Content Manager: 8 tips to enhance your content

THE Content marketing evolves from year to year according to digital progressions and changes made to Google’s algorithm. Since it is a discipline that we analyze the results for a short time now, each year marks its share of improvements and advice from specialists. THE Content manager is therefore looking for all the trends and different signals in areas ranging from SEO to social networks.

As for me, I’m like everyone else, I draw lessons from my past experiences which allow me to have a good view of what works and what doesn’t work today. So that you can shoot the best possible profits of your work, here are some elements that I encourage you to put into practice to obtain encouraging results that live up to your expectations.

Understand your audience’s needs better

If you write without ever asking yourself what what is your audience looking for? and what their questions are, then you will never achieve your goals. When your potential customers search for information about your business sector on the Internet, what do they type into Google? ? What keywords?

What expectations are they unable to meet with their current service provider or product? How can you meet these expectations and what kind of content can you create to appear before their eyes? Never neglect this aspect, otherwise you will write articles that will never interest anyone.

I meet so many clients who have been writing, or having articles written, for months without ever getting more traffic… and therefore conversions! So much effort for nothing! Learn to understand their expectations. To do this, ask your customers questions over the phone, be curious with your potential customers, take note of their expectations and draw inspiration from them to produce new content that will reach their target. I can only encourage you to read this article on personas to be successful in your Content Marketing strategy.

SEO Expert and Content Manager, more connected than ever

I encourage all Content Managers to train in the basics of SEO and all SEO experts to train in Content Marketing strategies. The two are extremely close today and you can’t help but notice it Google’s efforts to provide Internet users with content that meets their expectations as much as possible.

Quality is emphasized! Not only that of your articles, but also the effort put into the technical part of your website and the user experience. So, if you work for years or months to produce the best content, you may be rewarded in the end.

However, all aspects of your website need to be taken care of. It is necessary to be accompanied by an expert in Web marketing if you don’t understand all this. In fact, if you put effort into the content but your site takes 4 seconds to load or is poorly referenced, then you’ll be going in circles. Have you ever tried to move a boat with just one paddle?

When I support a new client with Content Marketing, I always take the time to take stock of their site, their SEO, and areas for improvement to make sure our efforts will bear fruit and that they won’t throw their money out the window.

Create more engaging content

Answering questions from your primary target audience is an excellent thing. Now we have to try to do this too produce content that engages your community. So, I know, you will surely tell me that for some it is easier than for others. In fact, some industries find it easier to create sexy content that people will be interested in than others.

Let’s not lie to ourselves, some industries are boring and you will have to be very ingenious to attract your reader. However, I would like to make a warning, if the content is useful, it’s not boring. It’s definitely annoying if you come across it when you don’t need it, but it will thrill you if it meets your need at a specific time,

Don’t be too wordy, write as you speak. Also avoid all dialect related to your field of activity, perfectly understandable for you internally, but totally unclear for newbies. Create articles that address specific issuesthe benefit of the item must be included in the title. Don’t hesitate to add a touch of humor to attract your readers and use analogies to help understand complex concepts.

You will also need to determine a goal to achieve: What kind of engagement do you want to achieve for your brand? More shares, more reading time and visits to your site, reduce bounce rate, create a community, increase your sales? It will be necessary determine specific objectives in order to produce the appropriate content. So, try to engage your readers, ask them questions about their uses, invite them to share your articles on social networks, start a discussion and generate reactions.

Produce recyclable content

Writing an article, producing a video or a white paper takes a lot of time. It would be a shame if each of your items were only used for the short time surrounding its creation. So how can you make your content recyclable and reusable without time limits?

First of all, if you produce an article that corresponds to current events, it will quickly become obsolete. You will therefore have to cover current events in your sector but not make these articles the majority of your productions. Prefer timeless topics and absolute truths in your field, these articles you can highlight regularly.

Recycling also means giving a second life to an object. Similarly, we could imagine a circuit around a theme. For example, when I host a conference, I produce a series of articles from my notes. If you create videos, recycle them into articles or infographics when the topic is appropriate. In short, make sure your initial effort allows you to produce a variety of different media (and therefore as many different entry points for your readers to discover you).

Relaunch your articles on social media from time to time and also use them for email campaigns.

Understand what produces results and what doesn’t

Over time you will try things, more or less original, you will produce different articles and certainly some recipes that are perfectly functional for others will not produce the same impact on your readers. What I recommend to you, is to always measure the results of your articles.

First of all, you need to define the metrics that correspond to your goals: bounce rate, traffic, newsletter signup or asset downloads, social engagement, etc. Once this is done, you will be able to analyze article by article the recipes that work best and republish your successes more easily.

Create visual content

Visual content offers many benefits to your readers. First of all, it facilitates understanding and access to visual memory. Images also allow you to highlight another element of your communication: your chart. This imprints your brand on the retinas of your visitors and makes them easier to recognize.

Finally, we know how much more easily graphic contents are shared on social networks. Infographics, for example, are extremely popular. Also think about Pinterest as a way to share your content. Then plan images suited to the format of the social network that sets the content for its users.

The Content Manager must become a better “storyteller”.

Learn to tell stories …and above all yours! Elements that sometimes seem insignificant to you can nevertheless resonate with your readers. Search your brains and search the history of your company, or yours if you are the founder, to find the elements that are the basis of the values ​​you carry forward. Why did you become an entrepreneur, what drove you to offer this service or product?

Take these elements and build your story, it must be solid, well written and its unfolding must make you want to know what will happen next and follow you. This is what a company like Apple has understood. The story of the company’s birth and its founder’s mix of genius and dictator make it a truly fascinating story for those who want to delve deeper into it. There are obvious elements of dramaturgy, a nourishment of the American dream and an attention to detail, design and user experience that turns into obsession. Whether we like it or not, the small story joins the big one.

We can also make the (very delicate) choice to invent our own story, like the Chevignon brand, very French in origin, which is building an American story, immersed in aviation, the perfect family and the youth of the 60s.

Improve your writing skills

Yes, it’s a top priority. So many good articles and useful content are ruined by clunky writing and poor spelling. And without going that far, the Content Manager must build a precise plan, train himself in journalistic writing and develop his talent for writing and synthesis. If brands become new media by developing their own content, it still needs to be quality to reach their audience.

Conclusion

Content marketing should not be taken lightly. I often hear that it only works for large companies, that although it costs less than advertising, the time investment is enormous, that it takes a long time to be profitable and that its success is far from assured. In most cases, the trial period was too short, the content production was too short, or there was no strategy at all. I say it and repeat it constantly on this blog: without strategy, no results!

And you, what are the strengths of your Content Marketing, what elements do you put in place and what are your priorities for providing quality content that converts to your readers?