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How To Assess Content Quality Fast: Your Simple 5-Factor Framework (+ Checklist)

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 12:04:29 GMT

How To Assess Content Quality Fast: Your Simple 5-Factor Framework (+ Checklist)

Great content does more than answer the user's main question. It gives them the context, proof, clarity, and direction they need to move forward.

This guide introduces a simple 5-factor framework for assessing content quality in a way that improves user value, search visibility, and AI readiness. It helps you evaluate whether a page is clear, credible, easy to scan, distinctive enough to stand out, and strong enough to guide readers forward.

Here’s what you’ll get:

The 5 factors that drive content quality
A 0–15 point scoring system to assess pages quickly
Practical checklists for each factor
Advice on how to prioritize improvements
A rough timeline for seeing results

This framework complements our guide on how to do a content audit . Use a content audit to prioritize pages across your site, then use this framework to assess the quality of each priority page in more detail.

You can also download the Content Quality Assessment Checklist below to apply the same framework in a practical, repeatable way.

Disclaimer: We'll explore AI optimization in this article, but it's far too new to claim expertise or mastery. That's not the framing or positioning here.

We simply wish to share a content framework that works for our clients and may be helpful for you. It uses tried and true content marketing fundamentals and adapts and integrates new AI tactics from trusted industry sources working at the forefront of AI search.

And since this field is evolving rapidly, we'll continue testing and refining our approach with curiosity and an open mind.

Quick Key Takeaways on the Primary Factors Determining Content Performance?

The five factors that determine content performance are:

Contextual Understanding: Answer the main question fast. Then cover the follow-ups readers will ask next. If someone still needs to search elsewhere, your page isn't complete.
Credibility and Freshness: Use recent data. Cite clear sources. Show real expertise. Readers should trust your advice without second-guessing it.
User Experience (UX): Make scanning easy. Help readers find answers without extra effort. Clean structure also helps AI systems parse and cite your content.
Uniqueness and Value-Add: Don't just summarize what already exists. Add original examples, tested insights, or clear judgment. That's what makes content hard to replace.
Guidance: Tell readers what to do next. Give them the next question to ask, the next page to read, or the next action to take.

Want to test out this analysis framework on a real article? Try our Content Audit & Refresh Recommendations GPT.

Quick-Start Breakdown of Assessment

How to Use This Framework

Use this framework to assess one page at a time:

Choose a page that matters to your business or is underperforming in search
Score each of the 5 factors from 0 to 3 for a total out of 15
Use the final score to decide whether the page needs a full redo, heavy revision, an update, promotion, or repurposing

For the fastest wins, start with pages that already show some traction but are missing depth, clarity, or credibility.

Want help applying this framework to a real page?

Try our Content Audit & Refresh Recommendations GPT to assess one article or page and get prioritized recommendations for improving search visibility, user experience, and LLM readiness.

What The Final Scores Mean

Map Your Complete Query Landscape (Contextual Understanding)

Search has shifted from target keyword matching to understanding complete user intent. Your content must address your audience's primary question AND the logical follow-up questions they'll explore next. That's because of the query fan-out technique .

What Does Query Fan-Out Mean for Your Content?

Google's AI Mode uses query fan-out techniques which immediately generate dozens of related 'subtopic' searches from a single query.

These systems expand the query landscape to analyze semantic relationships, user behaviour patterns, and contextual signals and understand what a user needs from a search.

Key Takeaway: Your content must address the primary query AND logical follow-up questions specific target users will likely want to explore next.

Map Complete User Journeys and Anticipate Follow-Up Questions

For your content to be selected by AI systems for comprehensive responses, it's crucial to map complete user journeys and anticipate follow-up questions. This means thinking beyond the single query to address the logical next steps users will want to take throughout their entire decision-making process. Proactively addressing these relevant content connections ensures complete coverage.

For example, as you read about assessing content quality, you may also want to know about content audits and optimization strategies , quality KPIs, and benchmarks. So you know what to aim for and implementation timelines.

Practical Tip: Map out 5-7 related questions users may ask after consuming your main topic. Use tools like AlsoAsked, or look for high engagement discussions in relevant Subreddits, and Quora pages to help you brainstorm these potential paths.

Consider Your Audience's Behavioural Patterns

Search results now personalize based on ' user embeddings ' - data representations of individual behaviour, preferences, and context. Different user contexts (mobile vs desktop, work vs personal time, beginner vs expert level) influence how AI systems serve your content.

Action Item: Focus your content on what your target users actually need.

Ask yourself: "What would make my ICP bookmark this page, share it with colleagues, or return to reference it later?"
Our job as content creators is to encourage these positive user behaviours that signal value to both users and AI systems. This focus provides helpful constraints about content depth, format, and next steps to include.

Scoring: "Does your content address the user's primary question plus their likely follow-up questions?"

Quick assessment checklist:

□ Intent mismatch - Your content doesn't address the core user problem or skips follow-up angles users will want to explore

□ Buried answers - Main answer not in first 1-2 paragraphs, missing or unclear TL;DR

□ Incomplete coverage - Doesn't address related FAQs, PAA terms, or relevant keyword variants that users expect

□ Shallow depth - Less comprehensive than top competitors on the SERP, missing key subtopics

□ Missing context variations - No consideration of user circumstances, experience levels, or consumption contexts (mobile vs desktop, beginner vs expert)

□ Weak content relationships - No explanation of how the topic relates to broader concepts, prerequisites, or next-step implications

Scoring : 0 issues = 3 points | 1-2 issues = 2 points | 3-4 issues = 1 point | 5-6 issues = 0 points

(Please make note of the Scoring Guide above!)

Which Tools Help You Assess Contextual Understanding?

Google Search Console (GSC) (Free) : Lets you quickly check what queries your page already ranks in Google for, and info regarding impressions, clicks, and positions of queries for each page on your site. The goal is to have at least 15+ relevant queries per page (with high impressions and in high positions).

AlsoAsked (Freemium) : A valuable tool that shows you likely follow-up questions users ask. And because it uses a mind map style design (although they all do, since AnswerThePublic), it's great for spotting missing coverage areas and understanding the full search query landscape.

Frase (Paid) : An NLP content optimization tool that also provides easy access to PAA questions, Quora discussions, and Reddit conversations relevant to your topic. This way you can get a full view of the subtopics your target audience may want to know as you create.

Quick test: Ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude (whichever you prefer) what follow-up questions users would have after reading your content. The gaps they identify show where your coverage needs work. We've been also been experimenting with the follow up questions provided by Perplexity as a source.

Content gap analysis : Search your main topics on conversational AI platforms. Note what information appears that you haven't covered. This reveals content opportunities your traditional keyword research might miss. But we'll get into this more a in the 'Which Criteria Will Deliver the Fastest Results?' section below. With a full video walkthrough on how to set up your own free analysis thanks to a senior SEO at TripAdvisor.

How To Implement Contextual Understanding Into Your Upcoming Content?

Before creating: Define your target audience's core query and analyze 3-5 competing content pieces for gaps. Seek out at least 5-7 highly relevant subtopic ideas your user will likely also want to know.

During creation: Write clear, engaging, and conversational titles that match the style user may search. Place critical information under each header. And be sure to address sub-intents, common PAA questions, and contextual variations.

Success benchmark: When users (or AI agents) can find everything they need without additional searches. And you're visible for at least 10-15+ related long-tail queries beyond your primary keyword.

Build Trust Through Fresh, Authoritative Content (Credibility and Freshness)

Your content needs to earn trust from both readers and AI systems. It's what drives selection.

What Makes Content Credible to AI Systems?

Fresh data, authoritative sources, and expert validation create the trust signals that matter. AI systems are more likely to surface content that is accurate, current, well-attributed, and genuinely useful.

This includes:

E-E-A-T signals that build trust with users and search algorithms
Clear attribution and current information from well-sourced content
Expert bylines and credentials

Key Principle: Create content that combines your own insights and testing with evidence from credible sources such as .gov, .edu, and industry-leading domains.

External Validation Builds Authority

Not really an on-page factor but critical to note: AI systems don't evaluate content in isolation - they consider external signals that indicate authority and trustworthiness.

Particularly in competitive spaces, content quality alone isn't enough. Algorithms rely on external signals like brand mentions, authoritative backlinks, and industry recognition to understand your content quality and determine citation worthiness.

Strategic approach: Aim for steady growth in referring domains and branded mentions. Track this through SEO tools like Ahrefs Webmasters Tool or SEOUtils for backlink analysis.

And set up Google Alerts for your brand name plus "according to" or "research from" to catch instances when other websites or AI systems cite your brand or content.

Key insight: Monitor these mentions as a new form of brand visibility measurement - because being cited by AI platforms indicates strong external validation signals.

Write for Machine Precision Using Advanced Syntax

Use clear semantic structure, with active voice and explicit subject-predicate-object relationships. Structure sentences so AI can easily extract who-did-what-to-whom relationships.

And connect ideas with clear transitions like "therefore," "because," and "however." This helps AI systems understand the logical flow of your arguments and extract clean semantic relationships.

For example: "Our content update services (subject) increased (predicate) client leads by 286% (object)" vs. passive constructions like "Client leads were increased through content updates."

Why this matters: AI systems need unambiguous references to help it build accurate knowledge representations. Clear semantic triples make your content more likely to be selected for AI Overviews and conversational search results.

Implementation: Replace passive constructions with clear actor-action-object statements. Focus on clear verbs that define precise relationships between entities ("causes," "leads to," "compares to," "consists of," "is a type of").

Clarify Entities and Context for AI Understanding

When mentioning brands, people, tools, or terms, add identifying details. Write "Apple Inc. (tech company)" instead of just "Apple." And also include model numbers, dates, or domain context to prevent confusion.

Why this matters: AI systems benefit from unambiguous references to help it build accurate knowledge representations.

Keep Supporting Evidence Close to Claims

Place supporting evidence within the same paragraph as your main point. Avoid separating claims from their proof across different sections as much as humanly possible. This is because AI systems score chunks - a fun word that we'll ironically discuss soon in a different section (in User Experience) - as complete units. Meaning each section needs its own supporting context.

Implementation: Be sure that each major claim has its citation or supporting data in the same content chunk (i.e., under the same heading).

Optimize for Multiple Search Patterns

Use different terms to describe key concepts in your content. For example, your target audience might search for "customer retention," "reducing churn," or "keeping clients longer." Include this rephrasing in separate sentences or sections. Like for instance how we use different synonyms of 'AI systems' in this article.

Benefit: This expands your content's reach for different queries without keyword stuffing.

Implement Strategic Structured Data

Use structured data strategically . Focus on 3 schema types that improve AI understanding: FAQPage for question sections, HowTo for process content, and Article for blog posts. And interlink related entities using consistent phrasing (anchor texts) across pages.

Action step: When you mention industry terms, products, or people, try to use the same exact phrasing sitewide so search platforms recognize these connections.

Scoring: "Is your content trustworthy, current, well-sourced, and machine-readable?"

Quick assessment checklist:

□ Lacks current data - Stats over 12 months old; missing 2024-25 events or trends

□ Claims without proper citation - Stats or strong assertions with no source link

□ Unclear authorship - No byline, author bio, or credentials shown (granted some CMS like Duda - where this site is hosted - don't provide many customization options)

□ Outdated tools or examples - References deprecated methods or dated screenshots/UI

□ Lacks human verification - Reads like unedited AI-generated content with no nuance, disclaimers, or scenario variations

Scoring : 0 issues = 3 points | 1-2 issues = 2 points | 3-4 issues = 1 point | 5 issues = 0 points

Which Tools and Tips Help Assess Credibility and Freshness?

Google Fact Check Explorer (Free) : Cross-check controversial or technical statements against credible outlets.

PubMed or Semantic Scholar (Free): Find peer-reviewed studies for citations. Academic sources outweigh blog content for authority signals.

Ahrefs Webmasters Tool (Free) : Detect outdated or broken links on your website. Because broken links can damage user experience and 'credibility scores'.

Your CMS plugin directory: Search for schema markup plugins specific to your platform. Some CMS like Duda does this automatically. While WordPress users should try Schema Pro or RankMath. These help automate structured data without requiring coding knowledge.

Write with confidence: Replace tentative language with direct statements backed by evidence. Change "many businesses find" to an exact linked stat like "73% of surveyed businesses report."
Aim to remove qualifiers like "generally," "usually," and "tends to" from factual claims. But for regulated industries, lead with the direct answer, then add disclaimers. And be sure to actually fact-check what you declare - your brand and even AI training data depends on it.

How Do You Implement Credibility and Freshness and Improvements Into Your New Content?

Before writing: Make sure to prioritize data from the last 12 months and select sources from .gov, .edu, or industry-leading domains. Plan to include 3-5 high-quality sources.

During creation: Link every major claim to supporting data. Use phrasing like "we found that" to separate fact from interpretation. Include author credentials and transparent methodology wherever appropriate.

Success benchmark: Every major claim has supporting evidence from multiple reliable sources. Your content cites recent data and includes clear author credentials.

Optimize For Human and AI Scanning (User Experience)

Clear, solid structure helps both human readers and 'answer engines' scan and extract information quickly.

People like easy-to-consume content. And similarly, LLMs favour well-organized content as it helps identify and extract specific chunks at the passage level.

Core Goal: Design content people can easily scan, and that AI can extract clean, relevant passages for search responses.

The 100-300 Word Chunk Strategy

Structure content in 100-300 word self-contained chunks. This means that each 'chunk' should contain a complete thought with context, key terms, and any necessary supporting details to makes sense without surrounding context. To help this matchup with relevant conversational search queries. And be sure to use conversational H2 and H3 headings with real-world language.

Implementation Tip: Structure each 100-300 word 'chunk' as a mini-article with its own context, main point, and conclusion.

This helps AI systems using retrieval systems (RAG) (used by platforms like Perplexity and Google AI) for passage-level retrieval in search responses extract and use the information even when pulled out of the broader article context.

Create Semantic Breaks Between Ideas

Identify natural boundaries between different concepts, topics, or user intents to create meaningful content breaks. Start new sections when you shift from explaining "what" something is to "how" it works, or when moving from benefits to implementation steps.

For example introducing new entities or concepts, shifting between problem and solution discussions, moving between different audience segments, or transitioning from theory to practical application. And use transition phrases to signal these conceptual shifts.

Implementation tip: Start a new paragraph whenever you introduce a new concept, shift focus, or answer a different question. Use transition phrases like "however," "additionally," or "on the other hand" to signal topic changes to both readers and AI.

Write Headings With Natural Language

Use conversational H2 and H3 headings with real-world language. Write headings as natural questions users would actually search or uses phrasing that adds scannable context. For example: "Which Tools and Tips Help Assess Credibility and Freshness?" instead of "Tools and Tips."

Note: Turning EVERY header into a question could be bit much but having as many as possible won't hurt.

Quick test: Read your headings out loud - and ask yourself if they sound like real questions your target audience would ask?

Plan Cross-Format Content Strategy

Google's AI mode and likely others use multimodal models . This means they'll source relevant information from all formats (and even any language), to ensure comprehensive responses. Your written content should work alongside video, audio, and interactive elements.

Strategic approach: Focus on genuine user value aligned with their specific content consumption preferences, and you'll naturally create content that performs well across all search algorithms.

And just note that this isn't new. Taking into account the SERP features (for instance if it has lots of videos) of search queries and creating content accordingly has been important for years.

Scoring: "How easy is it for all users to find and understand your content, while being optimized for AI parsing?"

Quick assessment checklist:

□ Poor content structure - Long paragraphs (5+ sentences), weak headings, confusing flow, lacking clean chunks (haha)

□ Mobile/visual issues - Layout breaks on mobile devices, low contrast, poor visual hierarchy

□ Poor readability - Dense vocabulary, technical terms without explanation, low readability score

□ Missing visual support - Charts lack alt text, no diagrams for complex processes, and insufficient accessibility features

□ Lacks helpful elements - No FAQs for edge cases, missing calculators or tools when they'd add value

□ Missing engagement features - No interactive elements, accordions, or scannable formatting when helpful

Scoring: 0-2 issues = 3 points | 3-4 issues = 2 points | 5 issues = 1 point | 6 issues = 0 points

Which Tools and Tests Help You Assess User Experience?

Hemingway Editor (Free) : This free tool simplifies your writing for better content readability.
In fact, this tool, combined with reading Rudolf Flesch's 1946 classic The Art of Plain Talk , made me a better writer and a better person. It really depends on your niche, but for business content, for most niches I recommend targeting a grade 9-11 reading level. It's also helpful for keeping track of section lengths. Use it to maintain consistent chunk sizes across your content.

Microsoft Clarity (Free) : Watch how users scroll, click, and navigate. Spot where they get stuck, lose interest, or show confusion. You can use it to monitor scroll depth. Typically we'd aim for 60% as a solid scroll depth goal - it can be hard to accomplish though. (However, with information retrieval tools, we may need to reevaluate.)

PageSpeed Insights (Free) : Monitor load times. Target under 3 seconds on mobile for optimal experience.

Quick test: Can someone scan your page and understand the main points in 30 seconds? If not, add clearer headings or summary sections.

What Are Some Simple Ways To Implement User Experience Improvements?

Before writing: Create an outline with a logical H2/H3 structure. Plan visual elements every 300-400 words and confirm images have descriptive alt text.

During creation: Write H2s and H3s as direct questions with immediate answers below. Use short paragraphs (3-5 sentences), bullet points, and dedicated FAQ sections. Include actual engagement elements that match user intent.

Success benchmark: Mobile users can easily read and navigate your content without zooming (particularly important for visuals like screenshots). Your content uses conversational headings and visual elements that reinforce key concepts and help scannability.

Highlight Your Irreplaceable Human Expertise (Uniqueness and Value-Add)

Search algorithms bury generic content. On the flip side, valuable insights, personal experience, and fresh perspectives that add nuance to consensus get cited and rewarded. Because where LLM platforms like ChatGPT can use next-word-prediction to regurgitate existing content at scale, human expertise offer new opportunities.

And also important to know: AI systems prioritize content with genuine human expertise .

Leverage Your Irreplaceable Lived Experiences AI Cannot Synthesize

Your lived experience, proprietary data, and nuanced judgment become your competitive advantage against AI synthesis. Information unavailable elsewhere add great value to your content - insights, perspectives, or data that don't exist in other sources.

Prioritize what you can offer that AI cannot create from existing content:

First-hand testing results,
Conditional recommendations based on specific scenarios,
Cross-industry insights that require human judgment,
And real-world application examples.

Include original research, case studies, and contextual advice that draws from your unique position in the market.

Key principle: This unique value-add becomes your content strategy's competitive moat against AI synthesis. Your unique perspective and real-world experience cannot be replicated by AI systems trained on existing content.

