Cast your mind back to the mid-90s. When the internet was a baby, social media didn’t exist, and few businesses had websites. And yet, this is when a certain Bill Gates famously said, ‘Content is king.’ Content, Gates predicted, would be key in the online era. Boy, was he right.

Content is the foundation of all marketing and communications. Without content, your business has nothing to say. No tasty carrot to dangle in front of your audience. No way of driving people to your offering. So if content is king, a good copywriter is your best friend!

What does great content look like?
Great content is any content that connects with your audience. Generally, this will span:

• Educational content – anything that helps your audience do something or solve a problem (think how-to articles, tips, lists, and other helpful content). Informative content is great because it adds value for your audience, while showing off your expertise and promoting trust in your brand.
• Compelling content – copy that drives the reader to take a particular action, be it signing up for your newsletter, clicking the ‘buy’ button, upgrading to a new service package, or whatever. Think calls-to-action, straplines, website headers, email signatures, product descriptions, and even persuasive case studies.
• Inspiring and/or relatable content – any content that inspires your audience and provokes an emotional reaction. One underused example is behind-the-scenes glimpses from your business. Another might be sharing inspiring quotes that resonate with you. We love this sort of content because it helps to show off the personality behind the brand.
• Entertaining content – lighter content that grabs the audience’s attention and makes them smile. This could be anything from a well-written email to a funny meme shared on social media. We’re all human, so make sure you connect with your audience on a human level.

How does your content measure up against this list? Are you sharing enough content along these lines to keep your audience engaged?

Variety, variety, variety
Of course, your content isn’t going to meet all of these criteria all of the time. You might share something that’s entertaining, but not especially educational. And that’s fine. So long as it connects with your audience, your content is doing its job.

It’s also important to note that not all of your content will be written. A good content strategy will include a variety of content – such as infographics and other visuals, video, and, yes, thoughtful written copy. Think of it as the content equivalent of eating a balanced diet.

Not sure if your brand is saying enough…and enough of the right things? Build a bespoke content strategy with OCTOPUS.

(Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik)