Businesses need to be aware of the importance of content writing if they want to succeed in today's digital age. Quality content is key when it comes to attracting and retaining customers online. In fact, businesses that don't invest in quality content are likely to see a decrease in website traffic and an increase in bounce rates.
However, content writing isn't just about producing a lot of text--it's about creating content that's engaging, informative, and relevant to your target audience.
Read on and understand everything there is to know about content creation and how it can help your own business!
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Content Writing: Business Benefits | Why Content Writing Is Important for Your Business Growth and Online Visibility
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What Is Content Writing?
Simply put, content writing refers to the entire process of preparing, writing, and further editing web content. Businesses typically utilize web content for digital marketing purposes.
For most people, “article writing” is the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the words “content writing.” The practice, however, has a much wider scope than this.
In recent years, the influence of social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even LinkedIn over consumers have grown more and more. As a result, companies have also started to focus their time and resources into creating captivating web content that resonates with their target audiences.
Content writing lays the foundation for just about every piece of web content that companies publish. This includes:
- social media posts
- Youtube video descriptions
- video scripts
- email marketing/newsletters
- landing pages
- podcasts
- keynote speeches
- web page copies
- press releases
The format, style, and content of each form differs from one another. Each of these content forms employs a unique style that makes it an effective marketing tool for a specified audience.
How Does Content Writing Help a Business?
The content creation process can be considered an art form in and of itself. Any business plan worth its salt will have content writing as a key component.
That's because content writing is essential for a business' online presence. And since most businesses are now online, that means content writing is essential for just about any business out there! Plus, making high-quality content that promotes engagement by quickly catching and holding your audience’s attention is vital to your digital marketing strategy.
Why? Unlike print materials, web content audiences typically prefer to skim the content. They run through it quickly to find the information they're looking for. If you're unable to address their needs within the first few seconds, they’ll quickly leave your site and jump to another one.
In fact, a study found that in the digital age, the average attention span of humans went down to just 8.25 seconds from 12 seconds in 2000. This is even shorter than a goldfish’s average attention, which is about 9 seconds.
Advertisers who understand this are able to adjust their commercials accordingly. From the decades-ago average advertisement length of 30 seconds, commercials nowadays typically top off at 15 seconds.
The same study also found that users have an increased restlessness between gadgets. They switch between their laptops, smartphones, and tablets at an average of about 21 times every hour.
Effective content writing builds content that easily resonates with your business’ target audience. This is especially useful for small businesses who need to promote brand awareness.
Great content is able to elevate the brand, generate a positive experience for the business’ clients, encourage customers to always return to the business, and at best, even lead more clients to act as brand ambassadors.
Creating content that's able to consistently capture your reader's attention in new and exciting ways, lead them to your site, and hold their interest are crucial for a successful business. It's key to making sure that those clicks will convert readers to actual buying customers.
What Is SEO Content Writing?
SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” As the name suggests, it's the process of optimizing your own content and making sure that it ranks higher compared to content from other websites or online sources.
Writing engaging content that's also optimized for search engines like Google is a challenging task. However, if done correctly, SEO can lay the groundwork for a wider audience.
The primary goal of SEO is to make sure that when potential customers hit “Enter” after typing in that query, it's your content that comes out first. It makes sure that the content you're creating outranks the content of other web pages that also target a similar audience.
SEO makes sure that the final output meets Google’s standards for putting that same output at the top of its results.
Google’s ranking system, on the other hand, depends on the site’s “authority” and “relevance.” To measure these, they look at several factors such as the number of times a certain keyword phrase is used, or the number of links that point to that page.
This is why conducting keyword research is among the many areas of expertise of professional content writing service firms. The practice allows them to make sure that each and every piece of marketing content you produce is considered fresh content that meets Google’s strict metrics.
However, SEO content creation is not as simple as jamming a number of keywords related into an article. It still doesn't forget that you're creating content that interests the people. It just keeps in mind that having your content at the top will also lead to your business having more website visitors and a wider reach.
What Are the Types of Content Writing?
Content writing takes many different shapes and forms, all depending on the purpose and target audience of that particular output. This includes all forms of written content, including blog posts found on social media and articles found in a white paper.
When it comes to business content, some of the most common ones include:
Blogging
On many occasions, creating website content often translates to making business blog articles. It's a great way for a business owner to promote brand awareness, share their expertise, and often, towards the end of the article, suggest the products or services that they have to offer.
Copywriting
Copywriting includes the practices of writing product descriptions, advertisements, sales collateral, and website copies. A lot of people make the mistake of giving little thought to this type of content writing.