Strategic advantage: Focus on experiential knowledge that comes from actually doing the work - the nuanced decisions, unexpected challenges, and practical workarounds that only emerge through hands-on experience. These human elements provide the authenticity and depth that LLMs cannot manufacture.

Implementation: Document your actual processes, share specific examples with measurable outcomes, and provide conditional guidance based on different scenarios you've encountered. Make your expertise tangible through concrete details rather than general principles.

Scoring: "Does your content offer distinct value and demonstrate expertise in ways AI cannot easily replicate?"

Quick assessment checklist:

□ No distinct viewpoint - Feels like AI-generated content or a stylistic copy of existing content without original perspective

□ Lacks testing or evidence - No real-world examples, caveats, prioritization frameworks, or tradeoffs shown

□ Missing nuanced judgment - Avoids complex pros/cons, doesn't address scenarios or provide conditional recommendations

□ Single-discipline focus - Stuck in one lens (SEO-only) without cross-industry insights or broader business considerations

□ No human author presence - Missing bio, byline, personal anecdotes, or "we found that" language grounding advice in experience

Scoring : 0 issues = 3 points | 1 issue = 2 points | 2 issues = 1 point | 3+ issues = 0 points

Which Tools and Tests Can Help You Gauge Your Uniqueness and Value-Add?

Comparison test: Compare your draft to the top 3 ranking pages. What perspective, data, or experience do you offer that they don't? Add personal commentary or proprietary insights if you can't identify clear differences.

Grammarly or ProWritingAid : Polish grammar and style without losing your unique voice. Clean writing helps originality shine through.

Quetext : Verify originality against existing content. Avoid accidentally duplicating competitor insights.

Validate with academic research. Find relevant, authoritative research to reference from sites like Base-Search.net to support your content. And include phrases like "Recent studies indicate..." or "Research from [institution] confirms..." when making claims about user behaviour or search patterns.

How Can You Guarantee Uniqueness and Value-Add?

Before writing: Ask yourself what makes your content irreplaceable? Include original data from your experiments, client work, or testing results. Plan expert-level analysis with content frameworks, tradeoffs, and cross-industry insights. Add author credentials that validate expertise for your specific topic.

During creation: Use language like "We found that..." or "In our testing..." to ground advice in actual implementation. Share specific results, failure points, and lessons learned. Include conditional advice like "best for teams under 50" or "avoid if budget is limited."

Success benchmark: Readers get insights they can't find elsewhere. Meaning, your content includes case studies from your work, proprietary data from experiments, helpful decision frameworks for different use cases, or simply references research studies that competitors miss.

Guide Users to Their Natural Next Step (Guidance)

Strategic guidance and customized calls to action (CTAs) aligned with user intent converts 42% more visitors than generic "contact us" CTAs. So naturally, your content should create a natural progression from information consumption to meaningful action.

Search platforms innately want users to keep coming back. And like traditional Google search, conversational search 'rewards' content via visibility and mentions when there's a high probability to please users' needs.

Core insight: Conversational AI favours content that anticipates user needs and provides clear pathways forward because it leads to higher user satisfaction.

Align CTAs with User Awareness Stages

Match your calls-to-action to the general awareness stage of the content's core topic:

Problem-aware users need educational resources.
Solution-aware users want templates, demos or consultations.
Decision-ready users need pricing and implementation details.

Quick framework: Ask "What would someone naturally want to do next after reading this?" and design your guidance around that answer.

Scoring: "Does your content guide users toward a relevant next step or conversion opportunity?"

Quick assessment checklist:

□ No clear next step - No CTA, link, section summary, or onward navigation present

□ Fails to anticipate user needs - No consideration of user constraints like time, budget, team size, or technical skill level when providing recommendations

□ Misaligned content depth - Advanced content without context for beginners, or oversimplified content for expert audiences

□ Generic advice without options - No segmentation, branching logic, or personalization cues for different user types

□ Missing decision support - No pros/cons, prioritization frameworks, comparisons, templates, or relevant resources linked

Scoring : 0 issues = 3 points 1-2 issues = 2 points 3 issues = 1 point 4 issues = 0 points

Which Tools Can Help You Improve Content Guidance?

Google Analytics 4 (Free) : Track CTA clicks with event tracking. And measure internal click-through rates - aiming for around 25% clicks to related content. You'll be able to see where users engage and where they drop off. (It's a pain to set up and has a steep learning curve but it's a 'necessary evil' for all websites.)

HubSpot (Freemium) : A good starter CRM to monitor lead generation. Let's you connect content performance to actual business results.

ConvertBox (Paid) : A/B test and deploy journey-aligned, behavior-triggered CTAs that match user intent and reading patterns. Plus it's cheaper than alternatives like Unbounce, and as of writing this, they have a lifetime deal.

CTA alignment test: Match your calls-to-action to reader awareness stages:
Problem-aware users need educational resources.
Solution-aware users want demos or consultations.

How Can You Best Implement Guidance Improvements?

Before writing: Define the target user stage (such as awareness, comparison, or decision). Map common objections, tangents, or FAQs that users expect to see next. Plan contextual resources like calculators, downloads, or bonus tools.

During creation: Include CTAs matched to the awareness stage - "See Comparison," "Download Resource," or "Start Trial" based on user journey position. Address objections with inline FAQs or pros/cons. End with "What's next?" direction that links to follow-up action or related content.

Success benchmark: Each CTA feels like the logical next step based on the high-quality content users just consumed. Readers know exactly what to do next without confusion or friction.

When Should You Include Subtopics vs. Create Separate Pages?

AI systems work best with comprehensive single pages that cover complete query landscapes.

Or at least that's what the man at the forefront of understanding AI search , Michael King said when I asked him. And it does make sense, given energy constraints, that such query fan-out techniques prefer one robust page over many smaller ones.

Create Comprehensive Single Pages When

Related subtopics support the main query (even if individually searchable)
User journey flows naturally from topic to subtopic
Combined content stays under 6,000 words
Subtopics answer logical follow-up questions

This approach captures more synthetic queries on one optimized page.

Split Into Separate Pages When:

Subtopics serve different user intents or funnel stages
An individual subtopic needs around 700-1,000 words
Page length hurts user experience (over 6,000 words total - having said that, there are exceptions like our guides on content audits and SEO for higher education - they're a bit much but they're a labor of love)
Search data shows strong demand for standalone topics

How Can You Connect Related Content for AI Systems?

You can connect related content for AI systems with internal links that map relationships between concepts, not just navigation paths.

Use descriptive anchor text that explains connections - replace 'click here' with phrases like 'learn how to avoid fluff content ' or 'the difference between content marketing vs SEO .'"

Create content clusters around core topics. Group related pages and link them using descriptive anchor text. Build hub pages for broader topics or core offers and spoke pages that explore specific applications. This creates a knowledge map AI systems can follow.

For example: In this article we link to our Content Update Services (a hub page with commercial intent) . We've also created a supporting guide on how to do a content audit (a spoke) which includes content quality assessment and so, links to this framework outlining the qualitative evaluation in the content audit (another spoke).

This way, our commercial hub page gets linked from multiple highly relevant mid-funnel supporting pages that are also helpful for users and provide a glimpse into our processes.

How to Test This Approach?

Check your rankings for related queries. If multiple pages compete for similar terms (cannibalizing), consolidate them. If one comprehensive page ranks for dozens of related searches, you've found the sweet spot.

But keep in mind, conversational search rankings will likely soon replace traditional search engine rankings with paragraphs and cited links. And with passage-level retrieval techniques, we'll need to see if cannibalization is still a thing.

Bottom line: Start with comprehensive coverage on single pages. Split only when user experience or intent clearly demands it.

Which Criteria Will Deliver the Fastest Results? [Content Quality Assessment Timeline]

So, which pages should you prioritize first and for how long?

Which Pages Should You Prioritize First?

Focus on revenue-driving pages before traffic-building content. Service pages, product descriptions, and homepage content convert visitors into customers.

Priority 1: Service pages, product descriptions, homepage (ideally, weeks 1-4)
Priority 2: Resource guides linked to offers, comparison pages (weeks 5-8)
Priority 3: Blog posts and educational content (weeks 9-12)

Which Factors Deliver The Fastest Wins Per Page?

Start with pages scoring 8-10 points. These will need structural improvements rather than complete rewrites. And user Experience improvements require the least technical knowledge while delivering measurable AI visibility ASAP.

After your audit, tackle these factors in this order for each individual ESSENTIAL page (important for your business - offer page, highest-traffic supporting page linked to your offer page) for the quickest wins:

User Experience:
Break long sections into 100-300 word chunks.
Convert headings to questions.
Add FAQ sections if possible, using actual customer questions from support tickets, sales calls, or contact form responses.
Credibility & Freshness:
Update statistics from last 12 months.
Add 3-5 authoritative sources.
Implement relevant schema markup.
Guidance:
Optimize CTAs for user journey stage.
Add internal links with descriptive anchor text.
Include decision frameworks.
Contextual Understanding:
Research follow-up questions users ask.
Add PAA coverage to existing content.
Expand thin content with related topics.
Address different experience levels.
Uniqueness & Value-Add (May take the longest to implement):
Add original data and case studies.
Include "In our testing" examples.
Show off proprietary insights.

How Long Does Each Content Type Take?

New content creation: Can take around 15-20 minutes for quick checks of different criteria while writing. And then expect 30-60 minutes for quality review before publishing.

This will really depend on the website and editorial guidelines though.

We've managed content websites that publish 100+ new pages of relatively short content (around 2k words each) per month while others publishing 4-5 highly in-depth guides (averaging 6k words). So note that gauging this editorial process will definitely be a case-by-case basis.

But for existing content - our content quality scoring (the result of updating 1000+ pages for clients) can really help remove ambiguity during the planning and budgeting process:

Existing content optimization:

Minor refreshes (11-15 points): Expect to spend 1-2 hours per page
In-depth updates (6-10 points): 3-5 hours per page
Major revisions (0-5 points): 1-2 weeks per page

Comprehensive audits: Expect to spend 6-8 hours for 10-15 pages depending on their business value.

When Should You Get Professional Help With Content Optimization?

One strong signal that you'd benefit from professional help is if you have multiple high-value pages scoring below 8 points signals. This shows a need for systematic improvements across your content.

A specialized team also brings fresh and objective eyes to content and can complete comprehensive audits and updates faster than internal efforts thanks to proven frameworks and dedicated focus.

How to Identify Content Gaps Against Competitors?

Start with your most important business pages, let's say your main service page. Then find your top 2 competitors' equivalent pages. Score all three pages using the 5-factor checklist.

Simple comparison:

Your page: 7 points
Competitor A: 11 points
Competitor B: 9 points

Identify the gap and fix the biggest weakness first. Look at which factors they score higher on - maybe their User Experience beats yours (better headings, clearer structure, smaller chunks) or their Credibility outperforms yours (more recent data, more authoritative, relevant sources).

Focus on those area where both competitors beat you. Get your page to 11+ points, then move to the next priority page.

But don't get lost in the weeds, give yourself 15 minutes per comparison. Because as we've discussed, external factors like brand mentions can also play a substantial role in visibility.

When Can You Expect to See Results?

Test changes within two weeks by searching your topics on AI platforms. Look for improved visibility in generated responses as validation of your optimization efforts.

Historically, content updates have shown performance improvements within 30 days of republishing optimized content. But changes will likely appear faster on AI platforms. So, be sure to monitor KPIs for important pages at least monthly to track progress and identify new opportunities.

And as you go through your changes, you can also test how at least Google's AI mode via Gemini interprets your website. And that's because fellow Canadian and Senior SEO strategist at TripAdvisor, Jean-Christophe Chouinard has shared a cool way to create a 'RAG Pipeline' within NotebookLM.

With this, you can get some basic but helpful insights on how to influence your site to appear for queries you care about. I won't regurgitate the video but it's definitely worth watching!

How to Measuring Success in Conversational Search with Content Quality KPIs?

Traditional metrics like page views don't tell the complete story anymore. You need Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that measure how well your content serves users in an AI-powered search landscape.

Solid Core Performance Indicators

Focus on key metrics that indicate comprehensive user satisfaction and AI system preference. Track signals that show your content answers complete question journeys, not individual searches.

Query diversity shows content coverage

Your best content should rank for 15+ related long-tail queries beyond your primary keyword. Check Google Search Console Performance reports and filter by page to review all ranking queries.

When your single page captures as many relevant user intents as possible, you've built something valuable for users and AI systems (via the fan-out technique).

With this, comes passage-level selection because search engines like your content structure.

Sections must offer standalone completeness: Again, each H2/H3 section should make sense without surrounding context. AI extracts individual passages, not full articles.

User behaviour reveals content value

Aim for bounce rates under 50% combined with scroll depth over 60%. Target 25% of users clicking through to related content on your site.

Monitor this through Google Analytics 4 Engagement reports or Microsoft Clarity for scroll depth and screen records. High engagement across multiple metrics indicates you've anticipated user needs.

Here's what strong content engagement looks like in practice (from one of our client sites):

80% engagement rate with 2 leads from only 25 sessions. This shows users finding complete value. Although granted, this is a small number of sessions and an exception more than an average.

Side note - I believe it can also be an indicator that brand mentions in LLMs are seen almost like a 'word-of-mouth' recommendation by users.

Particularly in a B2B context where decisions rely less on emotion or gut feelings.

It's of course too early in the technology to say definitively, but there have been some interesting related studies with similar findings like a study from 2020 in the Journal of Marketing, Artificial Intelligence in Utilitarian vs. Hedonic Contexts: The “Word-of- Machine” Effect.'

This is not always the case though, and other client sites may do quite well with referral traffic from these LLMs but have room for improvement with engagement rates (where they're hovering in the 50% range).

Measure AI platform performance

Search your main topics monthly on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI-powered results. Document whether your content appears in generated responses. Track this alongside traditional metrics like organic traffic and rankings.

Conversion alignment proves business impact

Your content-to-conversion rate should match or exceed your funnel benchmarks. Again, track this through GA4 conversion tracking with content attribution.

A content marketing strategy that both educates and converts demonstrates complete user journey optimization.

Red Flags to Monitor

Watch for these warning signs that indicate content quality issues:

Declining query coverage suggests content gaps or outdated information.
High bounce rates with low click-through rates mean users see your snippet but don't engage - check for misaligned intent or weak headlines.
Zero AI Overview appearances may indicate your content lacks the structure or authority (external brand mentions) search algorithms rely on for trust and preferential treatment.
Flat internal engagement means users consume your content but don't explore related content topics, suggesting incomplete guidance. So you'll want to check for key metrics like Views per Active User in your pages report in GA4 and use the Guidance tips above to boost the numbers of your high-business-potential pages.

What Are Some Benchmark Targets For Different Content Type?

Blog posts: 15+ ranking queries, 3+ featured snippets (make use of FAQs, definitions, step-by-step lists), 60%+ scroll depth
Landing pages: Under 3-second load times, 40%+ conversion improvements (of your current), 80%+ mobile usability
Product pages: 5+ commercial queries, 30%+ add-to-cart rates (aspirational), multiple schema validations
Resource guides: 25+ ranking queries, 30%+ download rates, increase in social media posts sharing

Set at least, quarterly reviews to assess these metrics, prioritizing the most valuable content types, and focus on improvements where you see the biggest gaps.

Apply This Framework to Your Content

Ready to assess your content systematically? Our Content Quality Assessment Checklist evaluates any piece against these five criteria with scoring guidelines, priority indicators, and specific action items for each factor.

Download the checklist now and start improving your content immediately. This systematic approach identifies gaps and prioritizes improvements that drive measurable performance gains - whether you're optimizing existing content or creating something new.

Get Professional Help with Content Optimization

Already have great content that needs optimization and want some outside help? Our content update services use this framework to systematically improve your existing pages for better search rankings and AI platform visibility.

We handle the analysis, research, and even implementation so that you can focus on your strengths.

Learn more about our content update services here!

How to Do a Content Audit that Delivers Results [W/ Template]

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:52:18 GMT

How to Do a Content Audit that Delivers Results [+ Template]

Your website may have hundreds or even thousands of underperforming pages working against you.

There's no shame in it - in fact, it's very common. We've updated nearly 1000 pages for clients and have learned one universal truth: every website can benefit from the occasional content audit.

They reveal hidden problems and opportunities from your existing content library. But they're so often tedious, messy, and put on the back-burner.

So, in this guide on how to do an SEO content audit, you'll learn:

The 100% free tools you'll use to extract data (and how)
The exact step-by-step auditing framework
How to identify issues and prioritize your action plan
Practical tips for achieving quick wins with your new insights
And more ;)

You can also use our content audit template - the same framework we just used to grow a clients traffic by by 30% in just one quarter!

Key Takeaways on How to Do a Content Audit

This is quite a big guide. And so similar to a comprehensive content audit, it's very reasonable that few will have the desire to go through it all. So here's a quick breakdown of everything you should know.

(Simply Command/Ctrl + F to jump to any step for more details.)

Step 1: Data Collection = You only need 3 free tools :
Google Search Console (Clicks, impressions, position + year over year change of either 28 days or 3 months)
GA4 (sessions, conversions + again YoY change of same date range you choose)
Ahrefs webmasters tool (# of referring domains and internal links per page, top keywords, top keyword position)

Step 2: Data Compilation = Organize data into categories :
Basic page info
Performance metrics (for analyzing your GSC and GA4 data in step 3)
Content Strategy Context & Content Quality (for step 4)
Action plan (step 5)

Quick note: Depending on the size of your site you may may want to prioritize auditing pages relating to your most valuable business category first.

Step 3: Quantitative Analysis = Based on performance metrics like traffic and impression trends, and conversion rates, check for :
Update candidates (relatively decent traffic in positions 4-25)
"Zombie" pages (dead pages with no clicks and <100 impressions - so, should either be unpublished or redirected to a relevant page with better potential)
Full-redo opportunities ('zombie' service pages or important URLs that need a full-write)
Cannibalization issues (look for page titles that seem to have similar intent and then inside GSC for important queries over the last 12 months to see if 2+ pages show fluctuating clicks and impressions)

Step 4: Qualitative Assessment = Thanks to the quantitative analysis you should have a narrower scope of pages to look deeper into (ie. those marked update, redo, consolidate):
Map pages to user journey stages:
ToFu = Info intent - Low (immediate) business value
MoFu = Info-to-Commercial intent (especially JTBD How-to and Tools/Resource content) - Medium-High value
BoFu = Transactional intent (ie. service pages) - High value
Evaluate content quality using five key criteria: contextual understanding, credibility and freshness, user experience, uniqueness and value-add, and guidance - to derive an Overall content quality score.

