Content Writing

Do you know, that the success of your website is primarily determined by its content?

Engaging and high-quality content is something that can work brilliantly for your website. It can simply put your brand and your business set apart from the market competition and the masses.

The right message conveyed with the right set and amount of words can do the trick for your brand. Quality website content can change your business strategies and make them more efficient and result-oriented.

All other components of your website (design, visuals, videos, etc.) provide a secondary support role. If you have effective taglines, great design will only enhance their effectiveness. Design itself does not sell.

The content of your website should always begin with proper market research. First, you should determine your high value customers (HVC) and define personas for your website. Then you should determine how you will target them. Taglines and slogans that are customer-centric (i.e., focuses on the needs and wants of the customer) are essential to capturing the attention of your prospective customers. Your taglines must deliver a clear value proposition and include an effective call to action.

The key to a successful website is having clear, relevant and keyword-rich content that delivers the right message with power and conviction. The content on your website should target your audience, engage them and persuade them to take action.

Copywriting vs. Copyrighting

Because good content is so important to the success of your website, consider hiring a professional copywriter to deliver professional copy for your website. Copywriting is the process of professionally written content for marketing purposes. It is not to be confused with copyrighting–the process of obtaining a copyright or legal protection for your unique content (usually done by an intellectual property attorney).

copyrighting vs copywriting

It is a good idea to secure both services. Once you invest in professional copywriting, it is recommended that you copyright it with the U.S. Patent Office . You may also consider filing for trademarks for some of your most successful taglines and slogans.

Videos and other Visual Content

Effective content doesn’t always come in the form of text. Videos on websites are changing the way important messages are communicated. Website visitors expect to get the information they need without effort.

visual content

Custom Videos provide a great way to engage audiences and drive important messages in a format that requires less effort than reading large amounts of text. In addition, illustrations, infographics, diagrams and interactive presentations are often used to explain difficult concepts and assist users in their decisions.

Effective Design Strengthens Your Message

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” In web design, this is particularly the case, as first impressions are most important. Statistics show that your website typically has between one and five seconds to retain your website visitor . This is hardly enough time to read and process any content. This means that you have to find additional methods to retain the visitor’s attention or lose them to another website.

This is where the design and appearance of your website is relevant. It creates the first impression, captures the attention and engages your visitor to read and process your taglines, dive into your website and ultimately help to make purchasing decisions with confidence.

what-makes-effective-design

Effective design works in harmony with your copy; it supports your messaging, strengthens it and delivers it in a visual, easy-to-process manner, allowing your customers to connect with your website on a deeper level. Good design also reinforces your company’s brand and facilitates purchasing decisions. Design must work in tandem with your branding and content in order to emphasize your strengths and core business values, and ultimately direct users to take action. Make sure to follow some of the current web design trends.

Effective web design is more than just an aesthetically pleasing website. Professional web designers must factor in all design aspects, from the psychology of color and screen resolution to accessibility requirements and typography, in order to engage, excite and inspire. Challenge your web designers, and ask them to explain the rationale of the designs they promote. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Avoid Stock Photography on Your Website

Avoid using stock photography as much as possible. You may think a stock picture is a perfect fit for your website, but there are feasibly thousands of other websites using the exact picture. Nothing complements and represents your business more effectively than professional and original photographs of your products, customers, team and facilities. Custom photography makes your website stand out among the rest, and they lend credibility and connect with the visitor on a personal level. Using custom photography also provides the opportunity to incorporate your marketing message and brand into photographs. This will greatly improve the marketing power of your website.

Content Marketing

You have probably heard the term Content Marketing but may not be sure what it means. Content Marketing involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers. This information can be presented in a variety of formats, including blog posts, news, videos, white papers, infographics, case studies, how-to guides, photos, etc.

benefits-of-content-marketing

Content Marketing is one of the best methodologies for marketing your website and your business. Posting relevant, valuable and frequently updated information on your website will boost search engine optimization (SEO), help position you as an expert, and allow you to build relationships with your audience. All are priceless benefits for any business.

Importance of Website Content

One of the benefits of publishing good content is that it will increase the number of people who find your website through search engines. Search engines love content, especially frequently updated content, and if you want to get people to your site, it’s important to provide content that people want to see. Similarly, a search engine’s job is to find content for their customers. Consider the following: How many pages do you have detailing your company’s products and services on your website? You probably have a limited number. In a blog, for example, you can add fresh, relevant content virtually every day. Every additional page of content is potentially a new entry point (landing page) for your website.

Many companies seek close relationships with their customers. It is wise to post relevant and useful information on your website in the form of blog posts, articles or whitepapers. This provides prospective customers to see you as an expert in your industry and be more inclined to conduct business with you. When you use content marketing, you establish trusted lines of communication with your customers, and build credibility in the process.

Use Social Media to Promote Content

One of the best ways to promote your content and generate traffic is through social media. To get the most from your content, you must harness the power of social media. For best results, your content should be syndicated, distributed and promoted through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

The importance of website content is not even near to one can imagine. It is definitely the first introduction to your audience and also the only way to convey your business message in the most results-oriented and effortless way.

So what is your take on the website content? What do you think over how website content is going to change your business strategies?

Do share your feedback or suggestion in the comment section below.

June 2, 2017 0 comment

Content Writing

What Is A Day Like For A Copywriter In An Ad Agency

written by Lovelesh Sharma

Often going through those ads do you really pass by a thought; Who writes all this? Whose creativity is this? Or sometimes, Whose planned disaster is it?

Many think that it is the owner of the product or brand that comes up with these creative or non-creative ideas. But the mind behind such creative jitters is of the copywriter. Most of these minds are not present in the in-house teams of the brands, but work out somewhere in a reputed ad agency.

Another fact that all you see in TV ads or print ads is completely conceived by the copywriter. There are many spatulas helping to cook the final ad copy. But the unheard voice behind the ad copy is of the copywriter.

The most crucial, but the least known person copywriter of an ad agency has a unique routine to be followed. So to build a better understanding, here’s a glance to the Copywriter’s day in an Ad Agency.

Morning Team Meetings

The copywriter – along with a host of other advertising professionals, including art directors (the copywriter’s counterpart on the visual side), account executives, media executives, print product managers, art buyers, and, of course, the top dogs at the agency–start their day with a morning status meeting. How’s the TV commercial for the agency’s biggest new client coming along? When will it be done? Will it come in on budget? How about the corresponding print ads? The brochures? The direct mail? Will it be done on time?! It’s a tough way to start the day, but with the aid of grande-sized coffee and the promise of a paycheck that week, most people make it through.

office-meetings

Meetings, Meetings & More Meetings

The thrust of the day moves on to meetings of all kinds. Meetings between account executives briefing the creative people (the copywriter and the art director) as to what the client is looking for, meetings between account executives and the media buyer detailing what kind of reach and frequency (you’ll have to Google that one on your own) the client is hoping for, meetings between the creative team and the art buyer and the print production manager to get an idea of how much creativity the client’s budget will buy, and then meetings with the big bosses to fill them in on all the meetings that just transpired. Oh, and let’s not forget meetings with reps from various TV and radio stations, magazines, newspapers, and websites all trying to get a piece of your media budget spent on their client.

Business People and Creativity Concept

The Creative Process

The creative process is part strategy (knowing what the client wants to communicate), part skill (find a way to take the clients invariably dry message and make it interesting and meaningful) and part inspiration (I can’t explain that one; either you’ve got it or you don’t). The creative process takes place when the copywriter and the art director lock themselves in a room and stare at each other until someone comes up with an idea or even just a way of thinking about the product. Anything that will inspire creating thinking about widgets or shave cream or floor wax. Creative teams have been known to spend 12+ hours in rooms, bringing in their meals so as not to be disrupted.

do-you-have-it-in-you

Do You Have It In You

If you think you’ve got what it takes to be in advertising–particularly a copywriter–you’ll need to put a spec portfolio together (create ads that aren’t real but show how you would solve communications problems) and then cart yourself and your book (advertising lingo for portfolio) to anyone and everyone in the business who will give you 7-10 minutes. Creative Directors are your preferred target, but a good copywriter will do in a pinch.

So now when you read an ad copy and you love it or think is doing the trick, appreciate the copywriter and not the brand. But after thanking, make sure you act too.

Kudos to you all and a copywriter’s day in an Ad Agency is definitely exhausting, but worth it.

