Creating valuable content is a process, and it’s one that every business with an online presence wants to master. The truth is that it’s not that difficult, if you know the right steps to follow and if you follow them correctly. However, before you can start putting the steps into practice, you have to have a clear understanding of what each step is all about.

Today, we’ll run down the seven top tips for creating useful content and how each of them works.

#1. It pays to know who your readers are

Most businesses already know their customers very well in terms of what they need, what they want, and what they care about. Your online audience is a different matter as it isn’t just comprised of your current customers. It also includes prospective clients and others who might be searching for a particular item or service on behalf of someone else.

Think about what problems your customers typically need to solve and how you would usually go about solving them. Then contour your content so that it properly addresses the problem. This also gives potential new customers a little taste of your knowledge and expertise.

#2. It pays to keep your audience segmented

Not all customers fall into the same category. They differ based on various criteria such as demographics, age, location, gender, and interests. Since they all have differing needs as well as varying degrees of knowledge regarding your industry, service, or product, you need to create unique content for each particular group. For instance, you wouldn’t use the same content to target people in their teens and twenties for acne treatments as you would to target individuals in their 30s or 40s for anti-aging ointments.

#3. It pays to write clearly

This might sound like the easiest thing in the world to do, but it’s actually not so simple. It’s not just about good grammar and spelling. Regardless of how much knowledge you have about a subject, always write in a manner that’s both straightforward and clear so that your content will be easily readable and understood. Keep it as concise as you can, and do your best not to repeat yourself.

#4. It pays to create actionable content

Instead of using your content to lecture, use it to teach. The best content isn’t an essay about your opinions, but a how-to guide showing the steps for accomplishing something.

  • Personal trainers, for example, can offer their ideas for proper weight training both at home and on the road.
  • Also, floral designers could share some step-by-step guides for flower arrangement,
  • and both professional chefs and amateur home cooks can provide their best recipes for making some delectable dishes.

Make sure you keep it actionable if you want to keep them interested.

#5. It pays to provide examples

Everyone loves a good story, and those stories that help to demonstrate your particular expertise will be extremely valuable to your readers. You can either share some ways that the product or service you’re writing about has been beneficial to your clients, or you can explain how you have personally and successfully used them and the benefits they’ve brought to your business. Having real-life experiences to share always boosts your readers’ confidence in what you’re offering.

#6. It pays to state the statistics

A great way to boost the credibility of your advice, service, or product is by including some industry statistics. By taking a quick whip around Google or one of the other great search engines out there, you can easily find good data on most anything. One such statistic shows that readers are more likely to be engaged with online content if that content contains pictures, 44% more likely in fact. Also, content is 40% more likely to be engaging if it contains videos or status updates.

#7. It pays to entertain

It’s a fact that everyone likes to laugh and have a good time, so do your best to create content that can both entertain your audience and make them laugh too. Funny content always gets shared often, so make sure you put a little humour into your web content so your readers can know that you know what you’re doing and enjoy what you’re doing as well.

Image: Photospin

Author Bio:

Jayne Blake is a Content Coordinator currently working for Zintel. We offer expert solutions for all your telecommunication challenges