In a world where the answer to every unanswerable question is “Google it,” it is easy to see why marketing people really want to be friends with the almighty search engine.
In other terms, Google is the stereotypical popular girl in every high school or frat movie, and companies are the minions hanging on to her every word. If Google says SEO matters, then Company A is going to use SEO as much as possible hoping against hope that Google looks over and finally notices them.
The Story Says: Lose All Your Followers Trying For A Quick Success, Or Gain Steady & Sure Results
And for a while, Google just might. However, if you ever watch all the way to the end of one of those movies, you know there are only two possible endings. The first is that the popular girl turns out to be the bad guy and nobody should have been trying to impress her in the first place. The second is that the popular girl turns out to be a regular girl who doesn’t just want a lot of yes men. She wants a real friend who truly cares about her.
In today’s writing market, we are at the part of the movie where we see Google is really looking for quality friendships (i.e., good writing), not just someone spewing out whatever it is they think Google wants to hear (i.e., bad marketing).
(See, Google, I made you the protagonist, not the villain—your turn to rank me higher.)
Why Getting Ranked Is NOT the Same as Making a Sale
When you want to get ranked highly for a term such as dentists in Detroit, you don’t want to sound like you are trying to get ranked for the term dentists in Detroit. Because if you oversell the fact that you are advertising dentists in Detroit, people might find you when they search dentists in Detroit, but they will think you are the dumbest of all the dentists in Detroit – and who wants a dumb dentist, in Detroit or elsewhere?
When you care more about getting in your keywords and less about writing quality copy people care about, you get writing as seen in the above paragraph, which was probably as annoying to read as it was to write. Nobody is going to trust you or use you if that is how you sound. Good writing trumps bad marketing.
There is an old sales trick that even people who have never worked a day in sales might know: when you are trying to sell someone something, repeat their name a lot so that you remember it because no one wants to buy something from someone who can’t be bothered to learn who they are.
Really good salespeople can weave a name in and out of conversation, and you don’t even realize what is happening. You think, ‘Wow! This guy/gal is great. They get me.’ And before you know it, you’ve got way more wrapping paper or Girl Scout cookies (or whatever else they happen to be pedaling) than you could ever need or want.
Then you’ve got those salespeople who learned this lesson on the first day of class and ran with it. That’s when you get conversations like this:
“Hi, Ethel. It’s nice to meet you, Ethel. How are you doing today, Ethel?”
“Oh. Um. I’m, great. Thanks. And you?”
“That’s great, Ethel. I’m great, too, Ethel. We should get lunch and talk business, Ethel.”
It’s these salespeople that, while certainly never forgotten, make you more likely to believe they are a serial killer or otherwise mentally deranged than make you want to buy their product.
Writing content for content’s sake is analogous to being the crazy, serial killer-type salesperson. Yes, you might get noticed, but who really cares if you scare away all your potential victims, err, I mean clients?
Getting noticed is not the same thing as making a sale. If you really want to sell your content, you have to be like that salesperson who knows how to artfully weave in a customer’s name – or keyword as the case may be – into a conversation in a natural and pleasing manner. You have to take the time to get to know the person (or people) you are selling to and talk to them as if they are actually human beings, because they are, instead of just shouting out a lot of marketing tactics you’ve heard might somehow work and hoping someone hears them. In other words, you have to connect with your audience or you’ll end up sounding like a lunatic.
The Quandary of Quantity Vs. Quality Content
If you have ever looked at an advertisement for a writing position, you tend to notice that terms such as ‘SEO experience’ and ‘quick turnaround’ often find themselves placed higher than the less important qualifications such as ‘good writing.’
Companies that are looking for anybody who happens to have a working computer and is willing to write for practically nothing are relying on the infinite monkey theorem. You’ve probably heard of it. Apparently, if you give a monkey a typewriter and let him hit keys at random for long enough, he’ll eventually type a Shakespearean piece. However, instead of hiring a hundred monkeys and hoping they’ll eventually get you something great, there is a better solution. Just hire Shakespeare (well, a good writer. I don’t think you’ll be able to get a hold of Shakespeare.)
Putting the time and effort into getting a real writer capable of great writing in lesser quantities, is going to pay off a lot more than hiring a bunch of sub-par, pseudo-writers who only offer a lot of content fast. After all, we are still reading Shakespeare today, but I’ve yet to hear of a real monkey who has successfully proven the infinite monkey theorem.
Three Steps to Avoid Creating a Blogs ‘R Us
What you have hopefully gotten from everything I have said is that you cannot purchase a chain-store, one size fits all blog for your company and hope to make it successful. If you want to be a real friend to the popular girl, succeed in salesperson tactics, and stop relying on monkey theorems, then there are a few steps you need to take.