Step 5: Action Priority Plan = Create a clear roadmap using a weighted formula that combines business value, content quality (overall content quality score), and performance metrics (GSC clicks, impressions, position; and GA4 sessions) to classify pages into priority action groups (P0-P3 for easy filtering).
P0 - Critical (ASAP) = Fix High-Value Pages with quality issues, and fix all broken links on site
P1 - High (Complete Within First 1-3 Months) = Update Mid-to-High valuecontent, consolidate competing pages, set up redirects and unpublish dead pages.
P2 - Medium (Next quarter) = Update mid-value content, re/de-optimize any pages with subtle content overlap - clear delineation in internal linking anchor text, etc., improve internal links and CTA from ToFu-> Commercial-> Decision.
P3 - Low (When resources allow) = Maintain high-performing content, update low-value content.

Step 6: Look Beyond SEO = As you go, be sure to take notes on possible UX and CRO improvements like page design, CTA placement, trust signals, and mobile responsiveness to complement your SEO efforts.

Step 7: Measure Success = Track progress with realistic expectations, monitoring ranking and conversion changes, traffic patterns (1-3 months), and implement regular mini-audits based on content priority (business value) .

Why Content Audits Matter

If you've been around for a while, you likely have tons of site content from years past. (Including the early days when you were just figuring things out.)

As a result - your website may have several underlying issues working against your business goals.

Things like:

Competing pages where 2 or more pages target the same search intent - a lose-lose where Google struggles to choose which page to rank (keyword cannibalization).
Missed business opportunities from poor SEO performance of high-potential/value pages that should be driving conversions (leads, email signups, etc.).
Outdated content that's thin or inaccurate, meant to guide potential customers through your sales funnel. But instead tarnishes your credibility.
Wasted crawl budget on underperforming pages consuming resources better served with medium-to-high business value content. (Important to note that worrying about this is typically only worthwhile if your site has 1000s of pages.)

5 Key Benefits of a Proper Content Audit

Your content audit is your action-plan for content updates and plays a key role in your overall content marketing strategy efforts.

A high-quality content audit helps deliver 5 key benefits:

ID'ing quick wins via low-hanging fruit opportunities (ie. pages ranking in positions 4-25) or increasing conversions (ie. pages with high business potential/value and traffic but unclear calls to action).
Clear prioritization by way of a data-backed roadmap for which pages to improve, remove, etc. to drive the fastest return on investment from your content marketing efforts.
Strategic overview with a high-level understanding of your content assets and gaps you can fill in with future content.
Resource optimization to avoid wasting time and money on ineffective content approaches that have historically not worked - or will no longer work in an age of fewer clicks due to AI Overviews.
Problem detection identifying actual content issues to your performance, again, based on the data rather than assumptions.

Real Results

A B2B software development company we recently worked with saw a 31% jump in organic traffic within Q4 alone after implementing changes from our content audit.

Key pages stuck on page 2 and even 3 moved to page 1, and overall engagement metrics improved across the site.

(Granted the work with this client evolved beyond just an audit, including setting up proper tracking for conversions and updating service and supporting pages. You can learn more in our case study .)

But even more impressive, their conversions from contact form submissions via organic search increased by 300% in the following quarter.

So let's get into how to do a successful content audit.

Step 1: Data Collection

You'll need access to 3 essential data sources to make the most educated decisions possible.

Google Search Console (GSC)

This is where you'll find your data regarding Google search impressions, clicks, and search queries driving traffic to your site.

To export this data:

Go to Performance → Search Results
Set date range to last 28 days and compare year-over-year
You can choose either 28 days or 3 months. The shorter window will give you a quick idea of current performance and any issues. A 3 month timeframe will give you a better idea of trends and avoid anomalies from seasonality, etc.
(But just note that with Ahrefs' free webmasters tool your Site Explorer is limited and unable track very far - so, for the purposes of this guide we'll stick to last 28 days.)
Export the data as Sheets or CSV or whatever else you like.

(If you have a particularly large site, you may want to check out SEOGets . It's a freemium GSC dashboard tool with a free version that lets you bypass the sometimes frustrating 1,000 row limit.)

And a quick note on GSC - once you export, and as you'll see later - you'll want to include a % for the click difference.

Here's how to do that in case you need.

Add a column next to the 2 click dates. Set that column to percentages. And then Divide the last 28 days clicks with last years.

Google Analytics (GA4)

Don't just settle with GSC. It’s increasingly important to consider
additional traffic sources.

By checking out Session sources you can see which pages are getting traffic from Bing, DuckDuckGo, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Flipboard, etc. (but don't include this in your export as it'll get confusing).

To see your different sources click + -> Traffic source -> Cross channel (Session scoped) -> Session Source.

With GA4, you also get user behaviour metrics and conversion data (so long as they're set up properly).

If you're after leads from form submissions I recommend this great video by Mike Friedman of The SEO Pub (and checking out his other stuff too).

But lemme get back on track.

Here's how to export your data from GA4:

Navigate to Reports → Engagement → Pages and Screens
I like to set this as Page path and screen class (so that it's URL slug)
Match your GSC date filters

And quick note: By default GA4 shows Views. But for the purposes of our audit - we'll want to add Sessions. (You can learn all about the differences between Views and Sessions here !)

So, go to Customize report in the top right.

And under Metrics -> click Add Metrics and search for Sessions.

Then move it to the top of your list of Metrics and click Apply and Save.

Now you're ready to export.

Ahrefs (Free Webmaster Tools)

With the free Ahrefs' webmaster account, you can get a quick idea of each page's (so long as they have) top keyword, its top position, as well as number of referring domains and internal links they have.

This is my primary use for it however there's a ton you can do with it.

So, once you're signed up - find the page explorer page (inside the audit section).

Just note, before you export, you’ll Definitely want to customize the columns - and I also recommend ensuring your 'Pages' are set to Internal: All Pages.

Here are some possible options you may want to include in yours:

Title (although in your sheet you can also use a =IMPORTXML formula)
Title length (again could use a formula =len(cell))
h1
No. of content words (word count)
Is self-canonical
Canonical URL
Depth
No. of all inlinks (number of internal links to the page)
No. of referring domains
Top keyword
Top keyword position
No. of h1 (just in case you unknowingly have formatting errors)
No. of pages having the same title
No. of pages having the same h1
Loading time

Step 2: Data Compilation

I'm partial to Google sheets but of course feel free to use Excel ;).

But regardless, for sanity sake, I recommend organizing them in groups in a master sheet. Keeping tabs with the different data sources for various =VLOOKUP formulas.

The content audit spreadsheet (template) that's available in this article has everything already set up for you - and may just save you hours of your life ��.

Here's what I recommend:

Basic Page Info

URL
Title Tag
Character Count
Last Updated
Content Type

Performance Metrics

GSC Position
GSC Impressions
GSC Clicks
GSC Click YoY Change
GSC CTR
GA4 Sessions
GA4 Key Events (Whatever conversion you're after - form response, newsletter signup, etc.)
GA4 Session YoY Change
GA4 Key Events (%) YoY Change
I recommend conditional formatting to highlight issues. Use a colour-scale for these 2 GA4 YoY columns (and if you think it'll help, the GSC Click YoY Change column - but of course feel free - heck you could format them all ;):
Minpoint number 0% red,
midpoint 50% yellow,
and Maxpoint 100% green (or 300% if needed).
# of Referring Domains

Content Strategy Context

Tag / Category
Top Keyword
Top Keyword Position
Awareness + Intent
Business Potential (Auto-fills based on Awareness + Intent column)

Content Quality

Contextual Understanding
Credibility & F reshness
User Experience (UX)
Uniqueness and Value-Add
Guidance
Overall Content Quality Score (I highly recommend, again using the colour scale used for the YoY changes here.)
Content Recommendation (Helpful to set =IF parameters based on the overall quality score)

Action Plan

Content Action (What you choose to do with the page based on the info you now know)
Action Priority (This will depend primarily on a page's Performance metrics, Business Value, and Overall Content Quality Score - but you'll find out soon)
Status
Completion Date (This way it's also an implementation doc)
Note

Scope Considerations

Now something you may have astutely noticed is that this a lot.

And you're very right to think this process sounds quite time consuming. It certainly is pal. But as with most things, improvement take effort.

And just know that you can always bypass some of these headaches via help from an objective and experienced third-party like us!

But let's get back to it...

For smaller sites (sub 100 pages), a full content audit within a month is usually reasonable.

But for larger sites, I'd definitely recommend taking a more piecemeal approach:

Section-by-section: Audit one key business category at a time (most profitable products, services, etc.) - typically good option for big enterprise sites.
Priority-based: Focus first on revenue-driving content types - good for SMEs hoping for quick wins. For example, Portent schedules their content audits differently based on awareness stages:
Awareness content - every 6 months
Consideration content - every 3-6 months
Decision/Conversion content - every 3 months (regular content audits)
Retention content - audited annually
Performance threshold: Another way is to start with pages getting at least 100+ impressions monthly

As you'll find below when we get into our prioritization framework - we learned the hard way that a system largely reliant on Performance metrics can have limitations.

But, in general, the right approach for you will depend on your site size, resources (be it team or money), and immediate business goals.

Step 3: Quantitative Content Analysis

Now you've got the goods all set up, it's time to start analyzing.

First let's cover the quantifiable analysis since it's very straightforward thanks to the 'Performance Metrics' columns.

It'll also save you time when it comes to the qualitative stage - as you'll know which pages to look into that can deliver quick wins.

Simply look at each page's row, to get an idea of each page's performance (this is where the conditional formatting helps).

Performance Metrics That Drive Action

Here are some of the 'Performance Metrics' you'll want to keep an eye on as you look through your different pages:

Traffic trends (28-day/3 months and year-over-year)
Click-through rates versus impression volume
Conversion performance (Key events and any YoY change)

Here are the Content Actions that are helpful to choose from.

Identifying Update Candidates

Look for content that:

Is relevant to your offers and customers, particularly those in the MoFu/BoFu stages (we'll cover this soon)
Drives at least some monthly traffic
Contains key queries ranking in positions 4-25
Has converted visitors in the past
High-potential pages with poor conversion rates
Shows at least 100+ monthly impressions but low clicks
Has decent impressions but few clicks (could be a potential intent mismatch)
Shows traffic decline year-over-year
Is older than 6 months

ID'ing 'Zombie' Pages to Potentially Unpublish/Remove

These are dead pages with:

Fewer than 100 impressions in the past 28 days
Zero or very minimal traffic in GSC or GA4
No conversions
No backlinks
No business potential or even navigational purpose and zero hope for the future

Just note that some of these pages with poor performance may indeed have valuable content that be repurposed into different formats. So you may want to consider whether to:

Turn them into lead magnets (checklists, templates)
Transform them into visual assets (infographics, carousels, etc.)
Potential for video
Better served as a series of social media posts

Choosing a Full-Redo

Some dead pages deserve a second chance.

These are dead pages that could be super valuable to your business - and it's a shame they aren't performing.

Think supporting pages to your most profitable offers. Or even offer pages that have slowly died.

These should be marked for a full re-do. And when you assess content quality you'll want to keep an eye out for intent mismatch or freshness issues (we have a helpful framework for this below).

If the existing URL slug is solid and only includes the target keyword - you could keep the same page and just resubmit the URL in GSC when you're done the rewrite.

But if it's a messy URL, might as well redo it on a new one and redirect.

Spotting 'Zombie' Pages to Redirect

Some of these pages may have served a purpose and garnered backlinks in the past but simply fell off. You can find these via the '# of Referring domains' column.

Where these pages match the same criteria as those that should be removed - and not deserving of a full redo, you can 301 redirect them to a similar page with greater business potential.

But just note that all of these 'Zombie' pages could have internal links pointing to them which should be swapped out to other relevant but better pages.

Here's how to quickly find these:

Site Audit
Link Explorer
Internal: All Internal href links
Export ( Optional - But if you do, be sure to add a Column 'Is Link Internal' so you can filter for just internal links to and from the dead pages. )

Finding Competing Pages (Cannibalization)

Usually you'll find at least one instance of multiple pages competing for the same search intent.

(Granted - this will be more likely found during your qualitative analysis but I just mention it here to keep all the 'Content Actions' together.)

This can cause Google to struggle to determine which page to rank.

Sometimes finding it can be as easy as looking at 2 page titles.

But you'll typically need to dig a little deeper.

You can use GSC to check the last 12 months and see if important queries have 2+ pages with fluctuating clicks and impressions over that time.

Another way is within Google search:

site:yourwebsite.com “important keyword”

(Using “” to find that exact keyword)

site:yourwebsite.com important keyword

(Without “” for more variance)

However, the key here is ID’ing the user’s need and purpose of their search (which is actually good a lead in for what we'll cover soon in Step 4 - qualitative assessment.

Just as an example - for context - here are 2 articles with the same intent (despite different wording), likely to cannibalize if on the same site:

Best Cameras for Beginners in 2025
Top Entry-Level Cameras for New Photographers

And here are 2 other examples of pages that wouldn't cannibalize (despite both having best photography in the title):

Best DSLR Cameras for Wildlife Photography
Best Mirrorless Cameras for Street Photography

So what do we do with those that Are competing?

Well, we'll need to decide whether to re/de-optimize (can mark as Update - with a note) or to consolidate.

If you find the pages do indeed cover different purposes you can:

Audit their internal and external links to ensure anchor texts are clearly different and specific to each unique page.
Tweak the on-page of each to ensure metadata and body text are clearly demarcated to their unique purposes
(And even transfer over specific sections if it helps with the distinction).

Marked as Consolidate

If you find that the 2 or more pages do indeed serve quite similar search intents - you’ll want to consolidate.

And just to help here's how to fix them down the line:

You’ll copy over any quality content to the higher potential page (more links, traffic, and impressions)
Ensure any useful secondary keywords are included on the new page
Edit out any egregious repetition
Fix the internal links and redirect.

Classified as No-Index

There’s a good chance you’ll find pages not meant to rank (targeting search terms, etc.).

Here's a quick test for how to assess this: If the page serves your site visitors but not search users, it's likely a good no-index candidate.

So, keep these pages out of search results:

Confirmation/thank you pages
Login/account pages
Internal resources and tools
Legal/compliance pages (unless part of your strategy)

But, consider keeping these pages indexed:

Company news and team pages
About us/mission content
Brand-building stories
Recent team building activities

Leave As Is Criteria

Pretty aptly-labeled - these pages don't need immediate attention:

Career pages with current listings
Recently updated About Us pages
New content (less than 6 months old)
Pages ranking in positions 1-3 with steady or growing metrics

Step 4: Qualitative Content Categorization

So we've covered the quantitive assessment of content.

We now know how pages are performing, and have a pretty good idea of what to do with them.

But our audits must also go beyond the numbers - taking a critical look at the actual content.

Luckily, thanks to the data we've already analyzed, we know that our qualitative assessment would be best served for the time being on content marked:

Update,
Redo,
And Consolidate

This is where we'll dig deeper into the content and SERPs to uncover the disconnects.

Mapping Content to User Journey Stages

Part of your content audit process should include identifying each page by where it fits in the 'customer journey.' (That is so long as you have a product/service/degree to sell.)

This helps you identify gaps and ensures you, at least, have a chance of engaging potential customers at every stage of their decision process.

(We use this as a way to categorize page's business potential/value. For example pages targeting lower funnel topics will be marked high-value pages, etc. Which as you'll see later, plays an important role in prioritizing your action plan post-audit.)

But just in case you need a quick overview of search intent and awareness stages as laid out by Eugene Schwartz in his remarkably priced ($300+) book Breakthrough Advertising , here's a (hopefully) helpful visual.

For the purposes of our content audit though, we don't need to go so granular.

We want to avoid over-complicating what's already quite an intensive mental exercise.

So, here's an easier way to assess pages based on their possible intents and simplified awareness stages.

ToFu/Awareness = Informational Intent

These pages educate users about problems (problem-aware) and concepts they're experiencing or curious about.

They target people searching for "who," "what," "why," queries.

For example:

"Why is my website traffic low?"
" What are the 8Ps of marketing? "
"Why aren't my blog posts ranking?"
"Why our thought leadership isn't generating leads," etc.

Informational content is meant to build credibility and introduce your brand as a helpful resource and not only interested in pushing a sale (See SEO vs content marketing for more info).

However, it has Low (immediate) business value .

So, this type of content measures success through sessions/search volume, engagement metrics like time on page, and for some - social shares rather than any direct conversions.

MoFu/Consideration = Info-to-Commercial Intent

At this stage, users understand their problem and are evaluating solutions (solution-aware).

They'll likely use terms like "best," "vs," "alternatives," and "reviews" to compare options. Or they may also be in the planning stages, exploring "how-to" jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) keywords for ways to solve their problems.

This could be something like:

How to get your blog noticed

And of course, also stuff like:

Best camera for beginners
Best Loom alternatives
Clickup vs Monday.com, etc.

It's helpful to note and differentiate the sub-categories within MoFu content:

Pillar/Hub Content serves as comprehensive resource centres that organize related information. These are often category or pillar pages targeting broad commercial terms with multiple related and supporting pages internally linking back to them.
Our massive SEO essentials for higher education guide is an example. Although we've yet to create the supporting content :S.
Home Depot's refrigerator category page is a solid example.

Tool/Resource Content - like 'how-to' content, tools and resources are another example of "jobs to be done" intent. It targets users hoping to solve immediate issues through practical tips users can apply right away. They'll go after queries like "template," "calculator," "checklist," and "generator."

Typically these MoFu types of pages have Medium to Medium-High value. And as you'll see later are still as valuable today - in the age of AI as ever before.

In general, this consideration stage content often aims at driving resource downloads and email signups as a gauge of effectiveness.

This page for example would be considered a MoFu. Because it covers 'how-to', includes downloadable resources, and looks great doing it ��.

Speaking of which, did can download your Content Audit tool yet?

BoFu/Decision: Transactional Intent

BoFu content is all about converting users into customers.

These pages ideally target queries with "buy," "price," "demo," and maybe even "free trial." And will likely be your product/service pages, pricing pages, and case studies.

For example:

It's content tailored to the 'product-and-most aware' stages and should answer questions about implementation, pricing, and specific use cases.

These are more-so landing and sales pages than blog pages like those targeting the other awareness stages. So, they'll have clear, specific calls-to-action (one goal per page) and minimal distractions.

Unsurprisingly, these pages have High business value . So you'll likely want to prioritize them and track conversion rates, demo requests, and sales opportunities.

Navigational: Brand-Specific Content

Navigational intent content helps product/most/brand-aware prospective customers find specific information about your company like about page and contact information.

It also helps retain existing customers via helpful info like support documentation - like a tool's knowledge hub.

While not typically part of your SEO strategy, these pages contribute to user experience, customer retention, and brand perception. And it's helpful to monitor direct traffic volume, user engagement with these resources, and branded search volume. Though more often considered Low-to-medium business value .

In the wild, we've typically found that most sites over-invest in ToFu/awareness content - neglecting the lower-funnel consideration and decision content that actually drives conversions.

So again, that's why we recommend identifying any of these imbalances via your content audit to prioritize content that helps move users toward purchase decisions.