For all those who are still looking out on making it as a copywriter, this 10 top tips for being a successful copywriter will help you a lot.

So if you are a copywriter or wish to be one, share you views in the comment section below.

May 26, 2017 0 comment

Content Writing Freelance Writing Tips

Your Guide To Write Quality Content FAST

written by Lovelesh Sharma

Many of us in the writing industry come across this common query- “How long does it take to write website content, a blog, newsletter, PR???” and so on…

The answer to this is a confused and anguish look spread across the face.

Yes!

We all know developing content can be a lot time consuming and frustrating too.

One fact that is familiar to all the writers is that good writing takes time. In fact, sometimes it takes multiple revisions to come up with a final and good-quality content copy.

But, a business can’t afford that much of a time investment. So what about the creativity, uniqueness, meaning and quality?? Should that be compromised for the time factor??

The answer is NO. But we have a solution!

Here’s a good news.

I will be sharing with you some secret writing tips that will help you easily write different style of quality content for different platforms, in a matter of NO-TIME.

Tips To Help You Write Quality Content, FAST!

#1 START WITH AN INTENTION

You sit down at your computer and a blank document stares back at you.

Your internal dialogue then kicks into gear and you hear yourself saying “Oh god…here we go again. I’m not a writer. It takes me so long and I don’t know what to say.”

Sound familiar?

It’s vital to pay attention to what your internal dialogue or ‘mean girl’ is saying, and re-write your script.

When I’m feeling like this I write out my intention, which usually goes like this, “The words will flow effortlessly through my fingertips. I will enjoy writing my xyz and it will be done in a flash!”

See how I re-wrote my script?

The next time you sit down to write content for your business, focus on creating a positive intention before you commence writing. It really works!

Write-A-Winning-Copy-Fast

#2 WHAT’S YOUR PURPOSE?

I’m a strategy nut and everything I write has some type of purpose and this should be the case for you too.

So when you sit down to write something, your starting point should be strategy.

Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of this piece of content?”

Do you want to educate your audience by sharing a recipe? Do you want to get a new website visitor to sign up to your newsletter? Do you want your readers to engage and leave a comment on your blog post?

When you’re clear on the ‘why’ behind your writing, you will find content creation a whole lot easier!

#3 KEEP YOUR EDITING TO THE END

If you’re a perfectionist like me, you may like to edit your words as you go.

But PLEASE DON’T!

Continually editing as you write has two major pitfalls:

It takes you far longer to write your content,

It prevents you from getting into the flow of your writing.

Try and curb the temptation to write a sentence or a paragraph and then edit the eyes out of it.

Instead, write what’s coming through you and then if a better sentence or idea comes up, continue writing that.

Just don’t stop, delete your work and re-write the new killer idea that’s popped into your head!

It wastes time and hijacks your creativity!

Just let it all flow out of you, as ugly and messy as it may seem then edit at the END!

Writing-Fast

#4 CREATE A SWIPE FILE

One of the biggest complaints I hear from clients and other entrepreneurs is that they simply don’t know what to write.

Oh, I hear you!

Coming up with new, relevant and useful content on a continual basis can be tricky!

That’s where a ‘swipe file’ comes into play!

Whenever you have a great idea for a piece of content (and I’m sure you have them often), write it down and save it somewhere.

You could have all your ideas in a simple notebook, in a word document or use the awesome Evernote app.

I come up with ideas as I’m walking to and from places or on the train, so I enter all my ideas into the notes app on my iPhone.

Also, if you see other inspiring articles, interviews, blog posts, newsletters that resonate with you and could be adapted to your own business, save them!

Another great tip is to think of the questions you receive from your customers or clients on a regular basis and write about those.

Having content ideas on hand definitely helps you to create valuable content fast!

Writing-Deadline

#5 GIVE YOURSELF SPACE AND A DEADLINE

This sounds confusing, right? But stick with me for a minute!

I’m one of those people who needs to dedicate time to writing content. I look at my week and allocate specific periods of certain days to writing (Sunday’s it’s social media posts, Monday/Tuesday I work on blog posts and newsletter content and I always work on client copywriting projects in the morning when I’m feeling fresh!).

I need time and space to fully absorb myself in my writing so I can focus, avoid getting stressed and create valuable content.

But on the other hand, I’ve realized that I also have to give myself a deadline.

If I have all day to write something, I will fill that time and it will take me all day to write!

To keep me on track I give myself a time limit to complete a specific writing project.

A great tool I use is an online countdown timer. Or if you’re keen on the Pomodoro Technique the free Tomato Timertool is excellent and helps you create content fast!

TO WRAP IT

So here is your guide to write quality content FAST. If you implement even just one of these tips into your content creation practice, I’m sure you’ll find the process faster, more productive and enjoyable.

Do you have any content writing tips you’d like to share? I’d love to explore them. Share them in the comment section.

May 25, 2017 0 comment

Content Writing Freelance Writing Tips

How To Create A Well Balanced Blog

written by Khushi Srivastava

What is a well-balanced blog? What is it made up of? How to write a perfect blog?

How to measure success of a blog? Do you have answers to all these questions? If not, this is definitely the right page where you have landed.

Whether a blog is a personal diary or a promotional piece for a business objective, every single blog craves for attention and retention. The big question lies here is how do we inform the reader while entertaining and retaining interest altogether.

Nowadays, competition is getting very tough as the chances of your blog getting lost in the deep ocean of the Internet are very high. Competing directly with mainstream media, blogs that you publish should be appealing enough to ensure visibility and stay ahead.

While you are waiting for that magic to happen to your blogs, spare some time here too. Check out the most simplified manual for a well-balanced blog.

Here’s how you can beat the odds as a blogger today and excel in the field of blogging.

To Sum It Up:

This recipe for a well-balanced blog gives a clear picture of what an ideal blog demands. It’s time! Get to work now and build your brand authority & create a successful online business with all aforementioned checkpoints checked.

You can always try out some your innovative ideas too, and see if your blog can make its way through the crowd to stand out on its own. Share with us those creative initiatives too!

May 17, 2017 0 comment

Content Marketing Content Writing Social Media Marketing

Your Guide To Creating VIRAL Content

written by Lovelesh Sharma

With blogs flooding in from everywhere, the number of blog posts and bloggers is multiplying day in day out. But simply getting scared by the number of competitors isn’t what’s required.

The chances to attract a good amount of readers are still bright.

In fact, anyone and everyone can attract readers. There are people out there who are looking out for the exact thing you plan to offer or maybe slightly nearby, but can be greatly helped by you. To cater such an audience and make your content go viral, here are your magical 6 steps to create content that will go viral!

STEP #1 – WRITE A GREAT BLOG POST

IT SHOULD BE USEFUL

First and foremost, your blog post should bring value into other people’s lives. So whether that’s a tutorial or an experience you had that would help others, there must be a goal.

Think of it this way.

Let’s say you’re a beauty blogger; what is your intention for each blog post you create? If you’re placing numerous, unrelated affiliate links and ads in hopes that someone will purchase something, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Now, don’t get me wrong — There is absolutely nothing wrong with receiving some moola for a product you endorse, but you have to put your audience first. The whole purpose of being a beauty blogger is to teach, inspire, and spark other people’s artistic presence. So when you create a new blog post, it should encourage your readers to challenge themselves creatively.

LET THE LENGTH FLOW

You know you gotta get that word count. You could have let a 500 word blog post fly back in 2012. (Yeah, back then, that’s what was recommended. *sighs*) But as more and more people are joining the blogging world, and as more and more people are starving for details and more information, it’s up to you to make that happen.

NOTE: 2000-2500 word blog posts receive the most shares on social media.

Also, your SEO depends on lengthy posts as well. Google loves informative content, so placing the who, what, when, why, how, and where will rank you higher in the search engine and you’ll be able to receive more organic traffic to your website.

If you find it hard to increase the length of your post, here are some brilliant tips to do so:

Choose a topic, product, or service you’re passionate about or interested in. The more you like what you’re writing about, the easier it’ll be to write.
Get that outline planned. Begin by adding your headings and subheadings, and from there, jot some notes under each item you’re covering.
Include your own opinions, experiences, or story in the introductory paragraph. (Relevant to the topic at hand, of course.)
Research for more information. This helps you cover any additional material you may have accidentally overlooked during your brainstorm.

FORMAT IT! FORMAT IT!

People nowadays have less of an attention span than that of a goldfish. That’s right, a riveting 8 whole seconds.

