To many business owners, writing marketing content can seem daunting. It does take some time to sit down and write content so don’t waste it writing something that everyone will delete!
Here are a few things to remember to keep you content relevant so that it will get read:
1. Keep it educational
Trust me– no one wants to read your sales pitch. People are always scouring the web for information on something. Use that to your best interest. Here’s an example: pretend that my business is an online wine shop. What do you think will get read more out of these two articles:
“5 New Red Wines we Carry at the Wine Shoppe”
“5 Tips on Pairing Red Wines with Dinner”
The second will get read more. No one is searching Google for the new wines that your shop offers. Regular shoppers will want to know which new wines you are offering– so send that in an e-mail to people who have already bought from you. the “5 Tips..” article would make a better website blog though. There will be people searching for something to pair with the dinner they are cooking tonight and you can still mention your 5 new red wines in the article. By posting something that has taught your website visitors something, you have gained credibility and they will come to your site next time they look for wine.
2. Segment your contacts by interest
You probably have customers and prospects that are interested in different products or services. Again, with the wine shop example– we would most likely have people who buy only red, only white, only champagne, or mix all 3.
So if someone buys a red wine, they should be entered into your e-mail database, tagged with “red wine” and sent information on other red wines along with educational articles, like above.
If someone clicks on a link in your monthly newsletter about champagne, you should start sending them information relevant to champagne.
A marketing automation system will allow you to send relevant information based on a link click, so that makes it easy to do.
3. Look at e-mail opens, blog visits and e-mail clicks
Look at your articles and e-mails that are read the most. That is a HUGE indicator of what your list likes to read. No matter what you think is best, or what you like to write best– the opens don’t lie!
By writing on topics that you already know that your list likes, you are ensuring that they will be reading the content you are working so hard to get out.
4. Ask them!
Sometimes we forget the most important way to find out what people like– simply asking! Do a poll on your website or blog or ask people to comment on your articles. This will help you realize what your contacts like about your content or don’t. Don’t get offended if you content doesn’t get a 5 star rating– just use the feedback to keep improving.
What other ways do you make sure your content is relevant? Leave comments below!