WEBVTT 00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:03.240 Content Marketing is one of the most effective, cost-efficient, and all-around 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:07.080 best marketing strategies to drive leads and sales, but the key with content 00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:10.050 marketing is understanding that your results are directly tied to the quality 00:00:10.050 --> 00:00:13.500 of your content. So in this video, I'm going to cover five easy to follow tips 00:00:13.500 --> 00:00:15.234 for writing great content 00:00:15.234 --> 00:00:18.644 [Music] 00:00:18.644 --> 00:00:21.750 Hello and welcome. My name is Adam Earhart and you're watching The Modern 00:00:21.750 --> 00:00:24.690 Marketing Show, where we take different marketing tactics, tools, tips, and 00:00:24.690 --> 00:00:27.960 strategies, and break them down into bite-sized actionable clips that you can 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:31.710 use to immediately take your business to the next level. Creating well-written and 00:00:31.710 --> 00:00:34.890 shareable content can sometimes seem like an overwhelming task, but as 00:00:34.890 --> 00:00:37.800 challenging as it can feel at times, the results are well worth the effort. 00:00:37.800 --> 00:00:40.770 Especially, when you know the content you're putting out there is helping you 00:00:40.770 --> 00:00:42.279 build a better business. 00:00:42.279 --> 00:00:46.749 So, here are five tips that you can use to level up your content and increase your odds of content marketing success. 00:00:46.749 --> 00:00:49.500 The most important thing you can do for your content is to keep it on point. 00:00:49.500 --> 00:00:53.250 Your potential customer found this content for a reason, 00:00:53.250 --> 00:00:56.589 whether through a search engine or spotting a link that caught their attention. 00:00:56.589 --> 00:01:00.330 Their goal is to learn more about the subject you've headlined and you owe it to them to provide it. 00:01:00.330 --> 00:01:04.650 To do this, your content needs to be as focused on the subject as possible, 00:01:04.650 --> 00:01:08.000 so don't glaze over other concepts that aren't essential to your main point. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:10.080 Just as important is your ability to keep it clear and concise. 00:01:10.080 --> 00:01:14.510 One way to do this is remember to keep your paragraph short for easy scanning. 00:01:14.510 --> 00:01:17.220 Humans are built to embrace success. It's the same reason 00:01:17.220 --> 00:01:20.610 video games are designed with lots of achievement at the start, it creates an addiction. 00:01:20.610 --> 00:01:24.659 Your content is the same way. With each paragraph, the reader gains a 00:01:24.659 --> 00:01:27.299 subconscious feeling of victory driving them to the finish. 00:01:27.299 --> 00:01:31.140 Lastly, forget what you learned in school. A lot of rules although grammatically correct, 00:01:31.140 --> 00:01:34.154 do nothing but make modern speech sound pretentious and cumbersome. 00:01:34.154 --> 00:01:37.684 If your customer needs to pull out a Thesaurus, you're working too hard. 00:01:37.684 --> 00:01:43.189 Speak with your natural voice if you want to reach out and capture their focus, technical jargon will only throw it off. 00:01:43.189 --> 00:01:46.259 Write so your readers will understand the content and not get choked up in fancy talk. 00:01:46.259 --> 00:01:50.369 Hammering out a 2,000 word article and hitting submit just shouldn't happen. 00:01:50.369 --> 00:01:54.320 Even Hemingway was well-known for disliking his initial drafts. 00:01:54.320 --> 00:01:56.685 Break up your editing into phases. 00:01:56.685 --> 00:01:59.905 For the first phase, simply read through the piece for content. Did you get all 00:01:59.905 --> 00:02:04.050 the points across you wanted to? And, do you need to beef up some areas with more facts or statistics? 00:02:04.050 --> 00:02:09.820 Identify the issues and fix them from the top down. Also, ensure the length matches the depth of content. 00:02:09.820 --> 00:02:13.710 If you find your content getting fluffy, you may need to cut some sections. 00:02:13.710 --> 00:02:16.879 In the end, this will make your writing stronger throughout. 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:19.519 Next, read the text out loud and see where it gets too wordy. 00:02:19.519 --> 00:02:22.920 Most people sub-vocalize, meaning they're reading the words aloud in their head 00:02:22.920 --> 00:02:24.930 which makes breaks in the flow of text obvious. 00:02:24.930 --> 00:02:29.280 Lastly, double-check your spelling, grammar, and voice. Save this for last 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:32.100 since you'll be editing most of the text and the other steps and you don't want to miss something. 