With this information kept in mind, your content should be segmented off in a way that is easy and comfortable for your audience to read. Plus, structural writing offers consistency for your readers.

You Should:

Use headings and sub-headings
A large wall of text scares people off
Use numbered lists, jot lists, and steps
Punctuate, mate
Negative space is great

STEP #2 – BEEF IT UP

TITLE IS THE KING

Experiment with blog post titles to see what would be the most eye-catching and/or the most straightforward. For this particular post, I played around with a few titles:

“How To Get Your Blog Post Shared Thousands of Times”

“Dominate The Blogging World in 6 Proven Steps”

“Diving Into The Anatomy of a Viral Blog Post”

Things to remember while adding a title:

Which emotion are you looking to evoke from your audience? Hope? Urgency? Fear?
Are you making it clear to whom you are writing for?
Reflect the content within. *ommm*
Have some fun with alliteration or add powerful language like “life-changing” and “revolutionary”

UPGRADING OF CONTENT

A content upgrade is a piece of content that supplements your blog post. So this could be a checklist, a workbook, a podcast episode, or whatever else relates to your existing article. The catch with content upgrades is once you offer this additional material, the only way a reader can receive it is by giving you their email address. So in exchange to offering your audience value, you are also simultaneously building your email list.

anatomy of viral content

Having a mailing list is important because it’ll keep people coming back to your website, you’re able to foster a much stronger relationship with your following, and it has a super high conversion rate. This means that you’ll have a group of people who are already interested in your content and are more than willing to purchase any new products or services you are putting forth.

TIME TO LINK IT

There are two types of links I am mentioning of;

The first is internal linking. If you don’t already know what internal links are — it’s a way to connect one of the pages on your website to another page on your website.

Linking-Blogs

This keeps your audience engaged and interested and makes them stay on your website longer. It’s also an awesome strategy for reviving some of those old dusty posts you’ve had hidden on the last page of your website. And in that case, I feel you. Go back, put some spring back in their step, and re-promote it. Re-purposing old content is everything.

The second type of link I’m talking about is affiliate links. In here you promote someone’s else’s link on your website, it can be benefited in monetary and non-monetary terms. Getting a link back is the greatest advantage that can add to the credibility and external value of the blog post and brand name.

To know more about linking your blog, click here.

STEP #3 – SHOW MORE TELL LESS (VISUALS)

Pleasing to the eyes….Ah, yes, visuals. Social media graphics are super important because they are what initially persuades people into clicking through to your website.

visual-content

A great writing strategy, we all read in our learning years, ‘Best writing is what shows more and tells less’.

Graphics simply follow the basic rule and mind you; it works!!

While you think about adding graphics, make sure you keep a note of the following;

Which social media platforms will you be circulating your content through?
Which tool will you use to create the images?
Will you include an infographic?

STEP #4 – GET NOTICED & CALL THEM

There are two ways to get noticed:

One way is to @ a company on social media for a product or service you mentioned in the blog post.

And the second way is to @ a guru in your niche.

Both of these techniques get you noticed and it can also give you access to their following if they reply and/or acknowledge you. Think of it this way, even if you tag them on Instagram and they don’t hit you back, you just received more exposure by being in their tagged photos (under the premise that they have their photo tagging on). Or, better yet, they may even re-post your image to their account for their followers to see. The same idea goes for other social networks as well. Twitter? Retweet! Facebook? Shoutout! And so on and so forth.

STEP #5 – PROMOTE- PROMOTE- PROMOTE

As a content creator and/or creative, you should know about this very important rule: 20% creation, 80% promotion. You can make cool things all day long, but that doesn’t mean anyone is going to see it or buy into it. You have to put yourself out there. Point blank period.

If you’re not already circulating your content through Pinterest group boards, I suggest you do that ASAP. Group boards are an excellent way of promoting your content and having access to people outside of your following.

Promote-content

People on Pinterest love following group boards because they’re able to see a bunch of content from a bunch of different people all in one place.

And you should love joining group boards because it’s low maintenance. You don’t have to spend hours engaging, looking, and hoping for people to give you a follow; the group boards are doing it for you.

Now, once you’ve been accepted into multiple group boards, you have to pin your content in them consistently. The only way to grow your brand is by being seen every day. How often do you see commercials and ads for big companies? All the time! People need to be reminded of the existence of your business! So even if people come across your pins and don’t click through initially, they eventually will because you’re out here waving your content in their faces all day long. However, this is not an encouragement to be spammy, but rather brand recognizable! Posting the same pin 20 times a day in one group board is sure to get you kicked out. So focus on circulating different articles throughout different times of the day and perhaps even throughout different group boards. Follow the group boards instructions, see how frequently something is getting posted in them, and trust your gut.

Now, pinning your content into them manually will drive you nuts. So, the only way to create engagement on Pinterest without losing your mind is by scheduling your pins.

Whatever you do though, bloggers and blogettes, I highly suggest using Pinterest group boards in your marketing strategy.

STEP #6 – DON’T STOP – KEEP GOING

Insert an invitation for feedback and commentary at the end of your blog post. This strategy keeps the conversation going by allowing readers to reply to you and other commentators. Plus, people will keep coming back onto your website to see what the replies have been. You’re responsible for starting the chain reaction!

Try to ask the right questions
Specify where to reply

Let them know where you’d like the responses to be directed. Be specific! Maybe you don’t only want the exchange to happen on your blog but also on Twitter. And in that case, make sure to invite them there! You could add in a tweet box within your content which asks a provoking question, and from there, your readers can click and immediately reply. Or you could simply state that you’d like to keep the discussion going on another platform. Don’t be afraid to get creative!

So these were the 6 steps to create viral content.

Has your blog gone viral? If yes, do share the strategies that worked perfectly for you!

In case you still miss going viral with your content, do share your challenges faced in doing so. We will take up both strategies and challenges in another blog and help you through them or gain the best out of it.

Make most of this guide to creating viral content. Happy Blogging!

May 15, 2017 0 comment

Content Writing

3 Types Of Content You Should Stop Publishing Right Now

written by Lovelesh Sharma

Being in the content industry and working the way through content marketing for a while, the understanding of what works and what not is something I am going to share with you in this blog.

We all go through articles and blogs that explain what works in content marketing, but what is more important to learn in recent times is what doesn’t work.

Odds are, if your content marketing has been stagnant for a while, you are publishing at least one of the following three types of articles described below on a regular basis. So, consider this list as your savior to avoid blunders. It’s designed to help you stop making the same critical errors that many entrepreneurs are making.

By simply changing the type of content you are writing, you can massively improve your company’s image, authority, and ultimately, revenue. So let’s directly jump on to the three types of No-NO content.

avoid-these-content

Content That Is Too Generic

The first big mistake that I find many entrepreneurs make is that they publish generic, cookie-cutter content. This can take on a number of different forms.Many online marketers like to publish overly broad articles that don’t really offer anything valuable or actionable for their audience.

Some examples of this would be:

What is content marketing?

How to lose weight (offering nothing other than “eat less, exercise more”)

What you should pack for your round-the-world

There are many such examples. All have already have been written by 20 billion other people.

The other type of generic content is content (good or bad) that has basically just been re-purposed from older content. Whether you are simply recycling your ideas or rewording content from other influencers, this is almost always a bad idea. The reason: People can tell when content has been repackaged. It turns them off and reduces their trust in you and your brand.

Content Used As Filler

Do you know what is even worse than generic content? Content created purely to fill space.

Instead, every article that you write should have a definite purpose. This might be to promote a new product, inform your audience about a certain topic or provide a comprehensive guide on a certain subject.

“Filler” content, however, has no place in your editorial calendar. If you are writing articles just to fill up space on your website, stop! It’s better to publish one article a week that is truly incredible than 10 articles that are fluff and filler.

Unlike

Short Or Too Less Content

Don’t publish short content. Get the point?

Short content can work for very specific audiences and with very specific marketers. But, odds are, if you are reading this article, you are not one of them. And neither am I.

When people click on an article, they do it because they are interested in what you have to say. And if you are writing only 300 to 500 words on a topic, you are selling your audience and yourself short.

Your audience members want you to dive into detail in your articles. They want specifics, they want stories and examples; and they want an actionable guide.

Let’s consider the example of an article about Facebook marketing. Imagine if I wrote such an article for one of my sites with content like this: “Make sure your ads contain red and blue. Post during the afternoon. Use faces in your ads. Include your value proposition in your ad.”