However, you may be concerned that this could be quite tough to determine.

One way to makes use of a great free Query Semantic Class Classifier tool by Mark Williams-Cook - a genius SEO who shares awesome tips on LinkedIn and in this great video . He found that Google classifies basically all queries into eight “refined query semantic classes” to understand search intent (but admittedly not the only ways they determine).

Though with your pages' Top Keyword as shown in your Ahrefs export - you can plug them into this page to help predict their categories:

Below is one way to understand these classifications as they relate to intent and awareness stages. And perhaps more importantly, their most common SERP features (to know which content formats work best).

Just note it's certainly not an exact indicator of an 'awareness' connection and you will still want to analyze each SERP to best understand their Awareness and intent categories.

This hopefully just helps push you in the right direction and give you an idea of what to expect:

As you may know by now, SERPs commonly dominated by AI Overviews show much lower click-through-rates (CTRs) .

So, in general, SHORT_FACTS will have the lowest CTRs.

While INSTRUCTION, COMPARISON, CONSEQUENCE, BOOL will likely have the highest click throughs. And thus, in general, these are increasingly important query types to focus on to get visitors:

INSTRUCTION (How-To, Tools, JTBD): People often still click for deeper, interactive or visual steps and sign up for templates, tools, etc.
COMPARISON (MoFu): People can get a gist with AI Overviews but likely still want personal insights 'What I chose and why."
CONSEQUENCE (Outcome-focused): Readers want real, human nuance when it comes to anything with consequence via first person experience, research, case studies, or community comments (from Redditors ��).
BOOLEAN (Is X good, Can I, Should I): Readers often want more than a yes/no — they want logical reasons, credibility, and next steps. (CTAs = "Get a free SEO assessment for your business")

Content Quality Assessment

With your priorities known, you'll now want to assess each piece of content for quality using systematic criteria that work best for users as well as traditional search and AI platforms.

For detailed assessment, use our Content Quality Assessment Framework which provides a 0-15 point scoring system across 5 key factors.

But here's a quick overview for audit purposes:

Quick Content Quality Scoring (0-3 scale per factor)

→ Contextual Understanding

Does the content address the primary query plus 5-7 follow-up questions users will ask next?

→ Credibility & Freshness

Current data (last 12 months), 3-5 authoritative sources, clear authorship?
You can also check whether or not your content meets current consensus of a topic with the Consensus Fact Checking GPT by SEONotebook . Just paste in your article and the general topic and it'll analyze how it compares

→ User Experience

100-300 word chunks, conversational headings, mobile-friendly, visual elements?
I tend to recommend and use Hemingwayapp for readability and 'chunking' needs.
But it's also important to avoid blindly following all suggestions of a tool like Hemingwayapp or Grammarly or creating content strictly with machines in mind. There is great value in varying sentence length and escaping formulaic, strict guidelines. As the great writer Gary Provost shares:

→ Uniqueness & Value-Add

Original insights, "In our testing" examples, expertise AI cannot replicate?

→ Guidance

Clear next steps, journey-matched CTAs, addresses user objections?

Total Score: ___/15 points

Action Priority:

11-15 points: Ready for promotion
8-10 points: Fix 1-2 factors (2-4 hours)
6-7 points: Systematic improvement needed (4-8 hours)
3-5 points: Major revision required
0-2 points: Remove or restart

For complete implementation guidance, including detailed checklists and tools, use our Content Quality Assessment Framework .

Step 5: Prioritize Your Action Plan

Here's where the magic happens.

You see - these qualitative assessments that map content to user stages and thus business value - to go along with the typical performance metrics and content quality analysis resulted from a bit of a blunder.

We learned the hard way - the importance of creating a prioritization roadmap so that you don't have to...

Quick backstory: we had a massive client - working directly with a 9-figure business owner with great influence and experience in online business.

One of the first things we did was run a content audit to update their existing content inventory.

But remember, we had yet to work out a solid prioritization system.

We were mostly relying on performance metrics to decide. It was a site with hundreds of pages, many of which needed consolidation, redirection, removal, or at least a full redo. Unfortunately we were slow to pull the trigger and focused mostly on updates.

By the time we realized it - the campaign was already well underway. And just for context - it was also a content site post-HCU (and had lost quite a bit of traffic).

Which if you remember, was quite a doozy.

While search rankings and click-throughs on the site to his various other businesses were growing, from our efforts, it still wasn't quite the turn-around we had anticipated. And what we were used to seeing pre-HCU.

So, this is just to say that the campaign was not the success it could have been had we known what we know now.

To avoid confusion and decision fatigue I recommend creating a priority formula that automatically combines:

Business value (weighted highest),
Performance metrics like position, sessions, and impression-to-click performance,
And your content quality score.

Here's the formula we use:

It factors in:

T3: Business Potential ("High-Value", etc.)

Y3: Overall Content Quality Score

F3: GSC Position

G3: GSC Impressions

H3: GSC Clicks

K3: GA4 Sessions

To give a classification of P0-P3 (the unambiguous numerical order of P0, P1, etc. helps with sorting and filtering).

But let's explore each:

P0 - CRITICAL (Do These Immediately)

Fix High-Value Pages with Quality Issues

Update business-critical pages: Product pages, service descriptions, pricing information, and core conversion pages
Fix underperforming content - especially those in the BoFu/Decision showing significant traffic decline
Address high-value pages with quality scores below 6
Fix pages that directly impact your bottom line with clear conversion paths
Resolve critical technical issues affecting high-value pages
Fix any issues with product/service comparison pages
Add essential information missing on core transactional pages

Fix all broken links on site (prioritizing broken internal links)

P1 - HIGH (Complete Within First 1-3 Months)

Update High-Potential Content

Focus on pages with high impressions (1000+) but low clicks (<20)
Optimize medium-to-high value content ranking in positions 4-20
Improve alignment with search intent on pages with potential
Enhance CTAs and conversion elements on pages with traffic but poor conversion
Update case studies with fresh results and clearer outcomes

Address Content Gaps

I've almost solely focused on internal analysis for content audit recommendations. However, as you assess the SERPs in the qualitative stage, you'll naturally see recurring competitors to compare yourself with. Here, you can begin planning and creating the high-value pages they have but you don't
Continue listing valuable keywords where competitors rank but you don't
Prioritize creating content for high-value topics with clear business potential (MoFu to BoFu)

Consolidate Competing Pages (If possible, can tackle in the first month)

Identify keyword cannibalization issues for high-intent terms
Merge competing pages targeting the same search intent
Combine the strongest elements from each page
Set up proper 301 redirects and fix internal links

Recover Link Equity

Fix or redirect broken pages with quality backlinks
Add internal links to high-value content with few inbound connections
Prioritize updating pages with valuable backlinks

P2 - MEDIUM (Next Quarter)

Upgrade Mid-Value Content

Strengthen consideration-stage content in positions 21-40
Add comparison tables and case studies to commercial content
Update supporting content around your primary service/product pages
Refresh statistics and examples to maintain relevance

Address Content Overlap

Identify medium-value pages with similar content
Clarify the purpose of each page through distinct H1s and meta descriptions
Improve internal linking with clear delineated anchor text between related content

Optimize Technical Elements

Apply noindex tags to utility pages not meant for search
Create better internal linking pathways from informational to commercial content

P3 - LOW (When Resources Allow)

Maintain High-Performing Content

Make minor updates to well-ranking content
Perform freshness updates to older but still effective pages
Check for outdated references or statistics
Ensure consistent branding and messaging across all content

Address Low-Priority Elements

Update low-value content that still serves a purpose
Review newer content (<6 months old) for early optimization opportunities
Make small improvements to user experience elements
Check for alignment with current marketing messaging

Step 6 - Look Beyond SEO

Something to consider adding - at least in a 'Notes' column, are valuable insights that extend beyond traditional SEO metrics (but totally complement your efforts).

These insights can be something site-wide regarding page set up like margins and font size (I recommend narrow margins for easier readability/time on page). But they can also be specific at a page level.

And they're just helpful to make a note of whenever something pops in your head to help create a truly comprehensive improvement plan.

I also highly recommend setting up, at least, Microsoft Clarity - for insights into how visitors browse your pages via heatmaps and screen recordings. Just be aware that some recordings can have a strangely eerie vibe to them - but maybe it's just me projecting ��.

Conversion Rate Optimization Elements

Pay attention to how your content converts visitors into leads or customers.

Especially on BoFu and consideration pages - check for:

CTA placement, design, and messaging effectiveness - make a note of any vagueness or clear room for improvement
Strategic use of trust signals (testimonials, credentials, social proof)
Form accessibility and friction points
Clarity of value messaging throughout the content

User Experience Factors

Evaluate how easy your content is to consume and navigate:

Content hierarchy and organization on category pages, homepage, etc.
Heading structure clarity and effectiveness (H1-H4)
Visual emphasis of key points

And of course

Mobile responsiveness issues
Page load speed concerns

Step 7 - Measuring Success

Important note: Your content audit delivers value when your findings are put into action.

Focus on high priority actions first - the high-value pages and low-hanging fruit opportunities.

And keep an eye on organic traffic growth across updated pages and of course, monitor their ranking and conversion improvements

Set Realistic Timelines

You can expect some initial ranking fluctuations in the first month as search engines crawl and process your changes. It's normal.

Traffic patterns will stabilize soon after though, with expected traffic and conversion improvements during this same time.

The most significant impacts though, will typically occur throughout the rest of the year as more of the roadmap is accomplished and results compound.

Implement Ongoing Monitoring

Just like we discussed under 'Scope Considerations' you'll likely want to schedule at least mini-content audits for different sections based on priority.

This on-the-ball, disciplined approach helps ensure content audits can become sustainable drivers of business growth.

Get Started On The Road To Recovery

Don't let your valuable content continue underperforming!

If you're interested - check out our comprehensive content audit template. Again, it's the same framework we used to deliver those 30%+ traffic gains in less than 3 months.

If you need any help, our team at 8-Bit Content specializes in done-for-you content audits and implementation .

We'll help identify your highest-priority opportunities and even execute changes that deliver maximum impact with minimum hassle.

And as always, feel free to reach us at start@8bitcontent.com or contact me directly on LinkedIn , Facebook , etc. if you have any questions at all.

SEO for Higher Education [With an Actionable Checklist]

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 04:25:14 GMT

SEO Essentials for Higher Education

Welcome to your complete guide to search engine optimization for university or college websites.

After 15+ years in education leadership and analyzing dozens of higher education websites, I’ve seen it all.

So, the goal here is to give you a practical roadmap to increase qualified applications through strategic online presence. You'll learn:

How to connect with diverse audience personas,
Create content that answers the top student questions,
Implement technical optimizations that enhance user experience,
Measure real enrolment impact,
And key tips to boost your organic search traffic

We've got a lot to cover so let's get started!

Key Takeaways on SEO for Higher Education

Understand Your Diverse Audiences

Different personas (traditional students, adult learners, parents) show distinct search patterns
Prospects seek answers to four core questions: program availability, affordability, admission criteria, and campus culture

Create Strategic Content

Develop comprehensive program pages with detailed curriculum, outcomes, and faculty information
Offer transparent financial content with interactive tools and clear cost breakdowns
Build organized knowledge hubs that mirror natural student research journeys
Personalize content using AI and user data to deliver tailored experiences based on interests and demographics

Technical Excellence Matters

Prioritize mobile optimization and fast page loading (under 3 seconds)
Structure your site around student research patterns, not administrative organization
Implement educational schema markup for enhanced search visibility
Maintain accessibility compliance to support inclusive access

Leverage Local & Video SEO

Optimize Google Business Profile for complex campus environments
Create authentic videos that address the four core student questions
Include full transcripts and proper schema markup with all video content

Measure What Matters

Connect SEO metrics directly to enrolment goals and student success
Implement in phases aligned with academic and admission cycles
Build sustainable practices through cross-departmental collaboration

Quick-Wins:

I've analyzed dozens of higher education websites - particularly in regards to SEO and UX. Here are some common issues that can be addressed with these simple additions:

Fix any broken links on your top 10 most visited pages
Add FAQs to your top program pages with clear answers to common questions
Ensure your "Apply Now" button is prominently visible on every program page (ideally on your header)
Add alt text to images on high-traffic pages
Test your site navigation on a smartphone to identify any usability issues
Optimize application forms and financial aid information for mobile
Implement proper schema markup for programs and courses
Set up proper tracking to understand conversion pathways

In case you’re interested, we’ve also created a checklist tailored to higher education marketing professionals. It helps you implement some key insights from this massive article!

Why is an Effective SEO Strategy so Important for Colleges and Universities?

It's important to quickly cover the why behind this entire article.

A recent industry study found that 58% of high school students use search engines as their primary pathway to college websites. And 93% said they rely on these institutional sites for critical decision-making information.

Yet remarkably, 51% of higher education marketing leaders report having no formal SEO strategy or plan in place.

And so this creates both a challenge and an opportunity for forward-thinking institutions.

SEO delivers qualified traffic without recurring costs. Your school can stand out in search results regardless of size.

Sure, paid ads can give quick visibility but they require ongoing spending. And traditional recruitment now often follows online discovery.

The goal here with SEO isn't just rankings. It's to be there to help students find their perfect educational match right when they need it.

When you treat your site's SEO as a student service rather than a standard marketing tactic, you build sustainable win-win visibility - potentially for many enrolment seasons to come.

(You may also be interested to check out our guide on SEO vs content marketing . It covers their complementary features.)

Higher Education Demographics

Effective SEO starts with an understanding of who searches for your programs.

Prospective students are real people with specific questions, concerns, and decision-making patterns.

We, as higher education marketers, must align our websites and marketing materials with these. It'll help persuade them to choose one institution over another.

So, let's start with an overview.

While potential students are the focal point of higher education marketing, we mustn't overlook the supporting cast who shape decisions.

These are not only parents and guardians but also:

Guidance Counselors : They seek program overviews and admission criteria to then make recommendations to different students.
Athletic Coaches : With an obvious focus on program flexibility and athlete support.
Alumni : These are more interested in the institution's reputation and networking opportunities.
Major Donors : Different from students - these users are after detailed research on endowments and name-giving opportunities.
Legacy Supporters : Similar to donors, these searchers are interested in long-term institutional stability and recognition.
Employers : Often overlooked but important to consider - this group may research partnership opportunities or graduate criteria to assess employee aptitudes.

Your SEO strategy - and, thus online presence must account for how these target audiences search and validate your institution.

Not only that, but education decisions tend to mix logic and emotion.

Parents and caretakers may be more interested in logical drivers searching things like:

Outcomes, rankings, job placement rates
Aspirational language: "life-changing education," "future career success"
Security concerns: "safest college campuses," "accreditation," "job placement rates," "graduate earnings"

Students on the other hand may be more interested in researching emotional drivers like:

Belonging, independence, achievement, security
Belonging needs: "student experience," "campus community," "diversity," "best social life at universities"
Fear-based searches: "Is college worth it," "student debt," "dropout rates"

(Not to generalize of course! I know there are lots of driven high school students who have been planning their university and careers paths for years!)

But regardless - your content strategy (which we'll get into very soon) must address both sides of this decision process.

Cultural Considerations

International students navigate unique challenges that shape their search patterns.

Multilingual SEO strategies can dramatically improve the visibility to these valuable prospects.

And so to maximize your education SEO efforts, begin by mapping your content against these personas and their journeys.

You can do competitor analysis to identify gaps where key questions go unanswered or where influential audiences may find dead ends.

Remember: The institution that answers the right questions, for the right person, at the right time wins not just the click - but the application.

The Four Questions Driving Higher Education Search

Lucky for us, we don't have to guess what these various groups are interested in.

Research shows prospective students and guardians are initially interested in these four questions:

Program Availability: "Does this university have the program I want?" Here you'll want to create program-specific pages - and we'll discuss later, even entire subdomains, with comprehensive details and educational program schema markup.

Affordability: "Can I afford this school?" Key here is developing financial aid sections with calculators and transparent cost breakdowns - with important distinctions between on-campus, off-campus, in-state, international, etc.

Admission Criteria: "What are my chances of getting in?" Create clear admission requirement pages with FAQ schema markup.

Campus Culture: "Will I fit in here?" Here you'll want to leverage user-generated content, virtual tours, and highlight student testimonials and success stories.

These questions also cover both logical and emotional drivers - and help build the foundation for effective website content.

So, it's ideal for your website visitors to be able to access this within 1-3 clicks from anywhere on your site - be it header or footer links or from your homepage.

And that brings us to an extremely important topic - user experience!

Prioritize User Experience for Long-Term SEO Success

The top pain points on higher education institution websites and a potential obstacle to conversions are:

Hard to navigate sites and pages
Too many clicks or searches to find what they needed
A frequent and surprising lack of mobile-friendliness. (Again, from this study )

These 3 things have one key thing in common: They can be solved by focusing on a smooth user experience.

See What Users Actually Do With Heatmaps

Want to truly understand how visitors interact with your higher education website? The answer lies in visual analytics and user insight tools like Microsoft Clarity .

Like Google Analytics or Google Search Console, it's a free tool that's super helpful for helping us reach our goals with real-world data.

Clarity's heatmaps reveal exactly where students and parents click, scroll, and pause on pages. This insight is pure gold for optimizing both UX and SEO.

You can use the heatmap analysis to discover things like:

Frustration signals, such as if there are repeated clicks on non-linked program names
Signs visitors are missing crucial information if there are signs visitors frequently scroll only 40% down most department pages
Or visitors often ignoring a prominent "Apply Now" button because it blended with the background

From Assumptions to Evidence

With a free user experience tool like Clarity installed on your site you can:

Click heatmaps to see exactly which elements attract attention
See your depth scroll average among visitors
Understand your real sessions with bot sessions excluded
Get a categorization of user intent from low to high based on engagement like clicks (including into different types of clicks like 'rage clicks') and scroll patters
See scroll maps revealing where visitors abandon your content
Analyze session recordings which capture the full journey of prospective students visiting your site
Leverage AI to quickly summarize the real world insights in seconds.

These insights and tools can turn guesswork into... something that make teamwork and dreams work...

Just trust me - you gotta check out Microsoft Clarity - I love it and it's free.

Engagement Metrics Matter

There's no denying that engagement metrics like time on page play an important role in search engine rankings.

In fact I believe it's among content, links, and technical SEO for the strongest ranking factors.

And rankings are still an important classification to consider and will be for some time. Because as an indirect result of these rankings on search engines, brands have a better chance of being included in large language model (LLM) responses.

Offering an engaging experience that quickly answers your target audience's questions will go a long way toward convincing them to enroll - or, at the very least, search deeper.

As we covered above - we know the top questions people are wondering when they research a school.

So, homepages must cover this information above the fold and include related links in the site header for easy discovery.

An example website that really does this all very well is the University of Iowa .