00:02:32.100 --> 00:02:37.510 Keep the tone of the article consistent and use the proper "their", "there", and "they're." 00:02:37.510 --> 00:02:41.330 Nothing will undermine your credibility faster than those. If you find that you 00:02:41.330 --> 00:02:44.880 have a lot of changes to make with every piece of content, try writing in longhand, 00:02:44.880 --> 00:02:48.210 the old-fashioned way with a pen and paper for your first draft because most 00:02:48.210 --> 00:02:51.720 people handwrite slower than they type, it forces your brain to slow down and 00:02:51.720 --> 00:02:55.080 put more thought into the text, which may be key for turning out higher quality material. 00:02:55.080 --> 00:03:00.250 Talking about your success is fine, but what your customers will really want to know is how they can do it too. 00:03:00.250 --> 00:03:03.780 By creating actionable content, you're giving your audience things they can try immediately. 00:03:03.780 --> 00:03:07.110 This will keep them coming back for more information and get them 00:03:07.110 --> 00:03:10.830 interacting more with your content. A good way to do this is to create lists 00:03:10.830 --> 00:03:15.790 or highlight key tasks in your content to help the readers specifically identify what they need to do. 00:03:15.790 --> 00:03:18.810 This also gives them a reason to return your article when they run into a similar issue later down the road. 00:03:18.810 --> 00:03:23.210 This is also one of the simplest ways to get more people to subscribe to your newsletter 00:03:23.210 --> 00:03:25.770 or purchase any informational products. 00:03:25.770 --> 00:03:28.860 It builds trust because you've given them tasks they can try for themselves 00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:32.990 in order to experience immediate results, and nothing sells like positive results. 00:03:32.990 --> 00:03:35.940 Images can take a decent post and make it great. 00:03:35.940 --> 00:03:39.780 The key to shareable content is to find relatable graphics using stock photos 00:03:39.780 --> 00:03:43.170 for the sole purpose of using images may look better than a completely text-based 00:03:43.170 --> 00:03:46.470 piece of content, but it's pointless if it doesn't benefit the reader. 00:03:46.470 --> 00:03:49.380 For example, don't use a picture of a blank computer screen when writing about technological issues. 00:03:49.380 --> 00:03:52.830 Instead, you could try using a shot of a man pulling his hair out. When you find images that have emotional appeal, 00:03:52.830 --> 00:03:59.660 your customers who are likely in the same position will be better able to relate to your content. 00:03:59.660 --> 00:04:02.160 Lastly, try to find creative images and infographics. 00:04:02.160 --> 00:04:05.370 By having graphics paired with your content, you're offering 00:04:05.370 --> 00:04:07.620 material that's easier to read and understand. 00:04:07.620 --> 00:04:12.120 According to Forbes, articles with images get 94% more views than articles without. 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:16.500 That's too large of a percentage to pass up. No one wants to finish an article 00:04:16.500 --> 00:04:18.649 with more questions than they arrived with. 00:04:18.649 --> 00:04:20.879 Again, people are consuming your content for a reason. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:24.320 Remember that with your headline, you've made a promise to answer their question, 00:04:24.320 --> 00:04:26.640 so you need to be sure your content provides the answers they're looking for. 00:04:26.640 --> 00:04:32.020 If you're having trouble knowing whether you've sufficiently answered the question or not, try reading your content from a 00:04:32.020 --> 00:04:35.160 potential customers perspective and think of questions they might ask. 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:38.320 It can be difficult to explain to a beginner a topic you're well versed in 00:04:38.320 --> 00:04:42.160 but by putting yourself in their shoes, you can eliminate a lot of the issues. 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:44.130 These tips may sound simple, but that's because they are. 00:04:44.130 --> 00:04:48.170 Writing great content isn't reserved for the Shakespeare's and Tolstoy's of our generation. 00:04:48.170 --> 00:04:52.340 It's attainable to anyone who focuses on the basics and can get pen to paper or hands to keyboard. 00:04:52.340 --> 00:04:55.560 So, thanks so much for watching. If you enjoyed this episode, 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:58.590 be sure to subscribe to the channel, give it a thumbs up. If you have any questions, 00:04:58.590 --> 00:05:02.410 comments, or suggestions for a future video, be sure to leave them in the comment section below. 00:05:02.410 --> 00:05:07.540 If you'd like more content like this, then head over to Adam Erhart.com and sign up for the Modern Marketing Newsletter 00:05:07.540 --> 00:05:11.570 because this is where I share my best tips tricks and strategies that I don't share anywhere else. 00:05:11.570 --> 00:05:15.030 Take care for now and I'll catch you next time on The Modern Marketing Show.