Write for a reader, not for an algorithm. If you write content that you think your customers will really be interested in hearing, guess what? They probably will. Plus, it is likely you’re hitting a bunch of keywords without even trying. If you write for Google, you risk alienating both the search engine giant and your potential audience. So connect with your audience, and show Google you are a true-blue friend – not just a yes man.
Incorporate Google-ranking tips into real writing; don’t create writing to use the tips. When you write something just because you think the words you use will get you high up in a search, people are going to read what you say and be seriously turned off. Don’t ignore SEO, keywords, and other online marketing considerations, but use them in a way that makes you sound like a knowledgeable salesperson, and not a scary maniac.
Use a few skilled writers who will post great content, instead of hiring anybody who’s willing to type for cheap. A bunch of short, not thought-out posts will not get you anywhere. It might be cheap, but it’s still a waste of money. Hiring someone that knows what they are doing might be more expensive now, but it will be more profitable in the long-term.
Consider hiring a professional writing company. They’ll work with you to create the content you need, and they’ll do it with the help of a few good writers, not a room full of typing monkeys.
A lot of content marketers and bloggers have made a firm resolve to produce more content to increase their page ranking. Smart move!
As a serious blogger, you know that every single blog post you churn out breathes life into your content marketing strategy. You take pleasure in turning a website into a watering hole for those who thirst for knowledge on a particular subject. Writing is no doubt the easiest part when it comes to content creation, but the real pickle is coming up with great ideas to keep the reader glued to each crafted sentence. Oh yes, it can be pretty difficult to keep coming up with exceptional content that readers cannot get enough of. Writing good content all the time will require you to be pretty creative.
How to Write Good Content? Put On Your Thinking Cap!
Pretend that you are the head fashion designer for a fashion house that makes and sells great clothes and accessories. The challenge is getting your readers to feel the creativity, love, and sheer passion that you put into creating your fashionable pieces in less than 300 words. You do not want your content to read like a boring textbook – most readers cannot stand that! Let’s face it; this is America, where almost everyone owns a fashion line. How do you develop blog content that will help fashionistas and fashion conscious folks find your website and persuade them to purchase from you instead of the other fashion houses out there? This is the part where you simply turn to your creative super powers.
Okay, let’s explore 20 topic ideas for a steady content flow for a fashion house’s blog content. Please take note that each topic idea can actually be recycled and applied to your specific niche to make your blog interesting to read and the go-to resource for valuable content.
1. Emphasize on Products’ Uniqueness
You will need to master the art of focusing on the products you sell. One way of not running out of content to post is featuring your individual product pieces in separate blog posts, instead of re-writing the long list of shoes, earrings, gowns, shirts etc. in all your blog posts. You should pick an item and craft content about the item’s unique benefits. For instance, if the dress has a cut that makes the wearer look slimmer and appear taller, then by all means put it in the write-up! For some readers, wearing outfits that will make them appear slimmer and taller is the ideal purchase.
2. Tested and Trusted: Customer/Client Testimonials
After posting content that clearly puts each of your products in the spotlight, next you can create complimentary content that contain customer/client testimonials about the product, and then link fresh posts to the older relevant posts. People love to read about products that have been tried, tested, and trusted by other people.
3. Reward Readers
Create content to show your love and appreciation to your faithful readers by presenting them with great deals or giveaways. One of the best ways to get more people to subscribe to your blog or website is to use freebies or discount offers as bait.
4. Teach Them
Create articles to teach your readers how to use your products effectively and get the very best results. For example, you can create blog posts that will teach readers the following:
How to accessorize with a scarf, jewelry, earrings etc.
What colors to avoid
What colors are perfect for different skin tones
How to dress up for a cocktail
How to dress for the beach
What not to wear at a certain age
How to dress your age
It is impossible to run out of content ideas when you educate your readers on the best way to use your products.
5. Ask the Experts
Because you do not always have to talk about your products and business, you can search for ways to educate your target audiences. Ask professional models, make-up artists, and stylists to share their profound knowledge with your readers.
6. Help Them
Answering your readers’ questions is one way you can help them. For example, provide an answer or answers to questions that you know some of your readers will be dying to ask you. You should always continue to provide helpful tips to readers. Tell them the best ways to achieve a personal look that will help them standout in a crowd.
7.Share Stories
One of the great things about having celebrities in the world is being able to tell their stories to inspire, motivate, and even scare people into taking action. For example, you could create content around a fashionable famous person whose style has been copied over and over again. A really wonderful example of a fashion icon is Jackie Kennedy. She was known for her divine fashion sense. You could create an article on how to copy her style and make it your own using accessories from your fashion line. You could also share stories about celebrity fashion faux pas, and how to avoid it.
