content develoment tips - Express Writers

25 Web Content Creation ROI Tips: Copy That Sells (Infographic)

25 Web Content Creation ROI Tips: Copy That Sells (Infographic)

Creating great web content online is the best way to help push site conversions and bring in awesome new clients. But, how can you create content that sells? In other words, have content ROI? Content that is crafted well has the ability to return on investment, or ROI, for your brand. In this infographic, we take a look at the top reasons you need great content, with 25 useful, fundamental tips to help you get knee-deep in the creation of copy that sells. Full transcript below. Enjoy! And if you like this, we’d love a share and comment!  Transcript Why is Awesome Web Content Vital? You have approximately 8 seconds to convince someone to stay – after that, you could lose them. Around 96% of site visitors are not ready to buy yet, and content keeps them coming back until they do. If you create and publish around 31-40 landing pages, you’re likely to generate 7 times the amount of leads than those who don’t. And 40+ generates 12 times more. Visual content like product videos can increase purchases by 144%. Research shows that Google consistently ranks posts over 2,500 words.  25 Surefire Ways to Create Web Content that Sells (Content ROI) Here are some great ways to create wonderful content that can help boost your sales and bring you ROI. Emotions Help Motivate. Emotions are an incredible way to motivate clients to act. Peer pressure, self-improvement tips, and more are excellent motivators. Weave these in your copy.  Create a Sense of Urgency. When writing your content, make sure you create a sense of urgency. Show that there is a demand for your product. Tie in brevity to urgency to compel your reader. Create a Case Study. 63% of UK marketers think that case studies are excellent marketing tactics. You can use them to show customers information about your company and product, convincing them to choose you. Create Evergreen Content. Well-researched, in-depth, long-form blogs that answer timeless questions are considered evergreen. These pieces can convert readers and rank you high in Google if done right. And, they’ll always stay relevant. Have Excellent Headlines. Half of your content creation time should be spent coming up with a persuasive headline. Make it useful, have urgency, be unique, and specific. Plug in power words and adjectives to transform an otherwise typical headline. Don’t Be Afraid to Have a Conversational Voice. Think of this like how you’d talk to a client who is also a friend over coffee. Enrich your content with a lively, fun, conversational tone. This can help immensely with building connections that will convert.  Find Your One “Thing.” Each company has a “thing” that sets them apart – yours included. Find your “thing” and focus on it with your content. Research Audience Needs. Content that sells needs one crucial element – audience research. Know what your audience needs and create content they can use. Stay Authentic. Marketing now requires authenticity, especially if you plan to market to millennials. Be unique, for example showcasing pictures of your office on Instagram, and your daily grind—and have fun while you’re doing it. Your brand fans will love it! Create a Plan for Content. Plan out your content through various tools such as editorial calendars. You will find it easier to maintain a consistent content plan with one. Make Important Info A Focus. Simple tip, but a vital reminder. This goes for pricing, calls to action, and any other pertinent info. Don’t let it get lost on site or else you’ll lose visitors.  Refine Your Approach. Compile a full list, or “brain dump,” of your ideas for content pieces. Next, narrow down and refine your approach. Create content on just a few of your narrowed-down, hot topics for impactful results. Make Vital Points Standout. People only read about 20% of all of the content on your page – make what you want them to see stand out from the rest. Remove Distractions. Too many choices can create higher levels of anxiety for visitors, which can negatively impact conversion rates. Focus on your highest seller or main pain point and dwindle down anything else. Make Your Content Easy to Scan. Only 16% of readers will read all of your blog content, but 79% of visitors will scan. Writing easy-to-scan content will help you reach out to every visitor and reader. Break your content up with sub-headers.  Use the Power of One. The “power of one” helps you establish one big idea that you can focus on. This can often be your one “thing,” as well. Focus on one thought for every page or post. Know Which Content Types Work Well. Multiple content formats are excellent, but before you jump into each, make sure you know which ones will work the best. Test, analyze, and check the engagement of your content types; and tweak or change your habits accordingly.  Utilize Visual Content. When an image is used, tweets see more engagement with 18% more tweets, 89% favorites, and 150% re-tweets. And Facebook saw a growth of 3.6x in the amount of videos used on the channel. Write Long-Form Content. Long content gives the perception of added value, making people more likely to trust and read. Posts over 2,500 words also do very well in the rankings. Create Relevant Content. You don’t want content that is outdated or doesn’t make sense to your audience. Instead, write content on trending topics within your industry as well as content you know your audience wants and needs to see. Bloggers, Include a Subscription Box. Email subscription boxes are a great way to give visitors access to content, eventually converting them into leads. (For every $1 spent on email marketing, average revenue is $44.25.) Test Different Calls to Action. Just by changing and testing the copy on their calls to action, Mozilla saw higher download rates for Firefox. They went from “Try Firefox” to “Download Firefox – Free”, and saw more clicks. Try and test actionable verbs and adjectives to convince people to click, purchase, and share … Read more

