Writing for the Online Audience: Content Strategy, Formats & Platforms

A good content strategy can help you build a buzz for your brand and, in turn, convert leads into paying clientele. Infact, a whopping 84% of customers expect brands to create content online. But with so many platforms and formats out there, how do you choose the best one for your business? 

Content writing should be your numero uno strategy if you’re on a tight budget. Well-written articles don’t burn a hole in your pocket (unlike in-depth explainer videos or podcasts). 

To understand the importance of content writing, think of yourself as the founder of a jewelry business. Your prospective customers are probably on Google, searching for something like ‘best jewelry in India’. If you want them to notice your brand, you need to publish articles that cater to this long-tail keyword. For example, you could post an article about ‘The top 10 places to get the best jewelry in India’. 

Pro tip: Listicles are a great option for SEO-optimized articles.  

Now that you have an idea about how to get started on your content writing strategy let’s dive a little deeper and discuss which platforms and formats you can use to push your brand to the top. 

Benefits Of Content Writing

Before getting into the nitty-gritty of content writing strategies, let’s look at how content writing helps your business. 

Content writing is all about building relationships with your target audience and content. In a nutshell, it can help you –

  • Inform your audience about your business
  • Obtain leads
  • Establish your brand’s authority by building trust.
  • Increase search engine rankings

What Are The Different Formats Available?

Most businesses prioritize their blog or website when it comes to content creation. There are a plethora of content writing formats that you can choose from. But try not to stick to just one format. Instead, try your hand at each format and see what works best for you. Mixing it up can help you attract high-quality leads that are more likely to make a purchase. 

Always remember that the marketing game is all about trial and error. Keep a close eye on how your target audience interacts with your content. It will help you understand which formats resonate the most with them. Once you have this information, you can alter your strategy and tailor it to their needs. 

Here are a few popular formats of content writing that you can use in your business –

  • Case studies — You probably have a few satisfied customers under your belt. So, why not publish a write-up about them? Case studies usually talk about the client’s problem and how your business helped solve it.
  • Whitepapers are comprehensive long-form reports that educate your readers on a particular issue.
  • E-books — This one is relatively self-explanatory. As a business, you can publish informative books that address a long-term problem for your customers.
  • Press releases— Good PR for your brand is essential. Press releases to media companies and newspapers.
  • Product descriptions – This is a great way to educate your customers on how they can use your products.
  • Annual year in review — A blog post that you publish once a year to highlight your brand’s achievements
  • Brochures or datasheets can be slide decks or one-pagers that help your customers understand your services or products.

What Are The Best Platforms For Content Writing?

Your platform options can be slightly limited when it comes to long-form content. You could probably publish a few articles on blogging platforms like Medium. But truth be told, your business website is the best option. But how do you leverage it for the best results? We’ve got a few pointers for you: 

  • Create a separate section for blogs on your website. It will help establish credibility in your niche. You can even add subtle plug-ins for your brand at the end of every article. 
  • E-mail newsletters to your customers. Substack is a great platform to publish such content. 
  • Whitepapers and round-ups can provide a link on your website
  • Give away free e-books to your website visitors. It will help build customer trust and brand loyalty. But more importantly, you can collect their contact details (name, e-mail id, phone number, etc.) before giving them access to download the book. 

Keep in mind that it is imperative to publish content regularly. Creating a few content pillars can help you with this (these are overarching categories or themes that you want to talk about).

Some Useful Tools For Content Writing

  1. Co-Schedule

Co-Schedule is a content collaboration and social scheduling tool that can help you organize your content. It has a ‘headline generator’ feature that provides innovative suggestions for your blog titles. Also, you can track the progress of all your content (whether it’s in the pipeline, being worked upon, or ready for publishing).

  1. SEMrush

SEMrush helps you identify trending keywords that can be used in your articles. It has a feature called ‘keyword gap analysis’, where you can compare your website with your competitors to see which keywords are performing well for them. You can then use these keywords to write articles that rank higher than your rivals’. 

  1. Grammarly

Before you post anything on your company website, you need to quality check it for errors. There’s nothing more embarrassing than posting content that is grammatically incorrect or ridden with spelling mistakes. This is where Grammarly can come in handy. This tool proofreads your content and provides suggestions on how to improve it. 

Conclusion

Given the amount of benefits associated with content writing, it’s no wonder that brands are quick to jump on the bandwagon. A well-written article has the power to quickly convert a prospective customer into a loyal one. If you want to increase the chances of this happening, then add a CTA at the end of your article. For example – 

If you have any more questions about content writing and how to get started with it, reach out to our experts at DreamWeb India. We’re happy to help!

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