And that was it . . .

You too need to invest the time in writing long-tail content that your audience can genuinely benefit from. You will build trust, establish yourself as
an authority and have more time to build rapport with your audience.

So, forget the short content.

Conclusion

Creating a great content copy is not at all easy. It demands for a great understanding of the type of content your targeted readers or audience wants to invest time in and which ones they prefer to avoid.

This definitely demands to have an in depth knowledge of your elated or specific field and a unique voice that has something meaningful to say. It demands your consent to invest a good amount of time in researching and writing the best content possible.

Nothing is easy, but everything is worth it.

If you can remove the three types of content that you should stop publishing right now from your editorial calendar, your business will transform before your eyes. Industry influencers will respect you more.Your customers will become more engaged.

Also will boost up your sales at a rapid pace. So, just the get the over the above NO-No’s and witness your business flourishing.

May 8, 2017 0 comment

Content Marketing Content Writing

Contentmart – Offering High Quality Content Writing Services

written by Lovelesh Sharma

Contentmart is a leading global content marketplace that serves two types of audience, content buyers and content creators.

Anton Rublevskyy, a Ukraine based business leader initiated Contentmart in the year 2015. This platform started with a vision to serve the demand for high-quality and impressive content writing services, with the supply of professional and expert freelance writers.

The platform today has more than 50,000 freelance writers who deliver requirement-based, high quality content to clients from around the globe. Qualitative, effective, targeted, timely and affordable content is what we deliver through our platform.

Designed with complete innovation, this one of a kind marketplace offers comprehensive content writing, translation services and much more that serves perfectly to each content-based need.

SEO articles, blogs, product descriptions, business writing, web page content, press releases and academic writing are some of the styles, formats, and types of writing that writers on Contentmart specialize in.

Contentmart strives to offer the best quality content across print, electronic, and digital media platforms with the aid of its state-of-the-art technology and setup.

It is among the very few marketplaces that offer multilingual content writing services. This makes it a dream platform for every content buyer to order their content needs without a language concern.

You name it and Contentmart has it.

By this day, the journey of technology and freelance industry altogether has been remarkable. There are ‘n’ number of aspiring writers out there waiting for opportunities and clients seeking for help. This is where Contentmart comes into role providing numerous opportunities for the writers to earn well and delivering clients the quality content.

The Marketplace

Developed with utmost intellect, Contentmart.com assures user-friendly experience to all. The website is easy to navigate and simple to use. It is absolutely free to register on Contentmart.com.

Need-Content-Writing-Services

Simply register with your email or Facebook and get started with it. In order to deliver the best quality content, the website comes with an inbuilt Grammar and Copyscape check so there is no scope for duplicate content and grammatical errors. Also, Contentmart facilitates Wallet management that helps in executing an easy transaction and safekeeping money at both ends.

Contentmart For Clients

Anyone who is seeking content for business, marketing, academic help, personal agenda, etc. can be a client on Contentmart. Simply register and start placing orders.

how-to-place-an-order-at-contentmart

The steps are easy:

Create an order – Mention project requirements such as title, budget, word/write-up count and submit.
Pick a writer – Select a suitable writer from the proposals received and start coordinating. Here the project begins!
Review Content – Once the content is received, every client has a liberty to review it and then accept, reject or reassign the piece.
Payment –Payment happens only when the content is accepted by the client.

Contentmart For Content Writers

Reckoned as one of the easiest platforms to earn online, Contentmart has a big pool of qualified and verified content writers who are ready to freelance.

how-to-bid-on-orders-at-contentmart

Each writer is required to maintain his/her portfolio on Contentmart for showcasing profile and letting clients walk through their profile. Check out how it works for a writer on the site:

Register – Every aspiring freelance writer needs to register on Contentmart for free. The writer goes through rigorous quality tests to get verified. Maintaining a profile comes next.
Bid on order – When a client places an order on Contentmart, a writer bids desired price for multiple orders at a time.
Complete order – Provide content in the given time frame.
Get paid – Upon the client’s approval, stated money is transferred in the writer’s Contentmart wallet.

Help & Support

Contentmart’s support team works round-the-clock to offer an unmatched user experience. Email and Chat Support processes have been developed for both the participants (content buyers & content creators) for easy query resolution and feedback.

The list of benefits one can earn from Contentmart’s offerings is endless. To state a few:

Pay-Per-Use & Easy Refund Process

This one of a kind marketplace, allows the content buyer to pay-per-use; i.e. they will only pay for the content offered by the writer, if and only if, it has their approval and matches the required parameters. There is a completely transparent refund policy, which includes that if a content submission is rejected by the content buyer, a refund of the locked amount will be released back to their Contenmart wallet.

Freedom To Quote Your Own Price

Another benefit to this aspect is, the buyer has the autonomy to set out the price that they are ready to offer for getting a particular assignment done.

Free Registration

One more unique and distinct feature is, Free Registration. They charge no fees from either end (content buyers and content creators).

Qualified & Tested Writers

To offer nothing, but high-quality; Contentmart has unique parameters to categorize its writers. With a special set of language-based & industry-based tests and other parameters to judge their knowledge, Contentmart makes sure that their clients get more than what they expect.

Explore Each Writer’s Portfolio

To further ease down the content buying process, each writer is made to maintain a proper portfolio, that leverages the buyer to understand the writer’s profile intensely and based on the knowledge gained, taking the process ahead.

Email & Chat Support

To offer unmatched user experience, Contentmart has a defined Email & Chat Support for both the participants. To offer value and make the usage easier and simpler, they ensure that any query, suggestion or feedback never goes unheard.

Inbuilt Grammar & Plagirism Checker

When it comes to quality, Contentmart ensures that their platform offers nothing, but the best. With an inbuilt Grammar and Copyscape check, there is no scope for Poor English, Grammatical Errors and Duplicate Content.

Complimentary Dedicated Account Managers For Bulk Orders

Contentmart also offers dedicated account managers to content buyers, who have large scale/bulk content needs and rigid deadlines. This helps them save time and concentrate on their core competencies.

Native English Speaking Writers

To offer world-class content quality, Contentmart has an array of writers that are native English speakers and who are proven wordsmiths.

Multilingual Content Writing Services

Being a global content marketplace and serving content buyers from all around the world, Contentmart offers multilingual content writing services that can cater to global needs. Taking away the language barrier, it offers content in every language one can possibly think of. To serve world-class clients from across the globe and to reach out to customers around the world, they introduced multilingual content writing services and translation services.

Contentmart Affiliate Program

As per the policy, you can invite a customer (not a copywriter) to join Contentmart.com and shall avail 10% of the of the order price on their every order completion till one year.

To Wrap Up:

This one-stop destination for all content requirements has a strong path to pave for successful and prominent content business. So if you are looking out for high-quality content writing services or are expert in writing various types of content, then, Contentmart is just the perfect place for you.

May 2, 2017 0 comment

Content Writing

What Is A Proper Layout And Format Of A Blog Post – Decoded

written by Lovelesh Sharma

Print media and content have their own set of disadvantages, but one thing that is perfectly taken care of, is that their stories are easy to read. By this, I simply mean that they format, add layout and readability to each specific story.

Print content creators make sure their offered content is readable, by constraining the width of their columns and that’s what their readers expect. Blog writers need to do the same and format their blog posts so they’re easy to read. So what is a proper layout and format of a blog post?

Long narrow newspaper columns mean your eye can easily jump from the end of one line to the beginning of the next without losing its place. If the column’s too wide readers will keep getting lost unless they enlist their finger to help them keep track. Even if they do that they’ll get frustrated and won’t enjoy the reading experience

Newspapers follow set rules for the formatting and layout, their stories to make them easy to read and bloggers need to follow some too. Blog writing and formatting content for the Web is more complex than writing for print because how we read on a computer screen is different to how we read in print and more challenging.

Blog Rules are Based on Two Things:

People skim read when they read things on-screen

A website or blog is missing the usual cues that let us know how long an article is. Pick up a book or cast your eye over a newspaper article, and you’ll instantly be able to gauge how long it is and how long it will take to read. Online the only way to find that out is to scroll down to the end of the blog post and that’s what most people do. While they’re at it, they’ll also try to scan read the post. A long body of text is scary.

Even if the headline appeals to them, with no other clues about the content, people will be reluctant to start reading. By helping people scan your blog posts with a good layout and telling them more about what information they’ll find in it, you can entice them to read the post in full.

