Content marketing in its core is establishing a connection with your target audience. You are creating bridges to easily convey your idea or message across. This is mainly done through writing. And, good content relies heavily on quality writing.
Marketers need to have good writing skills because most of their content marketing will rely on them.
They are expected to write newsletters, emails, social media posts, scripts for podcasts or videos and other marketing materials. And what these materials contain will determine the success of your brand or company.
But, good writing skills are not only limited to content writing. As someone who will be working with a lot of people, your proficiency in writing will help you become a more effective communicator.
Passing information to the various departments will be easier. You’ll be able to convey clear and precise instructions when needed and be able to get your message across.
You’ll be able to avoid misunderstandings that could be detrimental to your brand.
To improve your skills in writing for marketing projects, you need to be aware of the standards set by the industry.
This will help you gauge how your writing skills are compared to others. You’ll be able to have a clear idea on where you need improvements.
Also, knowing common mistakes will help you to be mindful to avoid them.
To be an effective writer, be mindful of the important pointers we will discuss later on to help you better your skills. This will give you a clear idea of how to approach your content strategy and maximize your gains.
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The Power of Effective Writing in Marketing
You want people to relate to your message to create engagement. You need to incite a positive reaction or a response that will lead them to become your customers.
In the world we live in, there are multitudes of images that are constantly trying to get your attention. They are sometimes a bit overwhelming and tedious at times.
In most cases, people have formed a habit of ignoring them and moving on with their lives. So, how can you engage with people who choose to be oblivious?
A well-crafted content ensures that your target audience will pay attention. They will understand the message you want to convey and will be more receptive to your ideas. You are forming a meaningful customer reaction that will build loyalty to your brand or company.
Building brand loyalty takes time. But a sure way to gain this is to establish your credibility. Credibility is really important for your brand image and reputation.
A lot of customers take the importance of buying from brands that they trust. They emphasize on genuineness and sincerity.
So, your content strategy should reflect this. Any written content should always be checked and vetted before being posted or published.
Be mindful of the social issues and cultural differences that your audience has. As your content writing will be a reflection of your brand and what it stands for.
Connecting with your audience is a must. You need to hold their attention long enough to be able to introduce your brand, explain the advantages they’d gain by using your product or services and lastly convince them to make a purchase. Skillful writing will be able to do all of these things.
Writing for marketing is also about careful planning and strategic content. Your interaction and responses should be customized to your customer.
Your content writing should resonate with them and offer solutions to whatever they need to solve at that minute.
Be it a product or services that they need or even reliable information, they must offer a solution for them.
Because after establishing awareness of your brand, the next thing to establish is preference. And, this preference could influence your conversion rate.
Because not only will you gain a loyal customer, most people will recommend to other people products or services they find pleasing.
Best Practices in Marketing Writing
To improve your writing skills, you need to be observant of what others are writing for marketing content. There is a lot of written content available, especially online.
Read through them and note their technical considerations like sentence construction, grammar, and vocabulary. You can also discover different styles of writing.
Perceive their tone of voice when discussing different topics. And, see how they present their written content. You can learn a lot from them. You can even choose which methods you could apply to your own writing style.
Here are some practices you can study to further enhance your writing skills.
a. Defining Your Target Audience
Defining your target audience will help you in producing content.
It will help you narrow down your demographics. By doing this, you’ll have a clear view of who you are talking to. Gender, age, and location are major influences on your audience’s preference.
You’ll be able to have an idea of the things they like and don’t like. You can cater the tone and style of your writing to what appeals to them. This will make your content marketing more efficient.
b. Crafting Compelling Headlines and Hooks
You want people to pay attention to your content. Captivate them with your headlines and hooks. Make them curious. Reveal just enough for them to want to read the whole content to satisfy their curiosity.
Action words are excellent. These will drive them into action. Tell the audience what to do. You’ll be able to get their attention this way.
Try to avoid long and tedious headlines. Make it short, simple, and to the point. And, be very clear about the benefit you are offering. That is what most people will be attracted to.
C. Utilizing Storytelling Techniques
Everyone loves a good story. This appeals to a lot of people because it is easier to follow and understand. Most stories are linear so, there is a build up from the beginning of the story up to its climax and then to a satisfying end.
Storytelling also builds an emotional connection with your audience. By using these methods, your brand is being humanized.
People will relate more to your brand’s journey which builds loyalty and trust. Also 63% of marketers agree that it helps build loyalty with existing customers.
D. Maintaining Clarity and Conciseness
Writing for marketing can be tedious and overwhelming. There is a lot of information you need to include in your content and you can only write as much before your audience becomes weary and tired from reading.
Not only will they stop consuming your content, but they will also all together forget whatever it is that they’ve read.
An engaging content writing is easy to read. Blogger Ryan Robinson says that it only takes 37 seconds for an average person to read a blog, which is not much time.
One of those content writing tips is to write short and relevant sentences that are easy to understand. Your audience will appreciate your content writing if it’s clear and concise.
E. Incorporating Visual and Multimedia Elements
A whole page of just text could be a little bit daunting for your reader. Include other visual elements like graphs, charts, or pictures to liven up your content.
Use online image editing services to help you fine-tune your visual element. Or graphic design tools like Removal.AI or Canva that are easy to use if you want to do it yourself.
