions about content marketing, the content writing guide, or the services we provide at Mackman, get in touch via customerservice@mackmangroup.co.uk.