It’s harder to read things on-screen than on print

Screen legibility is improving along with resolution and screen size but there are still some simple rules you need to know to help people read your blog more easily. No matter how great your blog content and blog writing is, if it’s not easy to read, people won’t enjoy it and won’t come back for more.

10 Rules For Proper Layout And Format Of A Blog Post

#1 Format Every Blog Post

Write your posts with the page layout in mind or edit them to make sure they’re well formatted for scan reading.

#2 Constrain Column Width

Keep the blog post column width about 80 characters or less (including spaces) and your readers will thank you for it.

#3 Use Headers and Sub-headers

Headers and sub-headers will break up long blog posts, help people scan read your blog and convince them to read the post.

#4 Use Lists

Numbered lists or bullet pointed lists help people scan blog posts fast and find the information they’re looking for quickly.

#5 Use Punctuation

Use full stops, commas, dashes and colons to break up each paragraph into smaller pieces of information that make sense quickly.

#6 Short Paragraphs

Because reading is harder online it’s best to break text into manageable chunks.

#7 Font Type & Size

Sans-serif fonts (without the squiggly bits) are generally supposed to be easier to read on-screen, in particular Verdana. Successful Blogging uses the sans-serif font Roboto (without the squiggly bits) which is also designed for easy reading on-screen. For font size, big is better. Teeny tiny writing is hard to read online, even for people with 20/20 vision like me. Make it bigger.

#8 Be Bold

Don’t overuse bold text or it loses its effectiveness but do use bold text to make a splash and highlight important sentences that will catch people’s attention and draw them into, or on with, the blog post.

#9 Use Images

Good use of images will draw readers into your blog posts. Ideally, your images will add to your blog or emphasize your message.

#10 Be Consistent

Regular writing & posting requires consistency. And results are unmatched. Make sure you keep it constant.

Final Wrap Up Of Rules

To make most of the rules for a proper format and layout of a blog post – decoded, do a practice run test, pick up an old blog and add a new catchy headline, CTAs; doesn’t matter if the content is same, add a new smart formatting to it. Make it easy for the audience to read it on the web. And surely it will have a better reader base and number than it did in the first time round.

Do share your feedback and did it worked for you.

April 24, 2017 0 comment

Content Marketing Content Writing

The 10 Types of Content That Work Best for SEO

written by Lovelesh Sharma

Content Marketing is way more than just blogging.

YES!

However, to introduce oneself to content marketing, the first thing is launching your blog and start writing. And there you start getting organic traffic, more likes, shares, higher conversion and GREAT SEO RESULTS.

But why just blogging?

To expand your knowledge and bandwidth to write SEO-driven content, here is your guide to 10 types of content that work best for SEO.

So, let’s get going…

Content Type 1: Infographics

It is a presentation of information wrapped up in graphics. It is one of the most visually appealing form used to inform the user. Simple algorithm by name info + graphic.

They are shared more, viewed more, liked more; as compared to the other forms. Nowadays, where visuals are the game changer, this type of content presentation has it all to make your content engaging & appealing. With time numbers prove it that infographics are three times more likeable, shareable and readable.

Hence it has all what it takes to be viral.

Caution:

Though now everyone is into infographics, make sure you gain that competitive edge with super content and excellent visuals. Don’t hesitate to hire professionals to do that for you.

Content Type 2: Meme

Look at social media platforms, they are flooded with memes.

For simple reasons, They’re easy to make. They’re viral. They’re funny.

What adds to their value is – the humor quotient. People love such things that they can laugh at, share, and refresh themselves.

Meme Generator and Quick Meme are some famous websites that have easy access to create & add your own text to popular meme images.

They can be the best thing to get more traffic and shares, if used moderately with right type of content.

Caution:

They might not be the best thing to share over your blog, but one of the most loved form of content over social media. Don’t overuse them either.

Content Type 3: Videos

There are an endless variety of videos. There can be a separate post on this, but to cut it short; a great video delivers the message in the most memorable & concise form.

A good video is highly persuasive.

Whether a how-to video, or an office tour or a product-based video, all will be a success if infused with great content. It is just not moving pictures, what adds to the value is the words that you decide to display.

Upload the video on popular platforms like YouTube or even the recent successful platform – social media and generate better SEO results.

Caution:

Making video is not always affordable, but the results are guaranteed. To make sure you excel and then go big budget, start with short videos.

Content Type 4: Guides

The guide is the most common form of search that is completely a knowledge hunt. Guides are usually the long-form content and make epic blog posts. The hunt for information is never ending and with the ratio increasing the number of informed consumers and the hunger to learn more does the trick.

This form of content requires you to be a good writer and good designer who is capable to put down a good idea. Presenting the idea/content in an attractive way, is the trick here.

Here the idea must something that your target audience is looking out for.

Caution:

Professional designer and an expert writer are a must to offer great guides. Do not hesitate to hire them, in case it is not your cup of tea. The results are surely amazing.

Content Type 5: Product reviews

Reviews are usually the influences that catch up the buyer’s mind and influence the buying decision. For each industry there is a different set of products/ services or softwares (IT industry).

Sharing experiences and reviews over the offerings and simply recommending it, and that’s all.

Here’s a pattern for the product review:

Introduce the product
Introduce the producer
Describe the product
Share what you like
Share what you don’t like
Provide your recommendation
Provide a call to action

Caution:

Don’t make it all content. Adding visuals or videos, adds to the value.

Content Type 6: How-To

The how-to is one of the most popular types of content, especially in my niche. On my blog, I write a lot of how-to guides. How-to articles have awesome long tail search potential due to these popular long tail query introductions: “How to…” and “How do I…?”

First, identify a common problem. Then, come up with a solution. The model is simple:

Introduce the problem
Introduce the solution
Discuss each step of the solution
Summarize the discussion
Provide a conclusion
Things to keep in mind

Caution:

The more thorough your explanation is, the better. Diagrams, videos, and pictures can all help enhance the how-to blog.

Content Type 7: Lists

Lists have endless appeal. We’re wired to love them. Chance are you’re going to see or read an article today that involves some sort of a list — “5 Security Breaches You Need to Know about,” “17 Ways to Rank Higher in Google in One Month.” Hey, you’re already reading an article with the title “10 Types.”

Numbered ideas are as popular as ever. You can’t go wrong with this content type. Even popular magazines use list appeal to sell issues.

There’s no magic number for an awesome list. Odd numbers, round numbers, any types of numbers — they all work equally well.

Caution:

The more detailed your list is, the better. Long lists are good too.

Content Type 8: Link Pages

A link page is simply a post that provides links to great resources around the web. The great thing about link posts is that they spread link love to other sites, provide your own site with authoritative SEO signals, and assert your thought leadership within your field.

A link page, often called a link roundup, is simply a list of links. Write down the title of the article, hyperlink it, and number it. Done.

Caution:

Adding an introduction before each link is preferable. Don’t Miss it!

Content Type 9: Ebook

An ebook is a long content packaged in a different format, usually as a PDF. Ebooks are often a downloadable product, available for free in exchange for joining a mailing list. Producing an ebook helps to strengthen your authority within a field, and it makes for a powerful method of sharing your knowledge with others.

Books have chapters. Be sure to subdivide the book into manageable, topic-oriented chunks. I suggest creating both a PDF version and an HTML version of the ebook. An HTML version allows you to embed video, audio, and other resources.

Caution:

Design is clutch. Ebooks without colors, graphics, and great formatting are considered not worth reading.

Content Type 10: Podcast

Podcasts had their phase of popularity, and they’re still a great form of content. Plus, they’re not hard to create. Many people listen to podcasts during their commute or exercise. You have a chance to spread your message farther and better using this format than a lot of other formats.

Creating a podcast is simple, provided you have a decent microphone and some technical knowledge. You can check out Apple’s guide.

Caution:

Don’t Hesitate in publishing the transcript of the podcast. This helps to add SEO value.

Final Words:

As scrolling down the above list, the variety of content available is endless, though there are more type of contents that did not make it to this list, but I will bring up another blog and enlighten you over them.

So, to summarize this topic, the more type of content you will use, the more effective your Content Marketing efforts will become.

With these 10 Types of Content That Work Best for SEO, the audience, in turn, listens, shares, learns, and converts.

Do share your feedback & views and also what type of content do you prefer and why?