Use different colors and text styles for your fonts. It will add another dimension to your work. You can also use these to highlight certain messages or information you want your reader to take notice of.
Common Pitfalls in Marketing Writing
a. Falling into Jargon and Overcomplication
This is not just in content writing but also in every genre of writing. Writers tend to be wordy sometimes.
They have an unlimited amount of words that they want to see written on the page but the readers can only handle so much before losing interest.
You have to remember that in content writing, what you want to say is not that important. It is what your audience wants to read that should be the goal. And overcomplicated content is not really appealing.
You want people to engage with you. How would they do that if they can’t understand what you are saying to them?
b. Neglecting Proofreading and Editing
Even world-renowned writers have editors, you’re no different.
Mistakes do happen especially if you’re in that “writing zone”. You are more focused on being able to put those words and ideas on paper than considering basic sentence construction.
That is why you need to go through what you’ve written before to check for any mistakes that you might have made.
Correcting grammar and using spellcheck is the minimum. There is also fact-checking your information, avoiding plagiarism of other people’s work, and restructuring your content to be clear and concise.
c. Ignoring SEO and Keyword Optimization
If you are writing content online, then SEO or Search Engine Optimization should be something you should prioritize.
You need to structure your content with words or keywords that will help you gain the upper hand in terms of ranking.
Most people would only view the first ten or so sites in search engines and would choose to ignore the rest. If your site ranks high, there is a great possibility that viewers will click on your site.
d. Failing to Adapt to Different Platforms and Mediums
In life, nothing is constant but change.This applies also to content marketing. Failure to adapt can cause you to be unable to communicate efficiently or be altogether ignored
Every year, as technology advances, multiple mediums and platforms are made. As a marketer or a content writer, you must be aware of all these new changes. Because this is where your audience is or would be.
There are also different mediums to consider. Writing for print media is very different if you are writing for print media or mass media.
Know the different styles to be able to efficiently get your message across.
e. Being Inconsistent with Brand Voice
Your brand voice is your brand’s personality. This is the unique way you are presented to the world. It could be the tone, the grammar, the use of jargon, or anything that can give an identity or personality that can differentiate you from other brands.
That’s why there should always be consistency in all your marketing content. Because this is one way your audience can recognize anything related to your brand.
Examples could be that of Nike and Dove. Nike’s brand voice is always motivational, determined and resilient. There is energy in their delivery. They often use words to move you into action.
Dove on the other hand, is empowering and uplifting. There is softness in their delivery and calmness.
Strategies for Improvement
Here are additional content writing tips to help you improve.
a. Understand your audience
Understand their needs and wants. You must have a thorough understanding of your audience because they are your primary target audience.
Know the nuisances of their demographic to be able to efficiently communicate with them.
b. Always use an active voice.
Your sentences must have the subject or object act. This makes your message clear and understandable.
c. Read, Read, Read
Read works of other marketing writers. Study their style, tone, and voice. Learn how they write for different mediums and genres. Be inspired by them.
d. Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice makes perfect, or close to being perfect. You will only get better with time, patience, and a lot of hard work.
There are also a lot of online tools and resources that could help you improve your skills.
-
Grammarly
It helps you check your spelling, and grammar and even evaluates your work for engagement and delivery.
- VeryGoodCopy
If you need writing exercises or courses, this site will be a good fit. In less than five minutes you can polish up your writing with micro articles, courses, and interviews that they offer that are very informative.
- Google Search Console Training
They will help you know if you are effectively using SEO. They have tools and reports that can measure site traffic so you will have a clear understanding of what needs to be done to improve performance.
- Social Media Today
This site is a great source of what is happening in the social media world. Since almost all content is now focused on social media, you’ll be up-to-date with the latest news and trends that are happening on the different platforms
If you want a clear reflection of your writing skills, asking for feedback would be a great choice. Feedback will reflect how effective you are as a writer.
This is how you can gauge if you are improving your skills or not. Also, this gives you an idea of what your audience wants to read, and whatever they want to read you must be able to write for.
Conclusion
Writing in marketing is as essential as the product or services you are selling. It is the only way you can communicate with your target audience.
You use it to inform, educate, and persuade them of your brand’s credibility and quality. Words matter in this type of communication.
So you must be critical in how you write your marketing content. Because it will either make your brand or break it.
Improvement in your writing skills comes in time. There are a lot of lessons to be learned and mistakes that will happen. You must go through this to improve.
Write. Make mistakes. Correct those mistakes. Write again. The cycle continues and never stops. Do it over and over again.
You will get tired at some point but the learning should never stop. As writers, we should strive to improve our craft. Do not repeat your mistakes and have the drive to upgrade your skill level.
You cannot be complacent. Trends and technology are constantly changing. You must always be on top of it to be able to keep up with the times.
Be knowledgeable about what is happening in the marketing landscape. Have an idea of emerging trends and how you can take advantage of them.
You need to have an open mind when it comes to various platforms and mediums that are being created. Because chances are, your audience will be hitching on the bandwagon. And, as a marketing content writer, you are riding on it.
Author’s Bio
Jacqueline Aguilar, Removal.AI
Jacqueline Aguilar has a degree in Communication Arts and is an avid reader. Writing comes second in her list of passions. She has an interest in Photography, Film, Music, and Tech.
Currently holding a desk job and is writing content marketing as a creative outlet.