It blends its UX and SEO needs seamlessly. And immediately addresses all four core questions we discussed earlier above the fold.

In fact as you'll see as we go through this article you'll notice that they do lots of things right.

Critical conversion elements (Apply, Visit, Request Info) always accessible in the header
Fast loading speeds - under 3 seconds
Clean URL structure that reflects content hierarchy
Comprehensive schema markup for educational content

But my apologies, I don't mean to get sidetracked - let's finally get into the content strategy!

Execute a Content Strategy With Educational Value for Every Stage

Creating content for higher education SEO requires genuine educational value that meets prospective students exactly where they are in their decision-making journey.

Since we know what information potential students care most about - we can use that as a helpful foundation to build off of for an effective SEO strategy.

Comprehensive Program Content

Program pages can sometimes underperform - mainly because they lack depth.

When it comes to degree programs - people want answers to specific questions about curriculum, outcomes, and specializations.

So, it's helpful to create content hubs for each program including in-depth information and content like:

Curriculum breakdowns with course descriptions, sequencing, and learning outcomes
Faculty spotlights diving into research interests, publications, and teaching philosophies
Career pathway with video content showcasing where graduates tend to work
Industry connections highlighting internship opportunities and employer partnerships
Student projects that showcase exciting projects underway by current students

These are just a few 'lead-generating' ideas to connect with those interested in your programs. But with this content on your site, you can also rank for related terms.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Harvard and in my view especially Harvard Extension School does a great job with their program overview pages.

For example here's a program page that provides a quick overview on key information like:

Program overview
Admission info
Tuition costs
Career opportunities
Student success stories
Alumni membership access
And more...

And schools like Harvard and Columbia University (which we'll get into very soon) have entire subdomains for each of their main programs.

So rather than a basic "Law Degree" page, they've developed a content ecosystem with hundreds or thousands of related pages all about each program (and subcategories), research opportunity, and career path.

And this approach helps naturally encapsulate all long-tail keywords from program searches while also providing genuine educational value. For example - granted not a big surprise but the Harvard Law School subdomain ranks number one for important terms like 'How to become a prosecutor.'

Now, obviously it's most likely that someone who wants to be a prosecutor will have known about Harvard Law School. But it certainly doesn't hurt to rank at the top for this discovery stage term.

And this content format '_____ career guide' is something that more schools could use to reach students after their offers. For example Franklin University has an entire Career Guide category that does well attracting valuable, high intent organic visitors.

Just something to consider.

Content Around Tuition Cost and Affordability

Financial concerns drive of course, also drive many educational searches.

Most prospective students and even their parents have significant anxiety about costs and their return on investment.

So, it's important to address these concerns with clear, transparent and easy to find information about tuition, fees, and financial aid opportunities.

And this includes providing different figures for the different groups schools intend to attract. A Nielsen Norman article highlighted University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) when discussing the importance of including explicit information in site copy and it still holds up today.

And even beyond information on program pages and basic requirements, schools can do all sorts of creative content marketing to provide a unique and helpful user experience:

Interactive cost calculators with personalized estimates based on program and student backgrounds (and again, UC San Diego is a great example for this)

Financial aid guides with step-by-step application processes and important deadlines
Scholarship databases with searchable resources specific to your institution
ROI success stories highlighting graduate outcomes with salary data and career progression
Payment option explainers with clear breakdowns of payment plans and financing

And in an age with decreasing % click-through rates on search engines - it's super helpful to use schema markup on financial aid content to enhance visibility in featured snippets and Google Business Profile.

Here way, you can convey important information like the average cost after financial aid right on the SERPs (search engine results pages).

In-Depth Admissions Content

Similarly, prospective students want more than just basic admissions requirements.

They want to understand if they're genuinely qualified, if they can afford it (usually including financial aid information in admissions sections), and how to position themselves for success. Because after all, people want answers fast in the discovery and exploration stage.

With 1-2 clicks from anywhere on the site, visitors to the Elon University site (undergrad, graduate, and international students) can access information on admission and deadlines, programs, financial aid, and more.

So again, here are some ideas to help nurture a smooth user experience for site visitors:

Interactive eligibility tools that help students self-assess their chances.
Application walkthrough videos with step-by-step guidance from actual staff.
Student success profiles of students from various backgrounds (perhaps on the same page as the ROI success stories mentioned above).
Timeline visualizations that clearly map out the application processes with deadlines.
Common mistakes resources addressing frequent application pitfalls with tips on how to avoid them.

Transparency and comprehensive information in this area builds trust while also capturing high-intent search traffic.

Campus Culture Insights

Campus culture content performs best when it's authentic.

This can be things like student-created blogs, videos, and social takeovers to show real campus experiences. (Just be sure to include editors and quality control in the process!)

The keys for this content is to address questions of fitting in while also building an emotional connection.

Virtual 360° tours, day-in-the-life videos, and/or interactive maps
Community storytelling that highlights traditions, values, and unique aspects of the city the school is located in.
Content specific to diverse student communities can be super important for building a welcoming environment of trust and acceptance for international or minority students.
Local area guides with information about the surrounding community and opportunities.

University of Glasgow does a great job with this through their video content and Ask a Student section on their site.

Use Subject Matter Experts for Authoritative Content

It's not only all about students, though, of course.

Faculty staff can also provide critical authenticity and represent an authoritative source for related content needs.

Things like faculty department research can make for great articles (summarizing scientific articles for a wider audience). Also editorials on field developments.

And of course other content formats like short video responses to common field questions. Or showcases of strong faculty-student relationships. And perhaps most interesting - direct advice from admissions counsellors can have a profound impact on how potential attendees judge your offer.

Semantic Relationships in Educational Search

It's important to note here how educational searches follow connected patterns that mirror the decision journey.

Students might start researching a major, then investigate related careers, expected salaries, and ultimately program ROI.

So, you’ll want to create content for all sorts of inquiries, with natural pathways (via internal links) between related content, to keep prospects engaged throughout their entire research process.

Here’s an example of how search intent can evolve through the enrolment consideration process:

Balancing Branded and Non-Branded Terms

Prospective students - especially international ones - may not even be aware of your school at the start of their search.

So, your content strategy must address both branded and non-branded search terms.

Here's a quick breakdown for how to go about:

Discovery/Exploration Stage (Non-Branded):

best colleges for future teachers
affordable engineering degrees
colleges with strong study abroad programs

Evaluation and Consideration Stage (Mixed):

[university name] engineering program requirements
how to apply to [university name]
[university name] vs. [competitor] business school

Decision Stage (Branded):

[university name] scholarship deadlines
[university name] housing options
[university name] orientation schedule

Don't worry too much though - your branding will often be included in your title tags, h1s and throughout your website content. As we can see it's great for the decision stage.

But that's why non-branded is so important. It's what gets you to the meeting in the first place.

The University of Iowa, I used as an example above, in my opinion has the ideal mix of branded vs non-branded organic keywords. With about a quarter of organic traffic from branded and the rest helping discovery.

Create Educational Knowledge Hubs

So we know that understanding student search patterns is key.

Well, creating structured knowledge hubs transforms this approach, organizing content into interconnected clusters that match how prospective students actually explore educational options.

And this semantic organization improves both search visibility and user experience.

We'll get into user experience more when we cover technical SEO - as it relates to site architecture.

So first let's cover the search visibility part of the organization.

Program-Specific Content Clusters

You can build comprehensive content ecosystems around each academic program.

Start with a strong pillar page that provides an overview of the program, then connect to supporting content addressing specific aspects.

For example, a Psychology program cluster might include:

Core pillar page: Psychology Degree Program Overview
And supporting pages linking to it like:
Specialization options (Clinical, Developmental, Industrial-Organizational)
Research opportunities
Internship programs
Career outcomes
Faculty expertise
Student success stories

Create navigational elements that make relationships between content pieces explicit, such as "related programs" or "next steps" sections.

Just be sure to implement strategic contextual internal linking to also guide users through a logical exploration path.

And use descriptive anchor text that incorporates relevant keywords.

Departmental Sub-Domain Strategy

You could also consider using sub-domains for large departments or schools within your institution.

This approach can help search engine crawlers and users better navigate and understand content relationships while delivering distinct brand search for individual school programs.

Here are some important things to consider when implementing sub-domains:

Maintain consistent global navigation across all sub-domains
Implement clear cross-linking between the main domain and sub-domains
Create content gateways that help users move between related sub-domains
Ensure consistent implementation of technical SEO elements across all properties

And just as an example - this is what Columbia University’s footer looks like.

Each of those schools has its own subdomain.

And each subdomain has hundreds of relevant pages relating to that specific program.

It's important to note that sub-domains should only be used when they provide clear user benefits.

They're not bad for your SEO - but must be used properly with proper internal linking so that it's clear to crawlers they are part of the same institution.

Don't worry - this is not rocket science though and can at least be partly aided by links to the parent site in the header and footer:

And be sure that each subdomain has their own unique robots.txt file !

Each subdomain is generally viewed as a separate site.

And as it's especially important for big sites - your robots.txt file will inform search crawlers what it should and shouldn't crawl on your site.

This way you can save crawl budget for important pages that you do want crawled, indexed, and ranking.

Cross-Disciplinary Content Connections

It’s also extremely common for students to seek out cross-disciplinary educational paths.

To capture these searches, create content that bridges traditional academic boundaries.

Develop pages that highlight (and link):

Complementary major/minor combinations with high career value
Interdisciplinary programs and concentrations
Joint degree opportunities
Showcase how seemingly unrelated disciplines connect in emerging career fields
Double major pathways and requirements

Implement bidirectional linking between related disciplines.

For example, you can link Computer Science to Art programs for students interested in digital design.

Or Psychology to Business for those exploring organizational behaviour.

Content Freshness Strategies for Higher Education

One thing to keep in mind throughout this process is the importance of going back, auditing your content and keeping it t up-to-date and refreshed.

This is especially important on sites where there lots of changes taking place with the potential to make mistakes.

Here are some important content types to stay current with:

Seasonal updates that align with application cycles and academic calendars
Program refreshes with updates whenever curricula or requirements change
Outcomes data that refresh employment statistics annually
Faculty changes with updates on new hires and research developments
Student features rotating student profiles each semester

We have content update services for this if you’re curious.

Technical Foundation: Creating Exceptional User Experiences Through Site Performance

Technical SEO helps create seamless experiences that address the unique needs of higher education audiences.

When prospective students encounter slow-loading pages or forms that aren't mobile friendly, both you and them have a roadblock to your goals.

Page Speed: The First Impression That Matters

Why it matters: 53% of mobile users abandon sites after 3 seconds of loading time ; Gen Z prospective students have even less patience
UX impact: Cloudflare has shown that each 100ms improvement correlates with a 1.1% increase in conversion actions on application and information request forms
Quick wins: Optimize images, implement lazy loading for media-heavy pages, and defer non-critical scripts. One plugin we like to use is Litespeed Cache , it's a free plugin for WordPress, Drupal, and several other content management systems (CMS) and does a great job speeding up your site.

Website speed directly impacts how prospective students perceive your institution's quality and attention to detail.

But not all things are equal. Here are some of the keys to prioritize:

Mobile Optimization: Supporting the Primary Student Research Device

All websites need a responsive design. This is where the site adapts dynamically to the device of the user.

Google crawlers are mobile-first , so you must have a mobile-friendly site if you want your site pages indexed and ranking.

Plus, as we know by now, most prospective undergraduate students conduct their initial college research on mobile devices, particularly relying on their phones during the exploration phase.

So, mobile optimization is essential.

But technical requirements for higher education mobile experiences extend beyond responsive design. Application forms, financial aid calculators, and virtual campus tours require special consideration for mobile users.

Application Forms: Create mobile-friendly multi-step forms with progress indicators and save functionality. Xavier University implemented this approach with its mobile application to great success.

Touch-friendly navigation: Implement intuitive menus that accommodate one-handed mobile browsing
Virtual Tours: Optimize 360-degree campus tours with progressive loading and adaptive resolution.
Financial Aid Calculators: Design mobile-first interactive tools that save and resume inputs. Prospective students particularly value these tools during campus visits when comparing institutions.
Course Catalogs: Implement collapsible, searchable course listings with floating navigation elements. Mobile users spend nearly twice as long with well-designed course catalogs as desktop users.

The technical implementation should prioritize thumb-friendly navigation elements and minimize text input requirements. Remember that prospective students are often multitasking or researching on the go.

Site Architecture: Reflecting How Students Actually Research

Just as we covered above with the semantic relationship in educational searches, so too higher education site architecture must mirror prospective students' natural research patterns.

It’s a mistake for institutional websites to be organized around internal administrative structures rather than student information needs.

Implement a site architecture that follows common student research journeys by creating clear pathways between related content:

Program Discovery Path:

Field of interest → Specific major information → Career outcomes → Application requirements

Affordability Path:

Program costs → Available aid → Application process → Payment deadlines

Technical implementation also requires proper URL structures, breadcrumb navigation, and internal linking patterns reinforcing these natural pathways.

Accessibility is a Must in Higher Education

Accessibility isn't just a legal requirement for educational institutions—it reflects core values around inclusion and equal opportunity.

Technical SEO and accessibility improvements work together to create better user experiences for everyone.

WCAG 2.1 AA compliance: This ensures proper heading structure with sequential H1-H6 tags that reflect content hierarchy. This helps screen readers navigate content while also providing a clear semantic structure for search engines.
Alt Text for Educational Images: Provide descriptive alt text for campus images, charts, and infographics. This serves visually impaired users while providing additional semantic context for search engines.
Transcripts and Captions: Add full transcripts for video content and campus tour materials. These improve accessibility while creating indexable content from multimedia assets.
ARIA Attributes for Interactive Elements: Implement proper ARIA labels for application forms, financial aid calculators, and interactive campus maps.
Keyboard Navigation: Ensure all interactive elements are accessible via keyboard navigation for users with motor limitations.

Schema Markup Implementation

Schema markup provides explicit signals to search engines about educational content relationships. Implement relevant schema types including:

Course markup for detailed program information
CollegeOrUniversity markup for institutional details
EducationalOccupationalProgram for degree and certificate programs
EducationalOccupationalCredential for qualification information

Here's an example of nested Schema that aims to go above and beyond to provide as much information about a School of Architecture as possible (as shared by Seer Interative ):

Implement comprehensive schema for your highest-priority programs first, then expand to other offerings. Regularly test implementation using Google's Rich Results Testing Tool.

Technical SEO Audit Framework for Higher Education

You want to develop a comprehensive technical audit framework focused on educational user experience:

Speed Testing By User Type:
Test speed separately for prospective student pages, current student portals, and alumni sections as each has different functionality requirements.

Device-Specific Testing:
Test core conversion paths (information requests, applications, campus tour signups) across devices popular with your target demographics.

Journey-Based Crawl Analysis:
Conduct crawl tests that follow specific student research paths rather than just spidering the entire site.

Seasonal Load Testing:
Implement load testing during peak application periods to ensure performance under stress.

Accessibility Compliance Scanning:
Run regular automated and manual accessibility tests with actual assistive technology users.

Measure Technical SEO Success Through Student-Focused Metrics

Move beyond traditional technical SEO metrics to measure actual student experience improvements:

Technical SEO implementations should account for critical academic periods:

Schedule major technical changes during academic breaks to minimize disruption during peak application or registration periods.
Implement progressive enhancements rather than complete overhauls to maintain continuity for current users.
Establish staging environments that mirror production traffic patterns for accurate testing.
Create department-specific implementation schedules that respect unique academic calendars (graduate programs often have different cycles than undergraduate).

So to sum up - by focusing on speed, mobile optimization, intuitive architecture, and accessibility, you satisfy both users and search engines.

Local SEO for Higher Education

Your institution may attract students from across the country or globe, but your physical campus and surrounding community can also play essential roles in student decision-making.

Local SEO strategies help you capture location-based searches and address the crucial "will I fit in here?" question that influences final decisions.

Prospective students (and their guardians) use location-based searches to:

Assess safety and comfort in your campus environment.
Evaluate accessibility to activities and interests important to their lifestyle.
Determine cultural alignment between themselves and your location.
Visualize daily life as a student at your institution.

And these students with local intent are typically further along in their decision process. When someone searches "nursing programs near Chicago" or "visit [university] campus," they're showing strong interest in experiencing your institution firsthand.

Optimizing Your Google Business Profile

Most institutions struggle with Google Business Profile (GBP) management because campuses don't fit neatly into traditional business categories.

The solution is a hub-and-spoke approach.

The key technical elements for each profile include:

Consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information always
Category selection that matches search intent
360° photos of buildings and spaces
Direct links to relevant department pages
Updated hours reflecting academic calendars

Capturing Local Search Terms in Your Content Strategy

A local keyword strategy in higher education falls into distinct patterns:

Regional Program Searches: "MBA programs in Boston" "Engineering schools in Texas" "Art colleges in Southern California"

Campus Community Searches: "[University] neighborhood" "Things to do near [University]" "[University] city life"

Visit-Related Searches: "How to get to [University]" "Parking at [University] campus" "Hotels near [University]"

And you can create dedicated content that address these queries directly.

For instance, Boston University's " Living in Boston " section includes neighborhood guides, transportation information, local cultural attractions, even info about the weather... All optimized for location-specific keywords.

Developing Location-Based Content That Resonates

Location content helps prospective students visualize themselves in your environment. Here are some ideas:

Community Stories showing how students engage with the surrounding community through internships, volunteer work, and cultural experiences.
Regional Opportunity maps with visual highlights of internship sites, employer connections, and alumni networks within your region.
Local experience guides with authentic content about neighborhood favorites, transportation tips, and regional attractions that shape student life.

Brown University also exemplifies this approach with its " Life in Province " content hub, which features student-written neighborhood guides and video tours of 'local hotspots'.

Managing Local Reviews and Reputation

Online reviews significantly impact local search visibility and prospective student perceptions. A strategic approach includes:

Track reviews across Google, Facebook, and education-specific platforms like Niche and College Confidential .
Develop guidelines for responding to reviews, especially critical ones, with an appropriate institutional voice.
Implement ethical approaches (that still follow Google's terms of service!!) to encourage positive reviews from current students, alumni, and campus visitors.

Build Some Local Links

You can also do some local link building. Just be sure to focus on quality relationships rather than high-quantity spam:

Dedicated pages highlighting community partnerships with local organizations, businesses, and government agencies.
Relationships with regional media to develop content specifically for local news outlets about campus events, research, and community impact.
Collaborations with local businesses to showcase student discounts, internship partners, and other business relationships through co-created content.

Campus events also serve dual purposes: engaging the community and boosting local SEO signals.

Add event schema markup to all event pages to enhance search visibility and enable rich results.
Optimize event content with location-specific event promotion for neighborhood and regional terms that prospective students might search.
Cross-promote with local venues and collaborate with those off-campus hosting university events to create mutually beneficial content and stronger community ties.