25 Reasons for Outsourcing Your Blog Writing

25 Reasons for Outsourcing Your Blog Writing

With over 91% of marketers embracing content marketing today, in-house is out when it comes to content creation! But what exactly does this mean? Does it mean your in-house writers are defunct and outsourcing is the only way to get content today? Of course not! Most companies have use for in-house writers, and they won’t be entirely defunct anytime soon. That said, though, outsourcing your blog writing is becoming a popular decision, and many companies are utilizing a mix of in-house and outsourced content creation to run their businesses and boost their content output. In 2014, 62% of companies outsourced their content marketing. Today, marketers around the country are outsourcing a whopping 18% of their total content, and writing stands out as one of the most-commonly outsourced duties. While it seems obvious that outsourcing your blog writing can save companies time and money, the impact goes far deeper than that! Read on to learn more about why you should consider outsourcing your blog writing, and how it can help your company grow. Why Should You be Outsourcing Your Blog Writing? The biggest drawback of content creation is that it’s time-consuming. Today, 10% of marketers spend between 16-20 hours each week on their social media content alone. When you expand that to blog writing, article publication, and graphic creation, it becomes obvious just how much of a burden creating great content can be for busy managers and business owners. For many companies, this burden is just too much. Unfortunately, content is also too valuable to ignore. Companies that invest in content stand to enjoy the following benefits: A bigger audience Established authority A rapport and engagement with viewers Opportunities to turn leads into customers The ability to tell your story A platform to meet new people The ability to stand out Capacity to brand yourself as an expert in your industry The opportunity to make money and increase the company’s bottom line Companies who are outsourcing blog writing have more time to work on the business rather than in the business. In fact, professional blog writing can work to enhance all these vital benefits. What Can You Outsource? Today, you can outsource just about anything. Modern content creation is primarily web-based. It’s the process of researching, organizing, writing, and editing information for cyber publication. It’s not just writing, either. Aside from written material, content creation can include the following: Graphics and pictures Video Creation Podcasts Twitter Chats and other social interactions Some of the most foundational components of content creation include: Social media Blogging Web content Landing pages Sales pages White papers Press releases Articles and documents The creation of SlideShare presentations And the list goes on! While most companies want to create all these types of content for their online presence, few have time. This is where the decision for outsourcing your blog writing and other content creation responsibilities comes in! 25 Smart Reasons for Outsourcing Your Blog Writing Whether you’re an old outsourcing pro or you’re looking at making the decision for the first time, here are the 25 top reasons for outsourcing blog writing: 1. Outsourcing Passes Content Creation Along To Professionals If you don’t specialize in content creation, you’ll find yourself at a marked disadvantage. Professionals who specialize in the content industry know every nook and cranny, hidden detail, and trend. They understand every kind of content, and they work to best leverage it for their clients. This allows you to create better content across the board. 2. Not Everyone Can Write We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Not everyone can write, and that’s okay! Writing is a complex, learned task, and it’s often best left to the professionals. We’ve always been advocates of investing in the right copywriter to enhance your content development efforts, and the skilled writers working behind the scenes of content creation companies can help you skip the stress, pain, and investment of doing it yourself. 3. Outsourced Content = Quality Content When you work with an outsourced content creation team, you get a team of professionals that includes editors and writers. This helps ensure quality. Each piece of content you outsource gets a detail-oriented review before it goes live. This helps prevent spelling and grammar mistakes and ensures that all your content is material your brand is proud to attach its name to. 4. Increased Reliability When you work with in-house content creators, your projects can easily be stalled by someone getting sick or missing work. When you outsource, though, you’re working with a team, which means there’s always another writer to step in if someone drops out 5. Hands-Off Ease Ever wanted to create a situation where you don’t have to think about your content at all? Outsourcing your blog writing can make it happen. Content creation teams can create, manage, and post all your content for you, allowing you to kick back and enjoy the ride, without the hassle and burden of managing a team. 6. Quality SEO and Technical Knowledge Outsourced content teams keep up-to-date on the latest content trends and understand the best strategies to further your business in the digital age. By working with them, you can enjoy quality, SEO-optimized content that adheres to Google’s current standards and ranks well online. 7. Lower Costs Companies thinking about staffing an in-house content curation team need to consider the cost. It’s not simply a matter of finding and hiring qualified team members. This number also includes finding the space, tools, and budget for the entire department. Outsourcing gives you the ability to reduce your overhead and focus on what matters the most: talented, professional assistance. 8. Large Talent Pools Today, the best talent might be across the country from you. Fortunately, outsourcing your content allows you to access it. This is one of the many reasons outsourcing is such a positive move. It allows you to track down that perfect fit, whether it’s down the street or on the other side of the US. 9. … Read more