4 Things To Consider When Writing Content

Content writing is the process of planning, writing and editing content for the web, typically for digital marketing purposes. Regardless of format, a content writer is critical for creating high-quality content that represents and strengthens a brand's voice, while attracting, engaging, and delighting the right audience.

Well-written content that’s optimized for the web rises to the top of search results and holds readers’ attention. With content, businesses can attract leads and foster positive connections with their audience, ultimately pushing them down the sales funnel.

So what are the main things you should consider when writing content for the web?

1. Target Audience

The first thing to know is this: Who are you writing content for?

The main goal of your content is to attract your customers. That’s whose attention and interest you’re vying for.

You could be writing for your entire target audience or possibly for a sub-set of your target audience.

Do your audiences have a problem that they need to address, do they want to do something differently or do they simply want to be entertained?

Whatever those challenges are, understand the pain points of your audiences and articulate how your product or service solves them.

2. Buying Cycle

The next point to consider is: Where in the buying cycle are your target audience?

Many content writers use content to guide their prospective clients through different stages of the buyer journey, leveraging different content formats for each stage of the journey, from brand awareness to purchase decisions.

If you are trying to target consumers who are at the ‘decision stage’ (the moment of decision) then detailed product information on-site and analyst reports/white papers might make sense. During the ‘consideration stage’ (still shopping around) case studies and testimonials could be the best choice.

3. Multiple Content Types

Content writing encompasses many different forms of text-based content. The different content formats can reach potential customers at different stages of the sales funnel.

If you have a great content idea that ticks all the content marketing pillars then don’t necessarily limit yourself to one content type. An infographic can make a great blog post and vice versa.

4. Where to Publish

The last thing to consider is: where to publish your content.

There are three different channels when it comes to posting content online:

• Owned channels (your website)
• Earned channels (social media, influencer outreach, bloggers, media relations, bylined articles)
• Paid channels (content networks, advertorials, display networks)

Owned Channels

The obvious one here is your own website. You may also want to use your social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc). Different audience groups are active in different places online. Understanding the times when your audience is online will be critical here when scheduling posts. Also, don't forget to use your employees to spread the word too.

Another channel of your own to consider here is your email database.

Earned Channels

Whilst it makes sense to publish your content on your own web site, sometimes this may not be the best option. Earned channels are channels that you cannot buy exposure on, but you can earn it by providing value to the user. Providing your content is something that people want, you should have no problem convincing others to promote your content for you. If you can get published on a well known site in your niche (with a link back to your site) then this may be preferable to posting on your own site.

Paid Channels

Paid channels typically involve some form of media or partner spend in return for exposure for your campaigns. Whilst they are very effective for sales, they can also help to promote well crafted content.

Examples of paid channels include:

• Paid Search on Google
• Facebook Advertising
• Linked In Advertising

Writing content aimlessly for your website or beating about the bush without having a proper strategy in mind will not help you in any way.