Raspberries.
What does creating original content have to
do with raspberries?
Nothing. But the mere fact that the word
“raspberries” has been randomly dropped into this article is proof positive that
this is a piece of original online content. There are plenty of computer
programs available to cut corners by churning out robotic content for websites.
While those articles are loaded up with facts and figures they won’t have
“raspberries:” that original creative flair. That’s what you should be striving
to put into your content: originality.
Search engines are getting smarter. Google
has launched several algorithm upgrades – the Penguin and Panda updates
- which specifically targets websites that produce “spam” content. The Google spiders
can tell the difference between an original piece of online content and
something that has been “spun” or pasted together with a computer program. The
new algorithm updates not only the take a look at the structure of a sentence,
they also analyze the relevancy of content , the number of backlinks to the
website, the number of times that an article or content gets shared using
social media and so many other factors.
Guess which content goes to the top of
their rankings? That’s right; it’s the original
content. Google wants its users to receive maximum benefit from its
searches and you should want the exact same thing for your online visitors. The
best way to build up your company brand is through great content that your
readers want to share. Here’s what you need to consider with every piece that
you write or create:
Teach
and Entertain
Readers go online to do two things. Be
entertained or find a solution to a problem. Once you have an understanding as
to what your target audience wants to do online, you can create the right piece
of content that will attract your markets’ attention. In other words, choose whether each piece
that you write or create is going to be informative or fun to consume. You
can’t solve all the world’s problems but when it comes to your little corner of
cyber space you should be providing solutions that meet their immediate
concerns. You should also provide a reason for those users to return to your
site. That will only happen if you can put a smile on their face with your
content. Get cheeky
with the headlines. Don’t shy away from quirky graphics. You can still
maintain a professional presence but keep it human and not robotic.
Build
Trust and Credibility
Thanks to those Google algorithms, internet
surfers are becoming a savvy bunch of readers. They can also quickly spot a
“spam” article. Loading up your site with content for the sake of content is
going to turn off that visitor. You might not make a sale on that first visit
but if you plan your content
marketing campaign (or a drip marketing campaign), you can slowly build up
trust by creating original content that your target audience will want to read.
Your audience wants to find a reason to
not do business with you. So, make sure that any content that you produce
specifically targets your intended audience and their needs. When you’ve built
that trust they’ll be coming back again and again.
Start
a Conversation
With the advent of social media, email and
blogs, we get the chance to join and be part of any community. This means we
all have a chance to share our experiences and opinions. Give your users that
opportunity by inviting them into the discussion. Your content should end with a
call to action, whether that’s a link to more articles on your site or a
question inviting the reader to leave a comment. Or even sign up for a
newsletter. When you engage readers to share their thoughts they’ll come back
to see who is commenting on their comments. That’s how you build an online
community.
Questions? Feel free to ask and we’ll do
our best to answer. (See how that works?!)
