While every e-commerce business owner knows the value of technical SEO strategies, brand-building through content still remains possible only with the help of authentic content spread across the web to enable awareness and visibility. You may begin by building a brilliant website that loads almost at the speed of light, and your product or service may truly deliver on its promise. Yet, unless your online and offline presence come to life with the right content, you may soon be overrun by competitors who invest more in their content strategies.
From how you approach the content you distribute via social networks, all the way to your email campaigns, every single channel of communication will shape your brand voice to either succeed or to fail. Let’s see how you can utilize these five tips to improve the effectiveness of your content efforts!
1. Diversify Your Formats
The written word remains a powerful tool in making connections with your audience and providing useful information to your readers. But the online world never stays still in terms of finding new ways to express itself, and brands keep adapting to new trends that pop up. For example, 15% of the US population enjoys podcasts on a regular basis, making them a very popular option that keeps gaining more traction.
That is why you’ll find many a creative agency in the States do their absolute best to deliver content in a wide range of formats, podcasts included. The same goes for your own, in-house efforts. Step outside of your blogging comfort zone and explore rich infographics, listicles, video tutorials, and animation.
2. Master the Art of Storytelling
What may seem like a vague, general term is actually a form of art in and of itself when it comes to branding. Simply put, storytelling combines your brand voice and your visuals into an appealing identity delivered consistently through a variety of channels – and that includes every content piece you ever publish, no matter the format. If you keep in mind that, for example, 50% of Australia’s population logs in at least once every day to check their social feeds, you know that your brand needs to use those precious moments to grab their attention and inspire engagement.
This leaves no room for poor website performance or a dull Instagram feed. The most successful Australian businesses have realized just how pivotal the role of user experience is in creating a seamless storytelling flow to keep their users enthralled. To that end, they choose to turn to a local digital agency in Surry Hills and other savvy suburbs where digital experts know their audience and understand the goals of every e-commerce business on the map. If you’re looking to impress a Sydneysider with your store, it makes sense to talk to one when creating the perfect brand experience online.
3. Build Influencer Bonds
A trend that has changed the entire social media landscape, and consequently the way content is perceived and consumed, influencers are here to stay. Brands that choose to ignore this trend will likely find it difficult to compete with those who actually seek out the right match and build trust through such relationships. Just take a glance at the European fashion scene, and you’ll know that brands need a seriously cutting-edge approach to stand out, let alone get the viral attention they all crave.
If you as a fashion brand wish to appeal to your British clientele, it would make sense to work with the likes of Hattie West, who will not just put you in front of an enormous audience, but her thumbs up will equal a surge in sales almost guaranteed. These people not only understand what the current climate of shopping is all about, but they shape and reshape trends with their own choices and suggestions. If you find yourself among them, you can rest assured your business is bound to thrive.
4. Ensure Value One Post at a Time
You’d be surprised to learn that the Internet is richer by 3.3 million Facebook posts every single minute. During those same sixty seconds, the World Wide Web becomes 1,400 blog posts richer, too – and all of that is merely a fraction of all the content the online world generates in those brief sixty seconds, proving just how oversaturated the digital world is with the content of all sorts. That, however, doesn’t make it any less impactful if created with value in mind.
In order to show up among the first results in any search engine, you truly need to be worthy of such a high rank, and providing valuable information paired with flawless UX and technical SEO will get you there. The content piece of the SEO puzzle is vital, so make sure that you educate, entertain, and engage in every single post you write. Offer actionable advice, step-by-step tutorials, real solutions to real problems, and your content will find its way to the top.
5. Inspire User-Generated Pieces
From guest blogs on your website, shares, and comments rich with user-made photos using your own product or service, all the way to reviews you publish, user-generated content is a surefire way to create ample buzz around your business. But not just any buzz – users are the ones who ultimately market your brand through digital and traditional word-of-mouth, as you’ll notice that direct referrals and recommendations are one of the best sources of turning a profit through content.
Today’s digital climate is proof that business is getting more personal by the day. As you let your clients build and support your reputation through their own words, videos, images, and other content, you also ensure that your brand gets far more visibility than through your own branded content.
Users are the ones who are best at putting your brand in the right context, one that will bring your ideas and values closer to other potential customers. In the battle between your own blog post and a personal story of a client – the latter will always have more value with your target audience.