Why content creation is vital to your business and how you can improve your approach

A robust content creation strategy is no longer just a nice-to-have for your business. Without great content and a highly ranked internet presence, your business is practically nonexistent.

Content is both an important facet of your company’s reputation and a critical factor in achieving business objectives. Your content educates your readers, engages your audience, and establishes you as an authoritative topic source. If you’re not ready for content success yet, here are some ways to give your brand the content makeover it needs.

1. Be everywhere and be useful

You can no longer rely solely on weekly subscription-based emails. Your business needs a comprehensive strategy that spans multiple channels and covers all angles. Your website should have a blog that is updated regularly, at least once a week. You also need well-researched white papers and studies to demonstrate your industry expertise. Use data and infographics to illustrate your points. Round out your written content and visuals with videos, podcasts, and webinars.

And don’t just use your content to market your business. Think about what readers will make want to to get to your site. Offer actionable advice that your readers will ask for help over and over again. Where possible – and appropriate – consider timely newsjacking documents that link your company’s offer to current events. These pieces should show why your product or service is more relevant than ever.

2. Find your audience

Before you go too far with content creation, think about who you want to target. Who are your readers and what do they gain by immersing themselves in your content? If you offer a B2B technology solution, your blog may provide useful tips for small business owners. If you sell beauty products, consider common skin care complaints and position yourself as a solution. Whatever the product, consider your content helpful advice, not advertising.

Finding your audience doesn’t just mean knowing your target demographics. It also means meeting your prospects where they are. Need to be on Instagram? TikTok? The hottest new beauty blog? Figure out where to post your content, especially on social media, so that your most likely readers will stumble upon it.

3. Discover new content solutions

If you’re unsure how to meet your organization’s content needs, consider partnering with an experienced content solutions provider. They can assist with services such as preparing technical and software documentation and developing training for employees and customers. They can also help you with scalable technology solutions or the transition to a new type of content management system.

Some content creation solutions providers, like Contiem, can audit all of your content needs and guide you through every stage of revamping your entire content ecosystem – whether it’s creating, managing, or delivering the quality content your business needs to succeed. When you’re struggling to gain traction, the right provider can take a closer look at your content and find out what works and what doesn’t. And then they can put you on the right track.

4. Boost your search results

To be truly successful in the content world, you need to stay on top of search engine optimization. Plugins like Yoast SEO can improve your Google rankings by helping you optimize your keyword distribution, assess the readability of your content, and more. Use alt tags and metadata wisely, and make sure your links are current and flow naturally within the sentence structure. Pin your links to relevant keywords, avoid overlinking, and don’t force links or keywords where they don’t make sense.

In short: don’t be fooled. It is no longer so easy to trick the search engines into doing your bidding. The most important thing is that your content is relevant, interesting and regularly updated. For optimal traffic and rankings, you should post to your site or blog about two to four times a week. But don’t just post junk (see point 1). Make your content relevant and educational to keep your readers coming back for more.

5. Analyze and repeat

Once you get your content up and running, you need a system to track what’s effective and what’s not. Which channels and types of posts perform well and where can you spend less time? There are many tools and tips available to measure content engagement and effectiveness. Use Google Analytics and other services to keep an eye on your statistics.

You should check not only how many people visit your site, but also who they are and how long they stay. You also want to track how many visits actually convert to conversions. Track how many people like your content enough to share it with their circle. In addition, consider who chooses not only to read your content, but to subscribe to updates. Finally, look at your costs and think about where you can cut back or invest more.

Good content fills a need

It repeats that the most important part of a good content strategy is usability. Your customers are not reading your content because they want to be advertised. They come to you because they think your content has something to offer them. Think about what makes you remember a great piece of content or what makes you want to share it with friends or colleagues. The best content centers the reader and builds trust in you as someone who can make their lives easier.