Ever go to a website and find so much information that it’s overwhelming? Or worse, you find so little information that you can’t get the answer you’re looking for? In either case, you likely left the site after only a short time.

Drawing customers in with content is a skill increasingly limited to social media and web savvy companies, as marketing organizations shift their platforms in pursuit of today’s digital-savvy consumers. Creating good content for the web might not seem easy, but it is often a necessity in today’s sales cycle and generally a great suggestion for any business.

Advertising and slogans are failing to hold up against search engines. The customers of today know that they can access product specs, hotel amenities and restaurant menus with a few clicks on Google, and expect successful business owners to provide this information in order to win their business.

Website visitors seek content for three main reasons - value, relevance and compelling nature. These reasons provide added responsibilities that your marketing team may not be used to addressing. However, skillfully used, these three attributes become great assets to drive a campaign.

Valuable Content is Key

Valuable content is credible. Internet users always have the option of a second opinion, so honesty is key for valuable/credible content. Customers want to feel as if their time is being used productively. Content that appears flashy yet shallow will be ignored almost instantly. The value seen in content also reflects the value perceived of your product.

Valuable content is consistent. Obviously, your product is going to change and progress over the years, and prior marketing strategies will be abandoned for ones that are more successful. However, consistent content in form and design will develop a legacy image of your company in the minds of consumers.

Keep Your Content in the Moment - Relevency is Key

Users want content that is relevant to them. Relevant content goes viral and is more likely to avoid dangerous gaffes, all while broadening your consumer base and maintaining contented customers. 

Relevant content is cautious. Marketing can be intrusive, so it should be carefully balanced. Good content is aimed at a specific audience and should appeal to that audience, avoiding the polarizing effects of choosing any one side in a debate that is irrelevant to the brand. However, content marketing also begs for brave writing; that is making bold statements that the audience will agree with and will result in material that isn’t bland and doesn’t fall through the cracks.

Relevant content requires research. Businesses over the past few years have created industry-shifting marketing that involves experimenting with consumers and analyzing these results. Relevant content requires that you work to understand where your audience is coming from and what they might be interested in.

The Internet has fused entertainment and information into a bizarre hybrid, made inevitable by technology and its place in our lives. This means that even your product measurements have to be interesting, your bullet points works of prose. In short, users look to your content to make them feel.

Make it Compelling

Compelling content uses Aristotle’s appeals for argument. Logos, pathos, and ethos still very much apply. The world of advertising may have changed, but your clients won’t know it until you innovate. They’ll still respond to language that is concise, witty, and appropriate. Your work still represents the standards and characteristics of your company, no matter what its medium is. Furthermore, content marketing introduces sophistication into your methods of manipulating consumers’ joys and fears.

Compelling Often Also Means Interactive

There are so many audio, video, and tactile components of websites now that it feels strange when they aren’t present. Even making portions of your website move in intriguing ways will engage clients with your content. Another valuable asset is the bevy of free social media options in your arsenal. Well-maintained Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages attract interest and the sharing of your content. This creates a conversation and a personal relationship between your company and the client.

This content is vital to your business and its success – by following the tips above, you’ll be a step ahead of your competitors in standing out in the very crowded webosphere.

Use what was learned here and build upon it to really start putting that content to work!