5 Qualities of Strong Content

Written by Laurie Zinn@LineByLineLLC9 years ago

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Your company’s digital content keeps you engaged with your customers. It answers their questions, and allows for an inroad for ongoing and future conversations.

The content your business creates – such as your website, email marketing, social media and blogs – is the key for building trust.

To be successful, your content must be strong. Strong content has the following five qualities:

1. A defined target audience. Your content won’t have impact if you write it for everyone. Do some research, and determine who your target market is.

Jason’s Deli and The Refectory are two different restaurants that have done a nice job of defining their target audience. Jason’s Deli targets both professionals and families who want a casual, fast, and healthy alternative to fast food. They offer catering, iPhone ordering, and menus for a variety of diets.

The Refectory meets the needs of those who are interested in private dining, wine tasting, dinner music, or who are celebrating a formal occasion. Both restaurants have successful communications strategies that are targeted toward the customers they attract.

Keeping your target market in mind when you write your content will ensure that it’s more meaningful, relevant, and clear.

2. A unique voice. Your company’s voice is how it “sounds” when you read it. You’ll want to determine your company’s voice before you start writing your content. Depending on your type of business, your voice may be friendly, fun, helpful, sympathetic, sarcastic, trustworthy, or trendy.

Note the difference in voice between Rutherford Funeral Homes & Crematories and Cookie Cutters Columbus. Rutherford’s voice is calm, reassuring and trusting. This is the type of voice their customers are looking for.

Cookie Cutters caters to families and children, so their voice is fun, friendly and inviting. Both businesses have found the voice that works for them. You need to decide on the voice that is right for your business and target market.

3. Valuable. Your audience will stay engaged if what you are saying means something to them. If it answers a question they have, or a problem they need solved. When you offer advice, suggestions, tips or how to’s, you build credibility and trust with your customers. You’ll be a knowledgeable resource when it comes time for them to make a purchase.

4. A call to action. Everything you write should include a request for something from your reader. It could be as simple as an email address, a comment, or a social share, to something bigger such as filling out a contact form, making a phone call or ultimately making a purchase.

5. Consistent. In order to build an ongoing, engaging relationship with your customers, you have to pump out content consistently.

Constantly being present over time proves that you are reliable, serious about your business, and that you do what you say you are going to do. These are all important qualities a customer is looking for when deciding who to make their purchases with.

The New Albany Chamber of Commerce does a great job of being consistent. They have events scheduled throughout the whole year, an archive of monthly newsletters, and a strong presence on social media.

Don’t waste your time creating weak content that won’t give you the results you are looking for. Make sure what you write has these five qualities, and it will contain the strength it needs to grow your business.

Laurie Zinn is a Columbus-based freelance writer and owner of Line-By-Line. She helps businesses communicate with their customers through website content, blog articles, email marketing campaigns and social media. For more information about Line-By-Line, visit http://line-by-line.us or contact Laurie at laurie@line-by-line.us.