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October 21, 2014 | 3-minute read (518 words)
Guest post contributed by Marta Segal Block, Editor of GrouponWorks.
It’s not news anymore, writing great content can bring people to your site, increase your brand recognition, and grow your sales. But great content alone isn’t enough, you also have to write great content that readers want to share. There’s a lot of research out there about algorithms, what content gets shared the most, and what goes viral. Here are some basic steps anyone wanting to create content should take.
Content marketing is a great marketing tool that can work for almost any business, but that doesn’t mean it’s for every business owner. It takes time to build the necessary audience and relationships. It also takes talent to write compelling content. If you aren’t capable of creating your own content, there are a lot of helpful resources available to you at a variety of price points. Take advantage of them. Because the important thing to remember is that your first step in creating content that people will share is to create first-rate content.
Make sure that you are set up to share your content.
Pay attention to your social media accounts and make sure you are sharing the content of others and building relationships. Make sure your website is designed in such a way that the content is easy to find and read from a variety of platforms.Think about and research what content is being shared in your field, and how.
Are people in your field sharing photos, videos, or actual articles? What kinds of photos and articles? Consider using a tool like WeFollow to track the most popular people in your field and study what they write about and share. Obviously, your articles can’t be reproductions of other people’s work, but they can’t be totally off topic either.Find a niche.
You can find a lot of information online about SEO and social media techniques for making sure your content is seen. But, the only way to have actual individuals share your content is to create content that people want to read and pass on. Many bloggers and consultants recommend finding “a niche,” a small, specific area in which you can specialize. Not everything you write has to fit perfectly within your niche, but it’s not efficient or effective to write about everything in the world either. Knowing your niche will help you make decisions about what you do and don’t want to write.
Marta Segal Block is the editor of the GrouponWorks blog for small business owners. She is a social media and content marketing consultant who specializes in strategy, execution, and branding work. You can read more of her work on Advice from Marta or follow her on Twitter at @MartasAdvice.
Tell us who you turn to for advice on writing content in the comments section below or contact Early Growth Financial Services for financial support.
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