Measuring Local SEO Success for Higher Education

Traditional SEO metrics don't fully capture local search impact. Focus instead on:

Track the percentage of local search visitors who schedule campus tours or visit requests.
Track local keyword position by monitoring rankings of program names combined with regional terms over time.
Track how visitors engage with your Google Business Profile GBP listing, especially actions like "get directions" and "call" metrics.
Measure visibility within specific geographic radius relevant to your commuter or regional student populations.

Example of Local SEO Success

A prominent university in my hometown where my brother did his undergrad degree is a great example of leveraging local SEO.

They implement many of the tips listed above.

Their full address (1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON) appears in the footer of every page
The city name "Ottawa" is strategically incorporated throughout content to strengthen location relevance
Location pins for different campus buildings and facilities
Dedicated "Campus" section highlighting the university's location in Canada's capital
Content emphasizing Ottawa-specific benefits like government internships and national institutions
"Life in Ottawa" pages targeting prospective students researching the local environment
Strategic use of terms like "Ottawa university," "study in Canada's capital," and "Ontario university"
Program pages include location modifiers (e.g., "Engineering programs in Ottawa")
Meta descriptions include location references to improve regional search visibility
Campus events calendar optimized for local searchers
Event schema markup to enhance visibility in local search results
Detailed content about public transportation options in Ottawa
Parking and accessibility information with local context
Content highlighting partnerships with local Ottawa businesses and organizations
Information about internship opportunities with local government and tech companies
Local alumni success stories tied to the Ottawa region
360° campus tour
Seasonal imagery showing campus in different Ottawa weather conditions
Location-specific captions and descriptions throughout virtual experiences
Information about off-campus housing in specific Ottawa neighborhoods
Content about local recreation, restaurants, and entertainment options
Seasonal activity guides specific to the Ottawa region
Ottawa-specific hashtags in social content
User-generated content featuring campus and surrounding areas

And if that isn't enough - prospective students are able to see that the right honorable Dan Aykroyd attended the school.

And as my grandfather used to always say:

"If it's good enough for Dan Aykroyd, it's good enough for me."

So as you can see local SEO is a key part of your overall strategy.

Your efforts optimizing your Google Business Profile and creating authentic location content lead directly to physical campus visits - which is for sure, the most powerful conversion point in the enrolment journey.

Video SEO for Higher Education

Video content has become essential in higher education marketing. 96% of people prefer to watch explainer videos before investing in a purchase.

When properly optimized, these videos can significantly boost your SEO performance while building trust addressing student questions.

Aligning Video Content with Core Student Questions

Effective educational video content directly addresses the four fundamental questions prospective students ask:

1. "Does this university have the program I want?" Program videos bring academic offerings to life in ways text cannot. Create department-specific content that showcases:

Faculty explaining unique program features and research opportunities
Current students demonstrating hands-on learning experiences
Alumni discussing how specific programs prepared them for careers
Virtual classroom tours highlighting specialized facilities and technology

Concise videos for each major featuring student perspectives and program highlights can go a long way in getting your school ranking prominently in program-specific searches.

2. "Can I afford this school?" Financial information is relatively complex and intimidating. So, video content makes these topics more approachable:

Cost breakdown explainers with experts and visual comparisons

Step-by-step financial aid application walkthroughs
Scholarship opportunity overviews with application tips
Student perspectives on managing college costs

3. "What are my chances of getting in?" Admissions videos provide clarity and confidence during a stressful process:

Application requirement explanations from actual admissions counselors
Essay writing and interview preparation guidance
Virtual admissions events and information sessions
Student stories highlighting diverse pathways to acceptance

4. "Will I fit in here?" Campus culture videos create emotional connections that drive enrolment decisions:

Day-in-the-life student documentaries showing authentic experiences

Campus traditions and events captured from student perspectives
Community engagement and local area exploration
Diversity and inclusion initiatives in action

Technical Optimization Requirements for Educational Videos

Proper technical optimization ensures your videos contribute maximum SEO value:

1. Comprehensive Video Transcripts

Transcripts serve multiple critical functions:

Make content accessible to all users, including those with hearing impairments
Provide search engines with indexable text content related to your video
Allow users to scan content before committing to watching
Create opportunities for featured snippets and video highlights

I recommend including full transcripts on the same page as embedded videos rather than hiding them behind tabs or in separate files. And even take it a step further by optimizing the transcripts for search via correct heading structure and keyword placement.

2. Video Schema Markup

Proper schema implementation can dramatically increase video visibility:

Use VideoObject schema with complete metadata (title, description, thumbnail, upload date)
Include duration, educational institution, and transcript data
Implement proper timestamps for key moments in long-form content
Connect videos to relevant educational program schema

Properly implemented video schema can increase click-through rates by up to 35% by enabling rich results with thumbnail images and additional information.

3. Strategic Video Hosting Decisions

Your hosting approach impacts both user experience and SEO performance:

The University of California system demonstrates effective hybrid implementation—uploading to YouTube for discovery while embedding on optimized landing pages with additional context and conversion elements.

And it's important to have a multi-channel approach. After all - according to a Pew research report, nine in ten teens report using YouTube - with 73% using it daily.

4. Thumbnail Optimization

Thumbnails significantly impact click-through rates and user engagement:

Create custom thumbnails that accurately represent content
Include visual elements that align with institutional branding
Test thumbnail variations to identify the highest-performing options
Ensure thumbnails are high-resolution and properly sized (1280x720 recommended)

Video Distribution Strategies for Maximum Visibility

Effective distribution ensures your video content reaches prospective students throughout their decision journey:

1. YouTube Channel Organization

Proper YouTube channel structure improves discoverability.:

Create program-specific playlists that align with student research journeys
Optimize channel sections for different audience segments (prospective students, parents, etc.)
Implement consistent video naming conventions with targeted keywords
Develop a regular publishing calendar aligned with search trends

University of Glasgow’s well-organized YouTube channel features distinct playlists for academic programs, student life, cost of living, application guidance—all with consistent naming conventions that support YouTube's recommendation algorithm.

2. On-Site Video Integration

Strategic video placement on your website enhances engagement metrics:

Embed relevant videos on high-traffic programs and admissions pages
Position videos above the fold on mobile-optimized pages
Create dedicated video resource centers organized by decision stage
Include clear calls-to-action following video content

3. Social Media Distribution

Platform-specific video optimization maximizes reach and engagement:

Adapt video length and format for each platform (short form for Instagram/TikTok, longer for Facebook)
Implement closed captions for sound-off viewing environments
Create platform-exclusive content that drives traffic to more comprehensive resources
Leverage student ambassadors for authentic distribution and engagement

For example - Northeastern University's TikTok strategy has generated over 2.4 million likes, and brought them a significant source for leads via their link in bio.

Video Engagement Metrics To Keep An Eye On

Search algorithms increasingly use engagement signals to evaluate content quality :

Watch time: Average percentage of video viewed (aim for >60%)
Audience retention: When viewers typically drop off (address content issues at drop points)
Engagement actions: Comments, likes, and shares (indicate valuable content)
Click-through rate: From thumbnail to play (measures initial appeal)
Subsequent actions: What viewers do after watching (measure conversion value)

Video Length Guidelines by Purpose

Optimal video length varies significantly based on content purpose:

Research shows that prospective student engagement drops significantly after 6 minutes for most educational content , with the exception of in-depth virtual events and comprehensive campus tours.

Authenticity vs. Production Quality

While technical quality matters, authenticity drives engagement:

Student-created content consistently outperforms professional productions in engagement metrics
Unscripted testimonials generate more trust than scripted presentations
Natural campus settings perform better than studio environments
Diverse representation significantly impacts the perception of campus culture

The most successful institutions view video as an integrated element of their comprehensive SEO strategy. It supports text content while providing the emotional connection that drives enrolment decisions.

By aligning video content with the four core questions prospective students ask, you create resources that both improve search visibility and showcase what makes your institution unique.

Combine AI and Personalized Content

An interesting and important piece of information to consider is that over half (56%) of prospective students like and expect to have personalized content and communication even in their research stage.

Personalized content uses visitor data to segment and deliver dynamic, personalized experiences based on demographics, location, search history, etc.

To do this, you must collect user data via cookies on your site.

You've almost certainly seen these disclaimer cookie popups or banners when you visit most websites these days.

McGill University is a good example here, as the site is clear about its cookies:

Arguably, the most common use of these cookies for marketing purposes is for retargeting ads that follow users across other Google and social media platforms after they leave the site.

For a university website, this could also mean a dynamic homepage highlighting informative content about your engineering program to a returning visitor who has searched for it in the past.

This creates an engaging experience tailored to each visitor's specific use case. And in the age of AI, there are some exciting opportunities on the horizon and in the here and now.

But to be clear - personalized content can come with significant challenges from lack of budget and user data. It’s not realistic to think anyone can create an algorithm with recommendations as advanced as Google or Spotify.

But again, there are some exciting opportunities today thanks to how accessible AI has become!

Here are a few examples to help get the juices flowing:

1. AI-Powered Chatbots & Virtual Assistants

You could create a university chatbot powered by AI that engages visitors with real-time conversations. This could specialize in answering FAQs and providing tailored recommendations based on their interests (e.g., programs, scholarships, campus life).

For example: A chatbot asks a visitor about their interests or needs (STEM, arts, business) and directs them to:

Relevant course pages,
Faculty profiles,
Grant or scholarship opportunities,
Internship opportunities
Or simply share student testimonials or alumni success stories from the program.

For this, you create AI chatbots on the university’s website and messaging platforms (e.g., WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger) to engage visitors in real-time. Just be sure to of course use NLP (Natural Language Processing) to understand user intent and provide personalized responses based on their inquiries.

2. Dynamic & Adaptive Web Content

I mentioned this before but you can also leverage AI to personalize web pages in real-time based on user behavior, demographics, and geographic location.

For another example of this in the wild, a student from India could see specific international student resources, visa requirements, a breakdown of living costs for international students, and testimonials from Indian alumni.

Use AI-driven personalization tools like OptiMonk, or some other CRO toolset to adjust content and offers dynamically based on visitor data (location, browsing history, referral source).

3. Interactive Virtual Campus Tours with AI Guidance

Offer AI-powered, customizable virtual tours that adapt to a student’s preferences.

Example: A prospective business student taking a virtual tour could be guided through the business school, meet faculty via pre-recorded videos, and explore internship opportunities. And who knows, if VR - or more likely, AR becomes more widespread, we'll likely see this being an option for studies.

Here, you’d need to develop a 360° virtual tour integrated with AI-driven recommendations that change based on user preferences. Use chatbot narration, pre-recorded professor intros, and student testimonials for an immersive experience.

4. AI-Generated Personalized Email & SMS Follow-Ups

Use AI-driven automation to send customized follow-up emails or text messages based on website interactions.

Example: If a student explores scholarship options, they receive a follow-up email with details on financial aid and upcoming deadlines.

Then use behavior-based automation (via HubSpot, Marketo, or ActiveCampaign) to send follow-ups triggered by specific actions (e.g., browsing financial aid pages, downloading a brochure).

5. AI-Assisted Scholarship & Financial Aid Matchmaking

Develop AI-driven tools that assess a student's profile and suggest relevant scholarships and financial aid opportunities.

Example: A prospective student inputs their grades and interests, and AI recommends applicable merit-based scholarships.

This doesn’t necessarily need to use advanced AI but could develop an AI-powered tool that lets students input their academic background, interests, and financial needs to get personalized scholarship recommendations. Use machine learning to refine suggestions over time.

6. Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Personalized Search

Implement AI-enhanced search that understands natural queries (e.g., "Which business programs offer study abroad options?") and delivers relevant, ranked results.

Example: Instead of keyword-based search results, the website provides an AI-curated list of business programs with international partnerships.

For this, you’d need to upgrade the university's website search engine with AI-powered NLP capabilities (Ie., Algolia , Elasticsearch ) to understand natural-language queries instead of only target keywords.

Measuring Beyond Search Rankings

Traditional SEO metrics like rankings and organic traffic only tell a small part of the story in higher education.

True success comes when your SEO efforts directly contribute to enrollment objectives and institutional goals.

Aligning SEO Metrics with Institutional Objectives

Start by connecting SEO efforts to specific institutional goals:

The Complete Measurement Journey: From Search to Enrollment

Develop a comprehensive tracking framework that follows prospective students from initial search to enrolment:

Search Visibility Metrics Begin with foundational SEO measurements that assess your visibility in the search landscape:
Program-specific keyword rankings (especially for non-branded terms)
Featured snippet and knowledge panel appearances
Local pack visibility for campus-related searches
Video result presence for key educational queries

Engagement and Interest Indicators Track how effectively your content engages prospective students after they find you:
Program page depth metrics (time on page, scroll depth)
Return visit frequency during the research phase
Content consumption patterns across the decision journey
Cross-device engagement continuity

Conversion Pathway Analysis Measure specific actions that indicate deepening interest:
Information request completions from organic search
Virtual tour registrations and completion rates
Application guide downloads
Campus visit registrations
Application starts and completions

Enrollment and Yield Metrics Connect search visibility to actual enrollment outcomes:
Accepted student engagement with search-driven content
Yield rates from students who originally discovered via search
Orientation and first-semester registration completion
Scholarship acceptance rates from search-originated students

Attribution Models for the Complex Higher Education Decision

Higher education decisions rarely follow linear paths, requiring sophisticated attribution approaches.

Traditional last-click attribution significantly undervalues SEO contribution in higher education. Research shows that prospective students interact with institutional content an average of 15-20 times before applying, with organic search often initiating the relationship but rarely serving as the final touchpoint.

Implement education-specific attribution models:

Extended Time-Decay Model: Accounts for the lengthy decision cycle (often 12+ months for undergraduate programs) by giving appropriate credit to early-stage interactions
Decision Stage Weighting: Assigns different values to interactions based on their place in the student journey (awareness, consideration, decision)
Cross-Device Attribution: Recognizes that students research on mobile but due to technical limitations, often complete applications on desktop
Influencer Recognition: Acknowledges the role of parent and counsellor searches in the decision process

Qualitative Assessment of SEO's Impact on Student Success

Move beyond enrollment numbers to assess how well your SEO-driven content prepares students for success:

Expectation Alignment Surveys Survey incoming students about how accurately your online content portrayed the institution:
Program content accuracy assessment
Campus culture representation evaluation
Resource and support services awareness
Overall preparation for the student experience

Content-Driven Success Metrics Track correlations between specific content engagement and student outcomes:
First-year retention rates among students who heavily engaged with pre-enrollment content
Academic performance correlation with program-specific research depth
Student satisfaction scores compared to pre-enrollment content engagement
Participation rates in opportunities highlighted in SEO content

Using Measurement to Drive Continuous Improvement

Implement a structured process to convert measurement insights into actionable improvements:

Quarterly Content Performance Reviews
Analyze which types of content drive the most valuable conversions
Identify high-potential pages with engagement but low conversion
Compare performance across student segments and demographics

User Experience Feedback Integration
Correlate UX metrics with conversion outcomes
Implement targeted improvements for high-value pages
A/B test content format and structure variations

Cross-Functional Insight Sharing
Create regular reporting for enrollment, marketing, and academic units
Connect SEO insights to program development discussions
Inform institutional positioning based on search behaviour patterns

Remember that in higher education, SEO success isn't just about driving applications but about attracting the right students who will thrive at your institution.

The most valuable measurement assesses not just quantity of interest but quality of fit.

Sustainable SEO Timelines For Your Institution

Implementing comprehensive SEO in higher education requires strategic planning that aligns with institutional rhythms and resource realities. This roadmap provides a practical approach to building sustainable SEO practices that deliver long-term results without overwhelming your team.

Phased Implementation Approach

Higher education SEO implementation works best when aligned with academic and admission cycles:

Phase 1: Foundation

Begin with essential technical elements during a lower-traffic period (often summer):

Comprehensive Technical Audit
Conduct site crawl analysis to identify technical barriers
Assess mobile experience across key conversion paths
Evaluate page speed on critical program pages
Review site architecture from a student journey perspective

Google Analytics Implementation
Enhance tracking to capture the full prospective student journey
Implement proper goal tracking for key conversion points
Create program-specific tracking segments
Set up attribution modeling for long decision cycles

Critical Technical Fixes
Address priority mobile usability issues
Implement essential schema markup for educational organization
Correct canonical issues and duplicate content
Optimize core site speed factors

Foundation Review & Planning
Document technical improvements
Establish baseline performance metrics
Develop content calendar for Phase 2
Secure cross-departmental commitments

Phase 2: Content Development

Focus on creating high-impact content during prime research periods - although you can certainly create content throughout the year:

Core Program Content Enhancement
Develop comprehensive content for highest-priority programs
Implement proper heading structure and semantic markup
Create program-specific FAQ content
Enhance career outcome information

Prospective Student Journey Development
Build content addressing the four core student questions
Create clear pathways between related content
Implement conversion-focused elements
Develop mobile-optimized application pathways

Faculty & Student Contribution Process
Establish sustainable content contribution systems
Train department representatives
Create templates and guidelines
Implement approval workflows

Phase 3: Local & Video Enhancement

Enhance experience-focused content as students begin making decisions:

Local SEO Implementation
Optimize Google Business Profile for main campus and key buildings
Create location-specific landing pages
Develop local review management system
Implement local event schema

Video Content Development
Create program-specific video content
Develop student experience videos
Implement proper video optimization
Train staff on ongoing video creation

Phase 4: Measurement & Optimization (Ongoing)

Establish sustainable improvement processes:

Regular Performance Analysis (Monthly)
Review key conversion metrics by program and audience
Analyze content effectiveness and engagement
Track rankings for strategic keywords
Assess local online visibility and engagement

Iterative Content Enhancement (Quarterly)
Update program content based on search performance data
Refresh seasonal content aligned with decision cycles
Enhance underperforming conversion points
Develop new content based on search trends

Technical Maintenance (Semi-annual - although this can also depend on what CMS you’re using - WordPress, Drupal, etc.)
Conduct comprehensive technical audits
Address emerging technical issues
Implement new schema enhancements
Update for algorithm changes

The ideal implementation timeline aligns with the academic calendar. Here's an example of what that can look like:

Summer (May-August): Technical foundation and analytics setup during lower traffic periods
Fall (September-December): Core content development during prime research period (Although I always recommend to begin content development early so it gets indexed ASAP and can then be repurposed across your marketing channels when the time comes.)
Winter Break (December-January): Performance assessment and strategy refinement
Spring (February-April): Experience content enhancement ahead of decision deadlines
End of Academic Year (May): Comprehensive performance review and planning

This cyclical approach ensures that your SEO efforts align with natural prospective student research patterns.

