Business owners are always wondering how to reach more customers, how to get their name out there, and how to improve their website’s ranking. There are certainly plenty of ways to accomplish all of these things individually, but there’s only way that can satisfy all three in an easy and efficient manner. Yes, business owners, you can have your cake and eat it, too! But what is this incredible task that can raise brand awareness by all accounts? None other than the art of article writing.
I say the art of article writing because slapping together 500 words simply won’t suffice. Although your intent might be to promote your business, you have to strike a balance between promoting it to people as well as to search engines. Therefore, articles have to be well written, optimized, and engaging. Otherwise, you’re left with lifeless content that won’t do a thing for your business.
So how can you write an article that accomplishes all this and more? Follow these three steps to turn your articles into marketing masterpieces.
Step #1: Know Your Audience
It’s been said a thousand times and it will probably be said a thousand more before you truly understand it. While you should know who you’re writing to and why you’re writing to them, a little more research can’t hurt. In fact, understanding your audience like they were your own family can only help you identify trends, create topics, and craft articles that speak directly to them.
For starters, you should know all the basic information that makes up a typical customer. Where they live, where they work, how old they are, their marital status, and so on. Next, delve into a few more specific factors like why they shop in your store or what brings them to your website. Now you should have a pretty good idea of what makes your average customer tick. You have a good start to begin writing articles that cater to them. But will they have a reason to come back?
Now we get to the tricky part. You have to create content that will not only interest a reader in the moment, but also interest them enough to come back later. This is where “knowing your audience” takes new meaning. You should not only become familiar with what makes up your typical customer now, but also what makes up their behavior and habits in the future. You need to understand what your audience wants right now and what your audience will want later.
A business that thinks this progressively will be able to create content to bring customers back time and again. While you should always “know” your customer, you should also make it a habit to know your customer as well as they know themselves. That way, you can cater to them more specifically now and later.
Step #2: Find A New Perspective
As much as you’d like to think that you’ve written original content for your articles, it is highly unlikely that you haven’t. Especially when you get into the world of business blogging, you can probably find a thousand articles on same topic without even trying. And if you can find it, so can your customers. The point is, what’s going to bring them to your articles and not someone else’s?
Finding a new perspective for your articles is a way to keep things unique and fresh but without stretching your imagination to think up the impossible. If everything has already been said, then it’s up to you to simply find a new way to say it. Think about how trends change, how viewpoints differ, and how arguments evolve. You might end up taking a controversial stand or a challenging approach, but you’ll offer something unique nonetheless. Whatever you’re writing, try to spin it in a new direction to keep readers guessing. They’ll be interested to see what new and exciting ideas you come up with in the future.
Step #3: Use A “Voice”
Do you recall your grade school English teacher telling you to use a “voice” when writing your assignments? They probably recommended finding your inner storyteller and writing as if they were speaking out loud. This “voice” is still an important part of your writing, even now as an adult and business owner. Without a voice, your writing can end up bland and without a brand. In other words, there’s nothing for your readers to relate to.
Find a voice that your company can identify with. You can try on various styles like humorous or informative. As long as it fits your brand, your customers, and your marketing goals, a voice can help you relay information in a more efficient manner.
Article writing is an art form that businesses can use to further their development and attract new customers. Whether you’re writing for guest blog posts, your company’s own blog, or email newsletters, these tips will help you craft articles that market to your customers on a completely different level.