April 20, 2017 0 comment

Content Writing Online Marketing Search Engine Optimization

7-Step Checklist to Refresh Your Website Content

written by Lovelesh Sharma

To maximize your profits from website content, you need to be regular in its development. Often marketers consider effective web content as the end of the success road, but, it is not the case.

Web content if to be result-oriented, has to be refreshed, revamped and updated constantly. Having said that, another common question that arises from here, which might confuse a lot of content marketers, is the list of key points or the checklist to be followed while refreshing or updating the website content.

Now here the idea is not to initiate a brain exercise for the marketers to brainstorm about What? What? What?, but a simple and effective giveaway. Here is the secret checklist that assures an effective way to refresh website content.

Checklist #1: Title Tag & Meta Description

Title tag – the text that appears on the top of the browser over the address bar in the tab. This is standard and from ages we have been witnessing it on each webpage ever visited. Coding has this text in the <title> tags.

Title-Tag

Being the most important element for SEO, it is a powerful indication of relevance and appears as the link on search results pages. Ideal character limit for the title tag is up to 55. So cut it short, crisp & exact.

Note: Don’t forget to insert the target keyphrase at least once in the title. Preferably at the beginning.

Another important element is the meta description. Though meta keywords have lost their worth, but the meta description remains noteworthy. It is the text that is visible in the search results and not necessary that it should also appear in the content of the page.

The “snippet” of text under each search result is either portion from actual content or meta description. In other words, it is the first glance of the content that is in store for the searcher or the user. Hence, making it good is a must.

Meta-Descriptions

A simple English summary of your actual content of the page is what your ideal meta description should be. Ideal character limit for the meta description is up to 155 characters.

Note: Don’t forget to insert the target keyphrase once in the title or not more than two times.

Checklist #2: Keyphrase Use & Semantically Linked Words

Using keyphrase and its density in the body of the article is a crucial aspect to take care of. When it comes to density, keyphrase can appear 2-5 times in the content body. We recommend using the words of the target phrase collectively as a ‘bonded’ phrase.

While editing the content, you need make sure that the phrase is used well, but also not overused.

Keyphrase

Image Source : Forcepoint

CAUTION!! Over stuffing of keywords is a big NO. Don’t let your readers just go through the keywords again & again. They are smart and you can be easily caught off guilty for ‘keyword stuffing’. Too much repetition can attract bad rankings and chances are quite bright, that you might be penalized.

Further from the specific target phrase, it is advisable to make most of words that are semantically linked to the phrase. Explaining and stretching your meaning by the use of words that closely related to the target keyphrase.

Relevant content and general topic are widely loved by the search engines and offers good search rankings.

Checklist #3: Headline & Secondary Headline

A headline is that part which 60% wins your audience attention. Making sure that it is formatted using the <h1> header tag is a must. Making sure of the aspects like, target keyphrase, indicating relevance to search engines and asserting general topic to headers. Further of all these, the headline should be drafted for readers.

An effective headline can bring in readers’ wandering thoughts to attention. Using special characters generates scope for adding second headline. Which increases the chances of a better engagement rate & conversions. As per a study by The Guardian, ‘headlines with dashes and colons had 9% higher click rates’.

Perfect-headline

Here are some tricks that can be used you create catchy and effective headlines and also open scope for secondary headlines.

Advance Content Marketing Guide: 5 Marketing Tricks Search Engines Love
Promise a specific benefit
Create urgency
Use a number
Ask a question
Trigger curiosity or emotion

Checklist #4: Featured Image & Secondary Image

Content, either it is a blog or an article, if it has images in it, the chances are very bright that it will have more sharing & clicks over the social platforms.

Images when added to content makes it visually appealing and hence grabs a lot of attention. Another element that gets added to content with images is memory. The pictorial effect makes it memorable.

Note: For your content to be a success, never post an article or blog without an image.

Set-Featured-Image

The featured image is a visual face of an article & blog. This image is what most likely will appear on the social platforms when they are seen on social media platforms. Most social media sites show a rectangular area of the image, which is roughly twice as wide as it is tall.

Tall images usually are cropped, as the “aspect ratio” is 2:1 which means showing just the area vertically centered. So social media optimized images must meet one of these criteria:

Width should be double in ratio as compared to the length or tallness
The main subject of the image should be visible in the center in a vertical form, rather than somewhere in the top or bottom of the image.

Always make sure that you add the heading as the title in the image, this adds value and meaning to the image. This also increases shares and clicks on the social media platform.

Subheadings and formatting make articles easier to go through or scan, but images altogether builds interest and keep visitors or readers engaged.

Image of 500X500 after few paragraphs can keep the visual attention very easily. At every scroll depth the engagement can get stronger. Today, no write-up is full of just text, images are visibly everywhere.

With most bloggers promoting images in their write-ups, 50% of surveyed bloggers are adding multiple images per post.

Checklist #5: Formatting & Linking

No reader/visitor likes to look at a wall of text. Formatting your content and breaking it into paras & sentences to make it readable is a must. Well-formatted content is truly engaging.

Short Paras

An ideal length of a paragraph should be no longer than four lines. Using short paras helps the reader to absorb the information gradually and easily. One long sentence or two short sentences can add greater emphasis.

Bold & Italics

Another excellent way to add emphasis to any text is by using formatting tools. Bold or Italic text naturally attracts attention & also add emphasis.

Personalization In Tone

Directing your text to a specific person or a group of readers can help you achieve your ultimate goal of converting your reader into a lead or a customer.

formatting-toolbar

Another great way to add emphasis is by linking. Here are various types of links that can be created everytime you are to hit the ‘Publish’ button.

Link from each new article to an older article
Link to each new article from an older article
Link from every article to a product or service page
A link from each article to the article of an authority or expert with supportive content

Linking is an easy and effective SEO measure. Internal linking between pages, add authority flow between different webpages of your website. External linking though, has way more impact on your rankings. But, with internal linking you easily add target keywords in the anchor text.

Checklist #6: Call-to-Action

Once you are geared up with a well-structured content copy to offer, it’s time to ask for something in return. Every great post has a call-to-action, inviting the visitor to become more engaged with your content or your business.

It can simply at the end, can be kept as an invitation to leave a comment. Adding a question or opinion in the end can allow them to offer an answer.

call-to-action

Another example of an effective CTA can be a one sentence pitch to subscribe to the newsletter. After finishing to read the post, this can be the right point of appreciation and it is very likely that they will subscribe.

For some website pages a CTA might urge the reader to contact. Here the aim is to crack a conversation about how can you be of help to them, in case they turn into a lead.

Checklist #7: Author Box & Sharing

Creating an appealing author box is quite easy, thanks to the leading blog software. However, no matter how easy or difficult it is to create an author box, it is worth the effort. The author gets recognition over various platforms and earns credibility. This reliability helps is enhancing the conversion rate. The perfect author box includes the following:

Profile picture
Brief biography (in few sentences)
Link to the author’s bio on the website
Link to other social media profiles
Additional Media Elements

social-media-sharing

Apart from the author bio, in recent times your content effectiveness highly depends on how well it is shared. The easier it is to share, the more it will be shared. This is another simple way to optimize your content for social media.

With an appealing caption or a tweak, either from the content copy or a line created that briefly explains the content, you can create interest and enhance the sharing rate. Using the article link along with hashtags and mentions is an easy way to make your content shareable.

To Wrap It Up!

Before you press that publish button, make sure you have included everything in your website content. So, did we miss anything? Do share if you any query or suggestion over the checklist to note while refreshing web content, mentioned above.

April 12, 2017 0 comment

Content Marketing Content Writing

9 Brain-Training Exercises for Your Content Marketing Team

written by Lovelesh Sharma

Do you feel your writing skills are completely stumped?

You deal with a constant brawl to dig out more from your Content Marketing Team?

Writing on a routine, usually kills the creative edge of a content resource. Once it gets killed, the whole job role is to fill in the word count goal and earn that monthly paycheck.

With such an attitude, a business can gain a mountain of words, but not effective and engaging content, that can be the only right thing your Content Marketing Strategy is looking out for.

If this sounds similar to what you are experiencing with your Content Marketing Team, then you should be beware of these burnout signs.

So, how can you get over this or avoid a major plight, the answer to this is 9 brain-training exercises that will help your team to refresh their mind for creativity.

Many established brands do a weekly meet up, where all the employees are motivated to work better, lift each other and even undertake fun activities that can spark creative thinking.

