Quality content is an essential component of successfully promoting your business. Everything from marketing materials to online ads to email campaigns and more, all rely on effective writing to properly convey your message. But writing impactful content involves so much more than simply putting words on a page. Rather, it requires a calculated approach that prioritizes certain key strategies in order to resonate with your audience and achieve your desired outcomes.
Identify your Audience
One of the most important ways to connect with your audience is to first clearly identify who will most likely be reading the content, which can play a significant role in creating impactful content. You should take into consideration as many personal aspects as possible, such as the audience’s age, education level, income level, profession, goals and priorities, or even leisure activities, food preferences, habits and more. While it’s typically not possible to pinpoint every important demographic and interest, the more you know, the easier it is to write compelling copy that will relate with those it is reaching.
Match your Writing Style to the Audience
Adapting your writing to suit your target audience can greatly affect the impact of your messaging. This is why it is so important to understand who you are speaking to. For example, if your audience is a younger group, perhaps students or those just entering the job market, your writing style should be casual, friendly and conversational in order to build rapport and keep their interest. Alternatively, addressing business executives or technical experts would call for a more professional, polished writing style in order to establish a level of credibility with this audience.
Adhere to SEO Guidelines
Improved visibility leads to more impactful content, and this is best achieved when you take SEO rules into consideration when writing. For example, written content on your website is more likely to appear higher in search results when it is rich in appropriate keywords that appear in the title, headers and meta descriptions, as well as throughout the body. But beyond the technical placement of keywords, your content also needs to provide valuable, original and accurate information. SEO algorithms revise frequently, so it’s important to stay on top of changes for the best results.
Use Effective Headlines and CTAs
Getting a reader to take a specific action is a difficult task. For example, you can spend time crafting a perfectly-worded email, but if it never gets opened, then your efforts were pointless. In the same vain, a reader might be interested in your marketing content, but a lackluster call-to-action button may cause them to leave the page without committing to the next step. Eye-catching headlines make the recipient feel compelled to open the email and see what’s inside, while engaging button text can be the tipping point to the reader taking action. There is limited space available for each of these, so it’s essential to make the most of each and every character.
Example of SC Marketing’s Impactful Content for the State of Illinois
SC Marketing developed a multi-tactic campaign for the Apprenticeship Illinois program, in order to increase awareness of the program, as well as encourage Illinois employers to take the necessary steps to implement an apprenticeship program.
Our target audience included senior decision-makers in HR and Operations, across various industries such as Healthcare, Hospitality, Manufacturing and more. The 3-month paid digital ad pilot program on LinkedIn generated over 147,000 ad views with an impressive engagement rate of .94% (typical ER is just .19%) and a low cost-per-click (CPC) of $7.59 ( typical LinkedIn CPC is $40). A major reason for the excellent results was because we implemented the above strategies and created impactful content that resonated with our target audience. From our successful digital ad campaigns to additional collateral materials including Trade Show materials, Brochures and Presentations, our content consistently matched the professionalism and targeted messaging that senior-level executives would expect to see.
Writing truly impactful content takes skill and experience. For information about working with our team to create the high-quality content you need, reach out to 630-456-0827 or Susan@SCmarketinginc.com.