Connecting Implementation to Sustainable Results

The most successful higher education SEO implementations share these characteristics:

Alignment with Institutional Cycles
An implementation that respects academic calendars
Resource allocation that acknowledges seasonal demands
Performance expectations tied to enrollment cycles
Broad Institutional Involvement
Cross-departmental collaboration rather than marketing isolation
Faculty and student contribution to content authenticity
Shared metrics and performance visibility
Focus on Long-Term Capability
Skill development rather than vendor dependence
Sustainable processes over one-time projects
Continuous improvement mindset

It's never about cheap wins and sneaky tactics.

It's about building sustainable practices aligned with institutional realities. And by following a phased approach that respects academic cycles and resource constraints, institutions can develop SEO capabilities that deliver consistent results over multiple recruitment cycles while showcasing their unique educational value.

Nurture your Competitive Advantage of UX-Grounded SEO

SEO for higher education institutions is all about connecting with prospective students at each stage of their decision journey.

By understanding your diverse audiences, creating valuable content that answers their core questions, and implementing user-focused technical improvements to your schools website, you'll transform your digital presence into a powerful enrolment driver.

The strategies outlined in this guide provide a framework that can be adapted to institutions of all sizes and resource levels.

If you ever need help, feel free to contact us at 8-Bit Content . We bring over 15 years of experience in education leadership and digital marketing expertise.

And we offer a free personalized assessment of websites like yours .

Content Marketing for Schools 101: Strategies for Growth

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 06:29:40 GMT

Content Marketing for Schools 101: Strategies for Growth

Content marketing for schools builds trust before asking for action.

It attracts prospective families, strengthens your reputation, and supports enrollment through useful content that answers questions and shows what makes your school worth considering.

I worked in education for over 15 years, including as Managing Director of an international school that grew enrollment year over year. I know school leaders juggle countless responsibilities. Content strategy is still worth the time.

The best school content combines storytelling with clarity. Families want to feel something. They also want straight answers about your culture, your people, and what daily life at your school looks like.

Video, student spotlights, FAQs, and behind-the-scenes content do the heavy lifting here. One useful piece can be repurposed across your website, newsletters, social media, and admissions materials.

This guide breaks down how to improve visibility, build trust, and drive enrollment in a practical, sustainable way.

Key Insights on Content Marketing For Schools

If you’re short on time, here are the big ideas to keep in mind:

Trust comes before enrollment. Families rarely choose a school after one interaction. Useful, honest content builds familiarity and confidence before they ever inquire.
Storytelling works best with clarity. Families want to feel your culture. They also want straight answers about your programmes, people, values, and daily experience.
One strong story can do multiple jobs. A student success story, parent guide, or staff interview can be repurposed across your website, email, social media, video, and admissions materials.
Different stages need different content. Families discovering your school need different information than families comparing options or preparing to enroll.
Your website is the hub. Social media, email, events, and other channels support your broader strategy and guide families back to useful, conversion-focused pages on your site.
The best strategy is sustainable. Schools need a practical system for creating, reusing, and improving the content families already care about.

Best Content Types for Schools

If you are wondering what schools should actually create, start with the content types that build trust, answer real questions, and help families picture life at your school.

The strongest school content strategies combine search-friendly website content, visual storytelling, and helpful resources. These can be repurposed across email, social media, video, and admissions materials.

What is Content Marketing for Schools?

For many families, few investments matter more than their child's education.

Before choosing a school, families often do extensive online research. And what they find can heavily influence their decision.

Content marketing empowers your school's brand. It helps you shape the narrative and perception families discover during their search.

You can highlight your school’s strengths, values, and achievements. And of course, build awareness through engaging, meaningful content.

This should include:

Blog posts
Social media updates
Email newsletters
Videos

Families are more likely to choose a school they know, like, and trust.

So, content marketing isn’t about using pushy sales tactics to get them to choose your school in a single visit.

Instead, it focuses on creating and sharing high-quality content that solves problems, answers questions, and builds a real connection.

By showing how your school meets families’ needs, including your unique offerings, success stories, or helpful guides, content marketing helps you be seen as a good choice for the right families.

You can also check out this video for overview of content marketing in general from one of our favourite tools:

Build a School Content Marketing Strategy

Schools produce tons of potentially great content all the time:

Academic achievements
Athletic victories
Art showcases
Debate competitions
Family workshops

And somewhere floating in almost every school's cloud is a shared folder full of photos and video clips.

But collecting content is only half the battle. It's what you do with the content that matters.

You need a content marketing strategy .

A strong content marketing strategy for schools answers families’ questions, addresses their concerns, and showcases what makes your school unique. It helps you plan how to create and share content that attracts prospective families, engages your community, and builds trust over time.

It is also what turns scattered updates into something more intentional. Posting photos and videos on your Facebook page and group , Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts or LinkedIn can be useful, but by itself, that is not a strategy. It is one distribution tactic within a broader plan.

So, to be clear content marketing strategy for schools includes the following components:

Defined Goals
Target Audience
Content Plan
Distribution Channels
Content Calendar
Analytics Framework

But before we get into those, there is one principle that makes the whole system much more practical and actionable.

Repurpose School Content to Get More Value From Every Story

Repurposing content saves time and keeps your messaging consistent.

Start with one strong idea or asset. Adapt it into multiple formats for different channels. Instead of creating a blog post, email, video, and social post from scratch, build outward from a single core piece.

A student success story, for example, could become:

A blog post on your website
A short video for Instagram or Facebook
A quote graphic for social media
A parent email feature
A talking point for your next open house
A testimonial snippet on an admissions page

Each channel plays a different role. Your website holds the full story. Social media highlights the emotional moment or key takeaway. Email delivers it to a specific audience. Video helps families connect with the people behind your school.

The message stays consistent. The format changes to match how people engage.

This approach makes content strategy realistic for stretched teams. Rather than chasing new ideas every week, identify the stories, questions, and topics that matter most. Reuse them thoughtfully across your main channels.

The best content to repurpose is content families already care about:

Admissions questions
Student achievements
Staff introductions
School values in action
Programme highlights
Parent concerns and practical guidance
Community involvement
Onboarding support for new families

Done well, this builds a connected content system that supports awareness, trust, and enrollment at every stage of the family journey.

Now let's look at the key components that make this strategy work.

Define Goals for an Educational Content Marketing Strategy

In the big picture, private schools aim to meet recruitment targets to remain financially viable. However, marketing content goals need to be specific and clear.

What are you trying to achieve? More inquiries, higher open house attendance, or stronger community engagement? Likely, it’s all of the above.

To track progress, your goals must also be measurable. This is where the

SMART framework comes in:

Specific : Define exactly what you want to achieve.
Measurable : Use metrics like clicks, views, or applications to track progress.
Achievable : Set realistic targets based on your resources.
Relevant : Align goals with your school’s priorities.
Time-Bound : Set deadlines to evaluate success and make adjustments.

SMART goals can look like this :

"Increase website inquiries by 20% in six months."
"Boost open house attendance by 30% for the next event."
"Reach 10,000 views on the school's promotional video within two months by promoting it on YouTube and through paid Facebook ads."

These well-defined goals provide a clear direction.

And you can use that sense of direction to make sure every blog post, video, or social media update contributes to achieving them.

Understand The Target Audiences of Your Content Marketing Efforts

Similar to how teachers use student-centered approaches - school communication and marketing should be stakeholder-centered .

Your content needs to address the unique needs of prospective families, current families, and even alumni:

Prospective families. Look for content that highlights academic quality, a safe environment, and opportunities for growth.

Current families. Want updates that foster connection and keep them informed about events and initiatives.

Alumni. Value content that maintains their connection to the school and offers ways to engage or contribute.

You also need to consider the different requirements of high school families compared to families with children in elementary school.

As you know, their needs will be very different.

To understand these target audiences, you need to do some research, and segmentation is crucial for creating content that resonates and reflects your school’s mission and values.

Start by analyzing student demographics to identify trends and strengths that set your school apart.

Do families choose you for your STEM programs, arts excellence, or athletic achievements? Are you known for diversity, inclusion, or supporting first-generation students?

I also have always liked to make use of the school's mission and vision to help guide type of content we create and share.

If your school's mission emphasizes personal excellence, global understanding, or curiosity, then you should also be actively attracting families who care about these values.

You will want to enroll families who are aligned your school values. If families feel connected to values you demonstrate, it will help with retention.

Key Steps to Understanding Your Audience

Create a Content Plan

When families begin searching for the perfect school, their journey is full of questions, hopes, and uncertainties.

A well-crafted content plan can help and guide them along the journey.

In this section, we’ll show how matching your content to what families need at each stage of their decision-making process, from discovery to enrollment, can turn prospective families into part of your school community.

The Starting Point: Awareness in Content Marketing for Schools

At the start of their journey, potential students and families may not even know your school exists.

And they can't choose you if they don't know you. So, your first goal has to be getting your school on people's radar.

Your awareness strategy should include content like blogs, social media posts, and videos that introduce prospective students and their families to your programs, values, and community. And be sure to check out my mega-guide to SEO for higher education for more ideas.

I found that becoming an active member of various Chambers of Commerce could also be effective in getting my school known. I was often even able to distribute some content to the chamber members which helped spread awareness to potential parents.

So at the awareness stage, you're aiming to spark curiosity and draw prospective parents and kids into what you have to offer.

Ideas for this can include:

Infographics : such as "The Key Milestones in Early Education," can establish your school as a knowledgeable and supportive resource for parents.

Localized Blog Posts : Articles like "A Parent’s Guide to Choosing the Best Private School in [Your City]" with practical tips for evaluating private schools, using your school’s programs and values as examples. Learn more about how to get your blog noticed in our full guide.

Community Spotlights : Highlight partnerships, local involvement, or alumni giving back to the area to showcase your school’s connection to the community.

Attract Prospective Families

Even after a family knows you exist, they're still going to be weighing their options.

And as families explore the landscape of possible schools, you need to give them some good reasons to consider your school.

To do that, you're going to need a healthy supply of compelling content that answers a potential family's initial frequently asked questions.

Parent Guides : Downloadable guides like "How to Choose the Best School for Your Child" explaining key considerations and mention your school’s unique strengths.

Mini-Webinars : Sessions hosted by teachers, school leaders or alumni, such as "Benefits of Bilingual Education," or "How to get your kids to love reading."

Comparison Checklists : Offer tools like "Questions to Ask on Your School Tours" to help families see why your school stands out.

Bottom line: you need content that piques their interest and encourages them to want to get to know you better.

Build Trust and Credibility

If you've been in the shoes of a parent choosing a school, you know the journey is not particularly fun. In fact it is time-consuming and can quickly become overwhelming.

Your content for this stage needs to reassure them that they’re moving in the right direction.

To do this, you need to reinforce credibility and affirm that your school is a reliable, high-quality choice.

Success Stories: Feature detailed profiles of students or alumni excelling in academics, sports, or community service.

Awards Highlights: Showcase any local, national, or international recognition your school or students have received.

Staff Profiles: Short personal videos or blog posts introducing teachers and their expertise.

Staff Profiles: Short personal videos or blog posts introducing teachers and their expertise.

Student-Generated Content: Creative work from students, like essays, artwork, or science fair projects, to illustrate your school’s nurturing environment. E-books of student work can be a great way to accomplish this.

Engage and Nurture Leads: Helping Them Navigate

Families in this stage have moved beyond surface-level research.

Now, they are now evaluating your school on specific criteria, comparing it with competitors, and weighing practical considerations like values alignment, academic offerings, and community fit.

To truly engage and nurture them, your content must anticipate their deeper questions and deliver nuanced, personalized insights that foster a strong sense of insight and alignment.

Don't Give Them Generic Content:
Virtual tours and newsletters are foundational now, but this stage demands content that reflects families’ unique needs.

For instance, if families show interest in your arts programs, make sure you can share exclusive content like interviews with families on their previous experiences with your programs.

And also faculty and student achievements in the arts, or upcoming arts-related events.

Show, Don’t Just Tell:
Families are seeking evidence that your school lives up to its promises. Instead of describing your values, show them in action.

How? You can do this by sharing transparent data: examination results, university admissions success rates, or athletic achievements.

If your school claims to contribute to the community, then show evidence that your school does this.

You can supplement this with authentic storytelling like videos or blogs from students and parents that reflect lived experiences rather than rehearsed testimonials.

Think Like a Problem-Solver:
At this stage, families want to eliminate risk and uncertainty.

Help them do that.

Build content that pre-emptively answers questions they might not know to ask yet:

What happens if my child struggles academically?
How does the school support new families in adjusting to the community?
Anticipate these hesitations with clear, actionable answers in your messaging.

The key to success in this stage is treating every interaction as a chance to build a bridge of trust.

When families feel seen, understood, and valued, they are far more likely to choose your school with confidence.

Decision Stage: Removing Barriers to Enrollment

Now families are seeking validation that your school is the right choice.

Your approach has to beyond just answering logistical questions.

To do this, create resources that feel personal and intentional, and that reinforce confidence and simplify the enrollment process.

Straightforward strategies like printed materials or easily created multimedia can convey warmth and attention to detail by addressing the most common concerns families face—such as values alignment, and future outcomes.

Interactive Application Checklist: A digital tool families can personalize to track their progress through the enrollment process.

Enrollment Story Features: Share stories of other families’ decision journeys in a newsletter or blog to help prospective parents see themselves in your community.

Print-Friendly FAQs: A downloadable or printable FAQ document with clear, visually engaging answers to common questions like tuition, schedules, and transportation.

Enrollment: Turning Commitments Into Connections

Congratulations. Your school has successfully enrolled another wonderful student to join your vibrant community.

But don't celebrate just yet. From the day they start, you need to start the effort to retain that student and family.

This is where trust is either solidified or shaken.

Make sure you map out a seamless onboarding experience to set the tone for their relationship with your school.

Everyone does welcome emails, but you have the chance to go the extra mile by creating an onboarding journey that feels personal.

Examples to Elevate Your Onboarding Process:

Personalized Video Messages: Send a welcome video from the principal or the child's homeroom teacher, addressing the new student's name and grade.

First-Day Success Kits: Provide students with school-branded items and parents with a checklist to ensure a smooth transition.

Peer Ambassadors: Pair new students with current ones to answer questions and provide a friendly face on day one. Give those ambassadors recognition and awards for their contribution and reinforce a culture where students recognize they are vital partners in building a great school.

Most schools do some of these steps, but very few do all.

So, taking the time and making the effort to have a content plan for every of the family's decision-making journey will be worth it.

How you do anything is how do everything. Your school's content plan should reflect the same level of excellence that you expect in your teaching and learning.

Distribution Channels for Your School's Content Marketing Strategy: Beyond the Basics

Choosing where to share your content is only the beginning. To maximize the impact of your efforts, it’s essential to go deeper into how each channel can be leveraged strategically.

All Roads Should Lead To Your Website

Don't make the mistake of thinking that your school website is just a virtual brochure.

It should be the backbone for all your marketing efforts.

Every other channel should drive traffic back to your site. And on your site families should be able to find up-to-date comprehensive information, explore your programs, and take action.

Optimize for Mobile : With most searches now happening on mobile devices, your website must offer a seamless experience across all screen sizes. A slow-loading or clunky mobile site turns away prospective families before they even explore your content.

Landing Pages for Specific Goals : Dedicated landing pages for open houses, specific programs, or admissions inquiries are key. These pages need tailored content with strong copywriting and clear calls-to-action (CTAs) to get families emails and begin their sales journey.

SEO-Driven Content : A blog post isn't a tick in a box. Blogs and other web pages must be optimized for search engines. You need to know and use the relevant topics, and include on-page best practices, and internal linking. This can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it makes it easier for families to find your school when doing their online research. And schools can also improve these efforts by working with high quality link building specialists like Create & Grow to help turn well-planned content into sustainable organic traffic and more qualified enrollment inquiries over time.

At 8-Bit, we excel at providing our clients with both the consultation and the heavy lifting for everything related to website content marketing strategy.

We've even grown a site by 1200% to achieve 1 million page views in a single month (granted - not for a school).

But if you're curious, get in touch to see how we can help you.

Social Media: More Than Just a Megaphone

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and even LinkedIn are essential tools for amplifying your school’s message.

But success lies in how you use these platforms, not just that you use them.

Platform-Specific Content : Tailor your posts to fit each platform. Instagram thrives on visual content like student spotlights, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and event highlights. LinkedIn is better suited for thought leadership and alumni success stories.

Engagement Strategies : Social media isn’t a one-way street. Respond to comments, share user-generated content, create polls or Q&A sessions to foster genuine interaction. And don't forget to encourage people to share to help broaden your reach.

Paid Campaigns : Organic content gets more trust , but its reach only goes so far. Boost important posts or run targeted ad campaigns to reach prospective families in your area. Platforms like Facebook allow you to target ads by location, interests, and demographics.

Email Newsletters: Personalized Communication at Scale

When done correctly, email is one of the most effective tools for nurturing leads and keeping current families engaged.

BUT WAIT!

Ever hear the joke about the parent who quits their job so they can dedicate their time to reading emails from their kid's school?

You dont wan't to be that school and you don't want to be that school before they even enroll their child.

Parents also don't want to get buried by emails from their child's school. There is such a thing as too much email.

Here's what to know when it comes to using email effectively:

Segmentation : Divide your email list into groups like prospective families, current parents, and alumni. Each group should receive content tailored to their interests and needs.

Drip Campaigns : Automate a series of emails to guide prospective families through the admissions funnel. For example, send an introductory email, followed by a testimonial video, and finally, a reminder to RSVP for your next open house.

Rich Media : Make emails visually appealing by including embedded videos, infographics, or downloadable guides. This helps keep readers engaged and encourages them to click through to your website.

At 8-Bit we have a strong track record getting people to actually open and read emails. And speaking of Email, send us one, or fill in our contact form to see how we can help you leverage email to boost your enrollment!

Offline Op portunities: Building Human Connections

While digital channels are powerful, don’t underestimate the importance of face-to-face engagement.

Community Events : Partner with local organizations to host events that align with your school’s values. Whether it’s a STEM fair, a cultural festival, or a charity run, these events build goodwill and brand awareness.

Print Materials with QR Codes : Brochures, flyers, and posters can still play a role in your strategy. Add QR codes that direct families to specific landing pages, making it easy for them to engage further.

Open Houses : Enhance your open houses by integrating digital tools. For instance, use an app to guide families through the event or provide digital follow-up materials post-visit.

And looking at your website's analytics can give you some great insights about what topics parents and students care about. If the data tells you that a lot of prospective parents visit and spend time reading the page on your website about the swimming program, for example, then organize an event with your swim team about this topic.

Integrate Channels for Maximum Impact

They say “it takes a village” to educate a child. The process requires love, support, partnership, and collaboration from multiple members of the community.

When it comes to marketing a school, it takes an ecosystem. And the integration of distribution channels is key.

Each channel should collaborate seamlessly to guide families through their decision-making journey and build trust at every stage.