Now without dragging it any further, here are the 9 brain-training exercises that can add the spirit to be creative in your Content Marketing team; Doesn’t matter if the team is you as an individual.

Good-Writing-Needs

Decisive Bad Writing To Initiate Good Writing Habits

This exercise involves, matching your tone with your audience.

To take this up, any brand content piece from either social media post or maybe from the on-site blog, and re-writing as per a decided target audience.

Now this exercise is not about a re-writing practice. The fun part here is, you need to write completely mismatching your audience or in other words, it should be poor in targeting the audience.

Add the fun element in writing. Humor!

Adding a smile or a laugh to each other is the main aim of this meet up. Here while adding a humor to the writing style, you can also discover the right way to target the audience, by working on a wrong way to focus them.

The mind learns the right way to reach the target audience, by just laughing it out on the wrong way.

A Walk Through The Buyer’s Journey

This brain-training exercise helps the content marketers to understand the buyer’s journey in a more tangible way.

In their regular practice, content marketers are inclined to consider the proposed journey a lot, but with this exercise, they can ground their thinking and stimulate creative expression.

What-is-your-buyers-journey

Image Source: Sproutbox Media

Discuss amongst your team members about their last buying process. Assembling all the examples, and reaching out to the buying decision while creating a storyboard, can help the team members to base their content creation on this.

This brain-training exercise brings down the essence and encourages the real-world model for buying process.

Which can further help in framing their words right.

Playing With The Headlines

The Headline is undoubtedly the most powerful element of a content copy.

Playing with headline in different tones which will appeal to different audiences. Here, setting the tone as per audience is the trick.

Pick up a brand’s content copy and let each team member give a different & suitable headline to it.

Once done, discuss the various headlines produced. Discuss the different feelings that are evoked by each member and how they serve different audiences.

This will naturally help any Content Marketing Team to develop better headlines.

persuasive-writing

Fun While Being Persuasive

Another exercise that motivates to be talking & speaking persuasively, no matter what the subject may be.

This game is very significant for businesses that have a wide & different type of audience.

Use of random nouns and adjectives with the help of software who generate them for you. So create two lists of the count of ten. Now each team member picks a combination of 1 adjective & 1 noun from the created list, and then has to market the product (as a result of this combination) to the team.

It is a great exercise to create few laughs, which mentally developing a persuasive speech and how the product is low in significance compared to what narrative marketers can develop.

Strike-Off Of The Clichés

This exercise is pretty basic, but quite effective.

Just simply striking off the clichés from the copies of your fellow team members. This has to be done with a creative bend and to generate more colorful metaphors.

A couple of minutes can be offered to the team and the task is to strike off as many clichés as they can.

While striking off each cliché, they have to share a new way of communicating the idea.

Things To Avoid In Your Content Copy

Clichés are anti-expression & anti-personal writing.

Headlines & More Headlines

This game helps your team think about the power of a headline, and how different headlines strike different tones and appeal to different audiences.

Start with the headline of one of your team’s recent blog posts (or other content). Have everyone suggest ways to rewrite the headline. For example:

Then discuss the different headlines everyone generated. What feelings do each invoke? How do they attract or repel different audiences?

This exercise can help your team write better headlines, naturally. But it also serves to inspire more critical thinking about audience and tone that will more deeply inform content creation.

Reverse The Process

Reverse the process of buying decision. The influences those were present in the buyer’s process while making the purchase.

With the team, imagine the whole process of the buyer & his journey.

What was the motivation behind the decision? Keep going ahead like this to reach all the way at the top.

This will help in creating a creative content strategy for the future.

The team might develop new ways to reach out to the existing customers, or even recognize a new audience.

Let Every One Be A Superhero

Superheroes have super-powers.

Let each team member be a superhero and decide on their super-power.

This will help in realizing the core strength of each resource and let the business build and effective solution strategy.

This exercise breaks the conventional route and sparks in the faded creativity.

Be-Different

Act Different, Be Different

In this exercise, let each team member be clubbed in a group of 2-3.

Then each team must come together to bring in different ideas to solve a similar issue.

This exercise brings up an example of different mindsets, that a Content Marketing Team is made up of.

Knowing each others thinking process and learning from each other, this exercise adds insight and escalates knowledge of each team member and adds to their creativity.

Brain Exercising To Expand Creativity

Creativity might be gifted to some, while others might need such brain-training exercises to add that spark to their content copy.

Try these 9 exercises to train & encourage your Content Marketing Team with no or less cost.

Do share your feedback and share which exercises worked best for you.

March 20, 2017 0 comment

Content Writing Online Marketing

Why Content Is The Most Important Thing On Your Website

written by Lovelesh Sharma

Why A Website Is Considered Incomplete Without Content?

Why Content on a website is among the two major elements? – Design & Content

Content is an asset that makes your website distinctive from others on the Internet.

The success of your business largely depends on how you market your products and services with the aid of writing and presentation.

It is important to gain and retain customers for achieving goals. An engaging and persuasive writing style wins the customers and promises sales. If the website lacks good content, it simply ends up in oblivion by the courtesy of Search Engine Optimization.

Here is your graphical guide to learn more about Website Content & its importance.

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So what’s your take on the significance of website content?

Do share your views or insights that can add up to this blog & it’s topic.

March 14, 2017 0 comment

Content Marketing Content Writing

Why To Outsource Your Business Content Requirements?

written by Lovelesh Sharma

Developing content is tough. It might seem easy, but really is not!

Only experts can master its art and help any business achieve goals and desired results.

Content marketing is a viable and important marketing strategy for any business. Offerings to customers change over the period of time.

By keeping content specifically relevant, any business can have editorial control over its website and other collateral’s.

Content is the only key that helps to disseminate business goals and offers time to time. It is important for a business to work on its content management policies time to time in order to update and retain customers.

With all other equally important strategies to work on, content management often gets overlooked. And which is not a healthy practice.

This is where outsourcing technology comes to rescue.

So, this big reason makes it important for businesses to outsource content. Outsourcing business content requirements are a great solution for business marketers across the spectrum.

44% of B2B marketers outsource content as per the survey conducted by the Content Marketing Institute. Also, the percentage of design, editing and distribution tasks outsourcing hits around 57% of B2B marketers across the globe.

Outsourcing content to the domain experts who specialize in fulfilling any business requirement is exactly what a business should look for.

It has numerous benefits. It is simple to find out suitable writers from various agencies or freelance websites online. Ensuring quality content, the received material is only aimed for substantial returns from it.

Why Outsourcing Content Creation Is A ‘Yes’?

It has been in debate since long whether a company should outsource business requirements or not. Outsourcing business content requirements, benefits a company in a number of ways.

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Consider these advantages before taking a side.

Strengthens Content Marketing Strategy

Effective content helps a business in a number of ways. Elevated brand awareness, improved SEO, increased sales and conversion and customer retention are to name a few.

Good quality content can be assured if it is put in the right hands.

Why not let domain masters do the job?

The activity will yield nothing but assured productive end results?

Outsourcing to a reliable content agencies or freelancing websites can radically improve existing content marketing strategy or even help in creating one if it is missing.

A company should let the agencies/writers understand its goals and content requirements. Also, it is important to learn about the important techniques and tools put in use.

Content creators and such agencies also help companies in recognizing what types of content will be the most effective assets for different goals. They also guide in-house content marketing team to use relevant tools and templates to promote content.

To keep pace with changing trends, content specialists help a business to update, evaluate and analyze content performance results which only broadens the spectrum of improvement.

Content Marketing Strategy

Gives More Control Over The Finished Product

Content specialists bring flair to the company’s marketing materials. They are celebrated for their persuasive writing style, professionalism, quality and flexibility.

This asset gives the company strong hold on what to approve, reject or reassign.

Also, outsourcing content keeps the company’s mindset reflection at bay as a complete third person is producing content which is unique, informative, assertive and interesting.

Content Needs

Access To A Wider Skill Set; Take Advantage. Better Results Assured!

Outsourcing business’s content creation may be a necessity to develop materials that shall build consumer interest.

Business marketing materials may not just restrict to write-up only. They could demand inclusion of videos, images, infographics and more.

Using the knowledge and abilities of experts is always fruitful. It helps in brand awareness, assures competitive advantage and enhances customer retention.

Thus, outsourcing helps a business access a wider skill set to take advantage of their expertise in order to nurture itself.

Saves Time With Fast Turnaround And Multitasking

Outsourcing saves time and efforts required to be employed in content production.