A copywriter, however, understands that the messages in these have to be crafted strategically. These written pieces often serve as the brand’s foundation, and are one of the first things potential clients see.
Technical Writing/Long Form Content Writing
This form of content writing is the best way to showcase your expertise on the products or services your business is offering. Often in the form of an ebook or a white paper, technical writing focuses on educating your audience on the specifics of your business.
Social Media Posts
With an estimated 4.5 billion social media users, businesses are expected to have a presence on the major social media platforms.
Understanding the quirks of each platform requires mastery. Professional writers in the field of social media marketing know that Facebook posts, for example, require a certain style of content writing that differs from the styles you see on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
RELATED: Search Engine Optimization: Why Is SEO Important For Your Business?
How Do You Write Great Business Content for Your Website?
Professional content writers understand that content writing can either make or break your business website. The content you produce can neither be too long (or you run the risk of boring your viewers) nor too short (or you run the risk of leaving them uninformed).
At the same time, you have to make sure that search engines find your content updated, relevant, and authoritative. While writing unique and authentic content, it's necessary to check for plagiarism and make it striking to engage more audience.
There are many factors to consider in writing a killer blog post, and this would need a separate discussion altogether. To give you an overview, however, these tips should help make sure that your site strikes that balance between capturing your audiences’ interest:
Audit Your Content
If your site has been live for over a year, then it might be time to review your content. In this span of time, it's likely that a lot may have already changed.
Updating your content is a surefire way of keeping it relevant. As your business grows and the environment you move in changes, your content should also evolve alongside it.
Make SEO a Priority
As mentioned earlier, crafting engaging content is only half of the story. Using keywords and phrases that'll help your content meet the standards of search engines is equally important.
Allow Guest Post
Guest posting is a great way of spicing up your website or blog. Adding a voice outside of your team not only adds flavor to your content, but also gives it more authority.
Make sure to choose a guest blogger who's an “influencer” in your industry. This requires a certain level of research that involves looking for specific industry thought leaders who get a lot of feedback on their posts, and thus, could bring in a new audience to your site.
Should I Hire Someone to Write My Content for Me?
Definitely! While you may be well-versed in your industry, getting help from a professional content writer or a content writing agency can be extremely beneficial to your business.
Seasoned writers already understand the different styles required by each content writing form. They can use your expertise, do research to supplement it, and create content that's optimized for the specific platform you want them to write on.
Getting the content writing services of a reputable firm is also a cost-efficient way of elevating your brand, reaching out to a wider audience, and growing your business. Plus, it saves you time that you can then use for other purposes.
If you’re planning on hiring writers, these are some of the qualities you should look for:
Writing Ability
It goes without saying that if you hire writers, they should have great writing ability. Seasoned writers should be able to provide you with samples of their published work.
Study those samples and make sure to check their grammar, punctuation, and other syntax conventions. When it comes to content writing, consistency in delivering high-quality content is key. Mistakes as simple as bad blog formatting may look unprofessional and incompetent in your field.
Strategy
Getting services from a freelance writing business can save your company a lot of time and money. However, a standalone freelance writer may not be able to provide the expertise and resources that a content agency can.
The right content marketing team is equipped with research tools that can help you craft a complete, cohesive, and effective strategy that'll work for your brand. Plus, they'll have a pool of talented writers, designers, editors, and social media marketers who specialize in a specific aspect of online marketing. They're better equipped to handle the rapid pace in the online environment.
In selecting the right firm for you, make sure to perform your due diligence. Review the content they've created for their other clients. Ask for references, and check the agency’s success in generating leads and social shares.
Fee
When it comes to content writing, you'll always get what you pay for.
There are tons of freelance writers willing to accept $10.00 for a 500-word article. However, settling for the lowest offer may not be the best choice for your business.
Effective content writing should be able to generate interest and leads for your business. It should be able to put your content at the top by producing high-quality and engaging outputs.
You might be able to save a few bucks, but is this worth the hassle of rewriting the content later on? Set aside a specific budget and make sure you find writers or a content writing company that'll give you your money’s worth.
Final Thoughts
An effective content writing strategy can elevate your brand, grow your audience, and generate a ton of interest and business for your company. But if you’re not confident in your writing ability or if you simply don’t have the time to do it, then you might want to consider getting some help.
The Virtual Hub’s Content Machine team is is well-equipped to deliver on all of these and more by producing high-quality content that'll truly help your business. We're passionate about helping businesses grow, and we’ll help you develop a content strategy tailored specifically for your brand and audience.
Contact us today to get started!