8. A Peek behind the Scenes
You can tell readers stories about a day in the life of a fashion designer. You may not find this interesting to write but there are readers who will be interested in knowing what goes on in a company and what it is like to walk in your shoes. You can also include what practices sets your company apart from the competition and why people choose to purchase your products.
9. Use Captivating Images
Tell a visual story with your products. This is especially important if you are in the fashion, sporting, or entertainment industry. Images give prospective customers an idea of what it is like to purchase your product. The pictures must be appealing to your target readers or consumers.
10. Share your Ideals
You can use your blog to share your ideas with your readers. One of the great things about blogs is that it gives you the opportunity to tone down legal jargon and make it understandable to readers. Why do you choose to use recyclable material to create your fashion accessories? Why do you choose to provide only quality products to your customers? Why do you take part in worthy community service projects? Use your blog to share your company and personal ideals.
11.Share Reviews
You can choose to review beauty enhancing products like wigs, hairpieces and other products and content related to beauty. Are the products or articles useful or a complete waste of time? Be sure to guide your readers to valuable resources.
12. Report the News
Talking about trending or important events is definitely one way to get fresh content. You can keep your blog or website content fresh by writing about target personas in the fashion industry on a consistent basis. You can also make announcement on the newest fashion events in town and create content on who was the best and worst dressed at the event. You can even get your readers to grade the best-dressed and worst-dressed person or celebrity at the event.
13. Award Shows
A standard blog post is 300 to 500 words, however it is best to create articles with longer word count on special occasions – this is the type of articles Google loves. Google loves articles that offer comprehensive information to readers. In the content, you could talk about celebrities that would be gracing the event with their presence and what they would likely be wearing at the event.
14. Predict
Most celebrities are known for wearing outrageous get-ups for big award shows, you can predict which celebrity will come to an award show dressed in something that looks like a movie sci-fi costume and which celebrities will play it safe.
15. Tutorials
Consider providing some training on how to make a simple garment or fashion accessory on your blog and see if your readers will be interested in learning from you. Or, you can teach your readers how to use your pieces to create different types of looks. You will be surprised to find out that a lot of people do not know how to dress for certain occasions. Providing them with the information they need to put their best face forward will make your blog more than a virtual clothes-peddling page.
16. Go Back in Time
You could go back in time! For instance, you could write about how the ancient Egyptians dressed and how they were fashion pioneers in their time. Egyptian men and women painted their eyes and wore clothes of a unique style, which have even been used in today’s fashionable garments. There is so much to write about when it comes to the history of fashion, technology, arts, sports, architecture, books and so much more.
17. Do Not Forget About the Environment
More and more people are becoming passionate about saving the environment. You can give tips and advice on the best way to save the environment by using environmental friendly fashion products.
18. Reader Contribution
Readers can share their stories on your blog. They could share their worst fashion mistakes or accessorizing disasters. This will give other readers the opportunity to comment on the post and share their own worst fashion disasters as well. Contributions from readers definitely apply to every industry. Think about it, if you produce content for an investment blog, don’t you think readers will appreciate reading a story (or reader contribution) of how a person lost thousands of dollars on an investment opportunity that seemed promising, only to realize that the offer was bogus? Most of us love to learn from other people’s mistakes or successes.
19. Comparison
Comparing one product to another is one way to get the attention of readers. But, you will have to be careful when comparing your product to that of the competition. You will need to be very smart when crafting words to make your product seem more superior to other products on the market. Instead of saying, “the material used in the construction of XYZ garments (the competition’s brand) is inferior to ours.” You could say, “Unlike other fashion brands on the market, ABC Couture does not compromise on the quality of materials used in the designing and production of its garments”
20. Direct Correspondence
You should not ignore the questions of your readers. You may not have the time to answer all of the questions that they ask, but ensure that you answer most of them in your blog posts. For those who already have an FAQ section, repurposing or updating the text and publishing it in series will be a great idea.
In a Nutshell – Create Your Very Own Blogging Arena
Generating top quality content will help you boost your company’s media brand. Blogging is basically a platform that will you make a connection with your target audiences, so that they can trust you enough to type in their credit card numbers on your ecommerce website. When you choose to create blog posts that have a purpose, your blog actually becomes a trusted channel where readers can get valuable and helpful news. Blogs are more than a webpage on the Internet; they are the watering holes where readers come to quench their thirst for good quality information.
Doing the Smart Thing
You do not have to focus on running your business and still worry about creating compelling blog posts each day, you can leave the blog content creation to the experts. SEO content writers know how to create interactive, fun, and compelling content to get readers to take desired action. It is easy to think that you can keep up with the demands of creating top quality content, but who are you kidding? Especially when you know that you are up to your ears in administrative work and other stuff that comes with owning and running your own business – so do the smart thing, let the professionals handle your content marketing strategy.
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