INBOUND ACCELERATOR

Content marketing casts a wide net and involves many diverse types of content, from live social media video to carefully curated case studies and reports, along with infographics, podcasts, blog posts, emails and every other type of written, visual or audio media imaginable.

Complete integrated marketing campaigns require a wide range of content targeted to fit the needs of prospects and customers throughout the buying cycle, from initially generating awareness of your brand and products to providing the sales enablement content and detailed information leads needed to make a final purchase decision.

As your marketing team plans complete campaigns and content packages that are designed to reach all levels of the sales funnel, one format to consider is the tip sheet.

Website copy takes on many different forms, from product descriptions to FAQs, homepage attention-grabbers to benefits pages, and even “about us” pages. But creating the right copy for any individual page starts with following a few simple guidelines.

Business blogs are among the three primary forms of media used in the content marketing strategies today, according to HubSpot, with both B2B and B2C brands relying on storytelling to grow awareness, increase website traffic and SEO performance, and drive lead generation.

Several times a week, I write a blog post to share advice and insights about integrated public relations and marketing and the various tools and tactics involved in everything from brand development to campaign implementation.

Blog posts are written by me several times each week to share advice and insights.

Which of those sentences sounded better to your ear?

In some professions, there are no questions about how to get the results you want. Precise manuals spell out exactly how to replace an engine part or calculate the needed statistics in an actuarial table. But with marketing and content creation, the guidelines are a little more, let’s say, open to interpretation.

This includes writing business blog posts that deliver results – wouldn’t it be great if there were an absolute answer to what works? Then you would know whether to write long or “KISS” by keeping it short and simple. Unfortunately, the answer is not exact, but there are some statistics, best practices and complicating factors to keep in mind as you find the perfect length for your next blog post.

There is a lot of content out there. So much, that there simply is no place amongst it for content that is “just OK.” Content that is “just OK” won’t be seen, won’t be shared, won’t drive awareness, and definitely won’t generate leads and sales.

We believe that wholeheartedly, both for the content we create for our clients and the content we create for our own use — that’s why we have been known to take a completed infographic back to the drawing board and start all over from scratch because it was “ok” but not great.

Nearly everything you write as a marketer, and most public relations content as well, is intended to inspire the reader to do SOMETHING. Maybe that something is just to visit your website, maybe it is to sign up for a newsletter or download a webinar. Or maybe you want them to click “Buy Now” on your latest product.

Regardless of which action you want the reader to take, the rules for writing copy that converts remain largely the same.

Do you ever wish you had a blueprint that could guide you through the most important steps in creating a great business blog post? Something with some specs to refer to as you build from an idea out?

Luckily, Business2Community has drawn up plans for us, which fit well with what I’ve shared before (so I’ll link to more resources below the infographic).