There are dependable agencies that deliver premium work within given time frame. Be it a blog or an article, every piece of work is developed with complete dedication without failing expectations.

It hugely saves time allowing the company to dedicate efforts to complete multiple projects at the same time.

Is Feasible And Reasonable

Outsourcing is a cost effective way to manage content related tasks within the budget.

If any business is not set up to perform content specific functions, then it is strongly recommended to pay someone and get the job done.

Wider Range Of Content Types

Assuring several accompanying benefits, outsourcing content development allows a business to experiment with different types and themes of content. It helps in retaining customers on the website and other collaterals.

Since the customers like to see activity, if the content is different and interesting, it helps in engaging customers and earning their loyalty.

It also helps a business to figure out what is working best for the company.

Helps In Building Long-Term Relationships

It is suggested to businesses to invest some time in building relationships with content writers.

Any content service provider or agency is basically a bridge that helps two parties to connect with each other. It is an individual writer who delivers the project with enthusiasm.

It is necessary to maintain harmony with the writers as they are no different from the in-house employed team.

It is good to reward and acknowledge them too for their exceptional performance

Final Take

Don’t wait for too long, for your content to be a hit.

Outsource your content-based business needs today, and ensure that your business gets a leverage from all the above-mentioned benefits.

Let us know if this helped!

Do share your take on outsourcing business content requirements.

March 10, 2017 0 comment

Content Writing Online Marketing

10 Best Blogs For Entrepreneurs In 2017

written by Lovelesh Sharma

Reading is gaining. Irrespective of the nature of business, there are endless blogs that can benefit entrepreneurs and help them in boosting their business and productivity. With count being too high, reading every blog might consume more than it will deliver as an outcome. So here is a list of blogs that are a must to indulge in, if you look out to develop and grow in the competitive business environment.

John Rampton

This blog is owned by the leading social influencer and digital marketing guru, John Rampton. Small and new entrepreneurs who aim to lead in social and online marketing, this blog offers some great tips for you. People who look to grow in the social and online marketing world will love this blog with up-to-date content.

Follow @johnrampton

Close School of Entrepreneurship

This blog is packed up with practical tips for all aspiring and new entrepreneurs who are looking out to make it big and have just started their journey towards success. All the queries and concerns every entrepreneur might have or experience in their initial journey, has its solution in here. For useful information and great advice, this blog serves as the right pool of information.

Follow @thecloseschool

JumpStart Blog

If you are a first-time entrepreneur and looking out for an advice to start the journey towards success, looking out to build good networks and aiming to get branding guidance and more, this blog is perfect you. This blog offers useful, helpful and easy to follow tips and tricks that every business owner is looking out for.

Follow @jumpstartblog

Occam’s Razor

This blog is owned by the digital marketing guru Avinash Kaushik. He aims to focus on assisting entrepreneurs in improving their online visibility and engagements. Every entrepreneur who is looking out for any assistance, this blog is for you.

Follow @avinash

Chris Brogan

For every small and independent entrepreneur who is looking out for great advice on marketing and branding, this blog is for you. Chris works with some big brand names like GM, Google, Microsoft and Pepsi. If you are looking out for some great tips on online branding and content marketing, this blog is for you.

Follow @chrisbrogan

500 Startups

If you are looking out for investment tips or small business marketing, 500 startups is full of useful tips that every aspiring entrepreneur might look out for. With expert startup guides to advice, an entrepreneur can be rest assured about the credibility.

Follow @500startups

WorkAwesome

All the entrepreneurs who love what they do and do it well, WorkAwesome is for you. If you are looking out to improve your management, habits, productivity, etc. you are at the right pool of information. This blog helps every entrepreneur to become more efficient in running their business with the help of wide content available on it.

Follow @workawesome

Business Unplugged

For all the freelancers, entrepreneurs and business people, if you need no-nonsense advice, this blog is for you. With various tips and tricks on marketing, productivity and finance, this blog caters to all the entrepreneurs who are serious about getting their business achieve high success.

Follow @caroljsroth

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Octane Blog

If as an entrepreneur, you are looking out for serious advice to develop in your field, Octane blog, is the right pool of information for you. With inspiring stories of and by business leaders and speakers, this blog is maintained by high-powered business people and aims to serve the same set of experts.

Follow @EntrepreneurOrg

Small Business Labs

If as an entrepreneur, you are looking out to get insights about the biggest trends and shifts that will have a great impact over the small business enterprises, this blog is for you. This blog helps in learning business trends that will have an impact in the near future.

Follow @smallbizlabs

To Wrap It Up:

So there you are. With top 10 blogs for entrepreneurs in 2017. If your blog made it to our list of top 10, feel free to share it with your readers over promotional platforms and your blog as well.

February 27, 2017 0 comment

Content Writing Freelance Writing Tips

7 Freelancing Myths Revealed

written by Sakshi Anand

Freelancing world has evolved immensely. With more than 70% hike in outsourcing industry, the scope for freelancing industry has multiplied like never before. There is an array of services that companies look out to outsource and to match up the demand, the supply is even more widespread.

From designing to data entry to development, etc. Freelancing has left no room for any talent unturned. Writing services are one of the most common practice undertook as freelancing. Though, the freelancing industry is evolving like never before, still there are several myths about freelancing that needs to get a reality check.

Myth 1 – Less Stressful Compared To A Day Job

Reality –

Stress is a common factor with every work form and freelancing is no different. It can actually be super demanding. Negotiation of price, offering error-free work is really a tough job. When you have deadlines to meet, or offer high-quality and well-researched work, things can take a high on you. Here the best approach a freelancer can undertake, is to manage and plan their work, this will not only take off the stress, but will also offer higher productivity to each of their processes.

Myth 2 – It Is Not A Full-time Career Option

Reality –

To consider freelancing as a source of that extra income, can be the biggest mistake a freelancer might be making. Freelancing has evolved and is an equally good option to undertake as a full-time career. Freelancers are making the best out of their fields. Managing freelancing as a full-time career might be slightly tough, but strategic management and the right mindset can make it completely possible.

Myth 3 – A Freelancer Can Work As Per Their Convenient Hours

Reality –

Working flexible is the biggest advantage that has been attached to freelancing for long now. But the harsh reality is, freelancers have a strict timeline for their work as well. Just the leverage to work outside the routine fixed hours, a freelancer still has to work within a specific deadline offered by the client. Many a times, working for global clients and mending as per their time zone can even worse the timelines. Freelancers can ease up their process, by planning a timetable for effective time management. With the list of work and deadlines intact on the to-do list, each professional freelancer can ease up the timely delivery.

Myth 4 – Best Option For Making A Big Amount In No Time

Reality –

Money making is not easy. Many consider this industry as easy money making and which is the biggest myth about the freelancing world. To become a professional and high-earning freelancer is not a quick and easy process. Gaining a list of high-profile clients and a develop an appealing and self amusing portfolio is not a day’s work. Undoubtedly, freelance industry has a great scope for money making, but every productive process does take time.

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Myth 5 – Working For Less Hours

Reality –

Though a freelancer might work a bit less if compared with routine day job, but being a regular profession, freelancers work no less than any professional to be compared with. If not in the work process, tasks like, preparing proposals for clients, maintaining accounts, marketing your skills and building a good network, always keep a freelancer occupied.

The time investment is really not limited to, actual working hour, but each minute involved in excelling in the particular career gets counted.

Myth 6 – Freelancer Has To Take What Client Offers

Reality –

This can be considered as the biggest myth ever attached to freelancing. Every freelance professional holds equal rights and authority to decide the scope of work to undertake and decide the price for it. They are the one offering the services and thus, can by all means dictate their own terms and pricing. The final decision to work or not, is solely left to the freelancers. Remember a service provider marks the selling price, not the buyer.

Myth 7 – Work From Home Is The Best Thing Ever

Reality –

Freelancers might miss out on the scope of learning which comes along when one works in motivating and co-working environment. This myth that one can work in the most productive way only when left alone or a comfortable work space. Having said that, this really not takes the pleasure off from working from home, but communicating with people around when working, can actually add to the productivity. To each one its own, but working in a professional setup can be highly productive too.

To Summarize:

Breaking the freelancing myths and getting a reality check is a must for every freelancer to prosper in their respective work areas. Considering it a source of extra income is old, the new thought of taking freelancing as a full-fledged career is THE thing in recent times. What’s your take?

February 24, 2017 0 comment