Cross-Promote Content : Share blog posts or videos across social media platforms, link to them in your email newsletters, and mention them during events. Each channel should amplify the others.

Retargeting Campaigns : Use tools like Google Ads or Facebook Pixel to retarget families who visit your website but don’t take action. Show them ads reminding them of open houses, key deadlines, or standout programs.

Track and Adjust : Use analytics to measure the performance of each channel. Identify which platforms drive the most engagement and refine your strategy accordingly.

Content Calendar for Schools: Steady and Strategic Wins the Race

When it comes to a content calendar, the most important thing you need to know is this: consistency is key.

Who won the race between the tortoise and the hare? Not the flash-in-the-pan hare. It was the steady and consistent tortoise.

And while you can't afford to be slow, you do need to be steady and strategic. Consistency keeps you in the race, but strategy helps you win it.

Align Your Content with Key School Milestones

Your calendar should work with the rhythm of the academic year and align with what families care about most at any given time.

Admissions Deadlines : Plan posts, emails, and reminders well in advance of critical admissions dates. Highlight open house events, application tips, and testimonials from current parents to guide families through the process.

Seasonal Themes : Use moments like back-to-school, graduation, or holidays to create relatable, engaging content. For example, share a post on “5 Ways to Help Your Child Prepare for the First Day.”

Program Spotlights : Dedicate slots to showcasing what makes your school unique—STEM programs, performing arts, or sports achievements. A short video tour or student spotlight can go a long way.

Align Your Content with Key School Milestones

Your calendar should work with the rhythm of the academic year and align with what families care about most at any given time.

Admissions Deadlines : Plan posts, emails, and reminders well in advance of critical admissions dates. Highlight open house events, application tips, and testimonials from current parents to guide families through the process.

Seasonal Themes : Use moments like back-to-school, graduation, or holidays to create relatable, engaging content. For example, share a post on “5 Ways to Help Your Child Prepare for the First Day.”

Program Spotlights : Dedicate slots to showcasing what makes your school unique: STEM programs, performing arts, or sports achievements. A short video tour or student spotlight can go a long way.

Use Analytics Frameworks For School Marketing

Educators and marketers often share a love for data.

Like any good teacher worth their weight in gold, effective marketers track metrics to find trends to act on.

A good framework will point out insights, match content with enrollment goals, and highlight the necessary optimizations to improve your strategy.

To do this, you need to identify and track the key metrics that matter most at each stage of the family journey.

For example, how many families click from blog posts to admissions pages? Or how often are virtual tours viewed by geography?

These insights should be used to tailor your content distribution and target prospective families where they are most active.

Advanced Yet Accessible Analytics Ideas:

Heatmap Tools: Use simple heatmap software (e.g., Hotjar) to see where families click on your site, identifying user behaviour that informs design and content changes.

Content Gap Analysis: Use analytics to uncover topics your audience searches for but that your site doesn’t yet address, then create targeted blog posts or videos.

Attribution Mapping: Build a framework to track which content types (blogs, videos, social posts) lead families closer to inquiries or enrollment, refining future efforts.

By going beyond basic tracking and incorporating strategic insights, your analytics framework becomes a guide for maximizing the impact of your content marketing efforts.

A Practical Content Marketing Roadmap for Schools on a Budget

Small school teams often get better results by starting with a few high-impact assets, then building consistency over time rather than trying to do everything at once.

Here is a simple 90-day example roadmap to get you started:

First 30 Days: Build the Foundation

Get clear on your priorities. Improve the content families see first.

Focus on:

Identifying your top enrollment goals
Reviewing your admissions pages, FAQs, and inquiry pathways
Choosing 3 to 5 core content topics families care about most
Updating or creating one strong piece of website content
Setting up a basic content calendar for the next 6 to 8 weeks

A good starting point:

One admissions FAQ page
One parent guide or blog post
One student or alumni story
One short-form video
One email nurture piece for prospective families

Keep the system simple. You need a clear message and a few useful assets. And you can expand to more platforms later.

Days 31 to 60: Repurpose and Publish Consistently

Your core pieces are in place. Now get more value from them.

Use this phase to:

Repurpose your strongest content into email, social, and video formats
Create content for one or two key audience groups
Publish consistently on your main channels
Improve internal links between blog content, admissions pages, and inquiry pages
Track basic engagement and inquiry metrics

One parent guide could become:

A blog post
A short video
A social post series
A parent email
A talking point for open days

This is the stage where many small teams realize they need a better system for reusing the right ideas.

Days 61 to 90: Refine What Works

By now, you may have enough activity to learn from.

Focus on:

Identifying which topics and formats get the best engagement
Improving your strongest-performing content
Filling obvious content gaps in the family journey
Building one repeatable monthly workflow
Creating one or two evergreen assets you can use year-round

Good evergreen assets include:

A school tour checklist
A "how to choose the right school" guide
A new family onboarding resource
A programme spotlight page
A video introduction from leadership

The goal is a small, repeatable content system that supports trust and enrollment over time.

A Simple Weekly Rhythm

For a small team, a realistic weekly rhythm can be:

One website update , blog post, or FAQ improvement
One email to a priority audience
Two to three social posts drawn from existing content
One short video or video clip
One quick review of what content is getting attention

For many small teams, this is a sustainable approach without overwhelming your team.

Final Say on Content Marketing for Schools

Effective content marketing for schools isn’t about quick wins; it’s about building trust, answering questions, and creating meaningful connections.

To succeed, you need to align your strategy with the family journey.

School selection is something that matters on a deeply emotional level because the stakes are high and people want the best for their kids.

With a thoughtful approach and consistent execution, you can drive engagement, boost enrollment, and strengthen your school community.

And we can help. In fact, we would love to help you.

Content Marketing vs SEO: Key Tips & How to Win With Both

Sat, 30 Nov 2024 04:33:22 GMT

Content Marketing vs SEO: Key Differences & How to Win With Both

SEO and content marketing are buddies. They complement each other to grow your brand's reach and revenue. They just do so with a different focus and approach.

SEO helps you rank a website and its pages on search engines.

Content marketing helps you attract and engage your target customer wherever they hang out. Meaning - your content efforts across written, audio, or visual formats - from websites and social media to podcasts and video platforms.

However, as we'll share below, the real magic and power happens when they're combined.

For instance - we've combined them to grow brands' organic traffic by as much as 1200% - reaching 1 million pageviews in a single month.

So, if you don't want to miss a great opportunity, keep reading!

Key Differences of Content Marketing vs SEO

The main difference between content marketing and SEO is that content marketing targets audience engagement by publishing valuable content across multiple platforms. SEO is all about optimizing a website and its content so that it ranks high on search engines for organic traffic.

Effective content marketing focuses on building brand awareness and trust with potential customers. This is done by injecting valuable info into content that educates and nurtures people through the sales cycle.

SEO can be viewed more as one of the best ways to get content seen.

I say best ways because when done properly, it's a solid long-term investment that continues to pay dividends for as long as you're ranking.

For example - an evergreen article ranking in search engines can bring traffic, links, and potential leads years after it was published.

But again, while complementary, there are important differences.

So, in case it helps, here's a palatable breakdown of what you need to know.

Audience Engagement vs. Search Visibility

SEO and content marketing have different focuses and purposes.

Content marketing aims to build awareness and trust in a target audience by providing engaging and helpful content in various formats. It’s not focused on any one channel, just wherever the target customer hangs out.

Conversely, SEO is all about improving rankings and online search visibility. This includes content marketing, as well as building backlinks, and improving a site's technical aspects.

Metrics for Success

Quality and strength of engagement are important metrics for analyzing content marketing efforts.

Things like:

Engagement rates on social media, like comments and shares,
Followers,
Email sign-ups,
Links and brand mentions,
And time on page.

SEO is also interested in engagement rates like time on page, particularly because time on page is a strong ranking factor.

But, there are other related metrics like keyword rankings, organic traffic, and conversion rates of that traffic. Also, technical website-focused metrics like page speed and responsiveness.

Content Marketing and SEO Breakdown Carousel

In case it helps at all, here's a carousel with some bonus tips and tricks to make the most of these 2 strategies!

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a type of marketing focused on building brand awareness with target customers via engaging content in various formats:

Blog posts,
Social media posts,
Email newsletters,
Video content,
Webinars,
Podcasts,
and more.

It’s not pushy sales and marketing campaigns.

It’s strategic, high-quality content that solves problems, answers questions, and builds lasting trust with your audience.

Because people are more comfortable working with people they know, like, and trust.

You should highlight your solution to their problem whenever possible.

But the main intention is to help your brand stick out in consumers' minds (such as from a visceral reaction to your content) whenever they're in need, and it's time to buy... Even if that isn't today ;).

Key Components of Content Marketing

Content marketing is made up of several essential elements that work together for a cohesive strategy:

Content Creation.

As you may have assumed by the name, content marketing is all about content. You're publishing high-quality stuff that resonates with your target audience's needs and interests.

This can be blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, ebooks, white papers, videos, social media content, etc.

Audience Understanding.

Successful content marketing requires deep insights a company's ideal customer profile (ICP).

You'll need in-depth research to understand pain points, preferences, and map the customer journey.

Distribution Channels.

Considering all the different formats you can use with content marketing, you have many options for where to publish. But this is where audience understanding is so important.

You want to focus on where they are and the formats they already consume.

Company website and blog (you'll use SEO here as we also get into in our guide on how to get your blog noticed )
Social media platforms
Email newsletters
Industry publications
Podcast and video platforms
Webinars and online events

Content Optimization.

Each piece of content should be optimized for:

Engagement
SEO
Audience engagement
Specific stages of the customer journey
Sharing and amplification

Measurement and Analytics.

Tracking content performance through various metrics to understand effectiveness, audience engagement, and areas for improvement. You can learn all about this in our guide on how to do a content audit !

Overall Objectives

Content marketing aims to achieve many strategic goals:

Brand Awareness. Build a meaningful online presence for your brand by producing valuable content that reaches and resonates with your target audience.
Trust and Credibility Building. Share expert insights that show deep industry knowledge and solve customer problems (check out our guide to content marketing for schools as an example).
Lead Generation. Attract potential customers via valuable, informational content that speaks to their specific challenges and needs.
Customer Education. Help potential and existing customers understand your industry, products, and how your solutions can solve their problems.
Customer Retention. Continue providing value to existing customers (for example a Knowledge Hub for a SaaS with tips on how to make the most of the tools), keeping them engaged and more likely to remain loyal to your brand.
Sales Enablement. Create content that supports the sales process by addressing common questions, overcoming objections, and showcasing your offerings' value as solid solutions (see also our comparison of copywriting and content writing ).

Content marketing aims to build long-term relationships with your audience by consistently delivering value rather than focusing solely on immediate sales transactions.

And down below I share some of my favourite examples of content marketing!

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps your website rank on search engines like Google.

You want to be at the top when someone searches on, say, Google (and even LLMs now) for information, products, or services related to your business.

SEO is about optimizing your website so that search engines show it at the top of the results.

Key Components

SEO is a multifaceted discipline that involves several critical elements and ranking factors:

1. Content Strategy.

Developing a comprehensive content plan that:

Addresses user questions and needs
Creates comprehensive, in-depth content
Includes multimedia
Maintains content relevance and freshness via frequent updates
Supports keyword targeting
Encourages user engagement
Includes information gain and adds new information to the SERPs

1.5. Topic Research.

Identifying the specific topics people search for when looking for content related to your business. This involves:

Finding relevant keywords (topics)
Understanding search intent
Analyzing search volume and traffic potential
Evaluating keyword difficulty (beyond relying on easily misled KD of tools like Ahrefs)

2. On-Page Optimization.

Optimizing individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic:

Creating high-quality, valuable content
Optimizing title tags and meta descriptions
Using header tags properly (H1 -> H2 -> H3)
Adding and improving internal linking
Enhancing content readability
Removing fluff and other elements that will cause a poor reader experience
Optimizing for target keywords with NLP as naturally as possible

3. Technical SEO.

Improving the technical aspects of a website to increase its visibility:

Improving site speed
Ensuring mobile responsiveness
Implementing structured data
Fixing broken links and orphan pages
Improving site architecture

4. Link Building (Off-Page SEO).

Acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable websites:

Creating shareable, link-worthy content
Guest posting
Developing relationships with industry influencers
Leveraging social media and online communities

Objectives of SEO

SEO aims to achieve multiple strategic goals:

Increased Visibility. Help websites appear higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), so potential customers can easily find you.
Organic Traffic Generation. Drive more high-quality, targeted traffic to your website without paying for advertising or continuously posting on social.
Positive User Experience. Enhance website usability, speed, and overall user experience, which are crucial ranking factors.
Credibility and Authority Building. Earning high-quality backlinks will help you rank. And establish your website as a trusted, authoritative source in your industry or niche.
Competitive Advantage. Outperform competitors in search rankings, capturing more potential customer attention (because the top 4 results in the SERP tend to get 76% of organic traffic ).
Cost-Effective Marketing. Aids a long-term, sustainable marketing strategy that continues to deliver visibility in search results for years.
Audience Understanding. Gain insights into user behaviour, search patterns, and content preferences via bounce rate, click-through rates, time on page, etc.

But it's important to note that SEO is more than just about pleasing search engine algorithms and crawlers.

Those user metrics mentioned above like time on page, click-through rate, bounce rate, etc., are almost certainly major ranking factors.

So, creating a better, more valuable experience for your users is always a good thing. And is really your best long term option.

What Are The Best Ways To Combine Content Marketing and SEO?

You need content to rank your site. But you also need to understand SEO to create your site and content in a way that can rank high on search engines.

That's why they're buddies... or maybe even lovers obsessed with brand building. They rely on each other to increase your business's visibility, engagement, and conversions.

Here are some helpful tips to make the most of your SEO and content marketing efforts together!

Content Creation With SEO in Mind

SEO tactics like topic and keyword research are super helpful to a content marketing strategy.

Ahrefs or Semrush are invaluable sources of information about what a target audience searches for. They can provide fairly accurate insights into the traffic potential of your niche topics.

Understandably, using these tools has long been the main method for topic selection.

And if you're primarily focused on blog content, it's still good enough, but to nurture a longer-term multi-channel strategy, you'll want to go further in your customer research (check out our free customer research survey generator for ideas).

This includes periodically reading reviews, interviewing customers on their pain points, combing through contact form responses, and browsing niche-specific subreddits, forums, or Facebook groups .

Now, with a list of ideas, you can comb through keyword research tools and focus on topics your site can currently rank for. You want to see other similar sites ranking on page 1.

[This means sites around the same domain rating (DR) as yours. Ideally you want to see at least 1 or 2 pages on sites under DR 40 ranking.]

For this, you'll also want to look at the search intent in the SERPs. Also, check if the pages ranking are mostly directory sites, big massive brands, or competitor sites.

There are generally considered three main intents:

Informational (how-to guides, explanations) for those looking to learn.
Transactional/Commercial (reviews, buying guides, comparisons) for those looking to burn (cash).
Navigational (brand-specific content) for those looking for a specific site.

You'll want to find other business sites like yours ranking and create content that follows the same intent.

Just make sure to go above and beyond their pages. You'll want to cover the main topic quickly and effectively (like the table at the start of this page).

Plus, answer as many related questions as possible (using People Also Ask section, Reddit, Quora), add 'information gain' via unique insights and new data, and include as many multimedia or unique features as possible.

Optimizing User Experience

User experience is extremely important for SEO and content marketing efforts. The more digestible and enjoyable the interaction with your content, the better.

That's why you want to focus on how your stuff looks and feels. Whether it's your website or your content, it should reflect a high standard and attention to detail.

(This is subjective of course, but at least try your best.)

The old saying, 'How you do anything is how you do everything,' is very true.

Or as Yoda put it, 'Do or do not, there is no try.'

And so whether it's your site's design or your content's structure and quality, it should be a breath of fresh air blowing directly into your audience's faces.

Here's what that looks like:

Easily digestible and engaging content

Simple language with common word choices and short sentences and paragraphs, breaking up text with descriptive headers (after all, most people only read about 20% of a web page ).

It's also highly advisable to sprinkle in visuals to complement texts - memes, videos, infographics, etc.- or even just good old text in different formats, such as boxes with interesting tidbits.

Technically optimized

You also want your content and website to be technically sound.

This means optimizing page speed for lower bounce rates, improving site navigation with effective internal linking, ensuring everything you produce is mobile-friendly, and using the highest-quality audio possible if you use video.

Fresh and Updated

Regularly updating your content and pruning dead content (at least every six months) signals to users and search engines that your website is active and current.

When done well, regular updates, particularly on im portant pages, can keep people around, knowing the content is still relevant, help improve crawl frequency, and boost search rankings.

Properly updating existing content can result in far greater rankings and results. Check out our latest content update case study .

Earning Backlinks Via Helpful Content

High-quality content can sometimes rise up without any initial link-building. Simply by being at the top of the SERPs, it can attract valuable backlinks from other, sometimes far more authoritative sites, as a reference link in an article on a related topic.

Publishing original research, especially that you promote on social media or to industry thought leaders in the hopes that they help amplify it, is also an effective way to earn backlinks.

There are many different ways, but I am not an expert link builder (although I have had some nice success in public relations ). Still, it's not a hot-take to say that your content quality helps with link-building efforts.

Boosting Content With Promotion Strategies

The beauty of content marketing is that it's not restricted to only one traffic source, as SEO has historically been (granted, YouTube SEO is now a thing).

And so when you publish SEO-friendly content on your site based on an educated hunch that your ideal customer and target audience is interested in the topic - you can also promote it across your various channels.

Social Media

Just note that you shouldn't just publish a link to an article. It's best to add something new - ideally, some sort of insight that you believe people will engage with without necessarily sharing the link. This is referred to as zero-click marketing .

It helps content promotion perform better because social media algorithms almost universally want you to stay on-site. So, it's only logical that they'd prioritize posts (by as much as 95% ) without external links.

But choosing not to include links in your posts isn't only for algorithms. It's also beneficial to creators, as is expertly explained in this video:

Email Marketing

Nurturing potential leads or even keeping your existing customers in the loop via a newsletter is always a good idea. As people will often say, it's the only traffic source you 'own.'

And 81% of B2B marketers , according to a Content Marketing Institute, went as far as to say that their email newsletter was their most used form of content marketing.

Thanks to your content marketing and SEO efforts, you'll always have new material to share with your mailing list.

Plus, you can always reshare the 'best of' content or any seasonal content each year.

But as with both of these channels - you're starting to tap into the power of repurposing content, which is another super important aspect to combining SEO and content marketing efforts.

Repurposing SEO Content for Other Content Channels

Again, one of the beauties of SEO content is that it follows an educated hunch (backed by keyword data) that it's a topic your audience searches for.

Chances are your target audience will be interested in those topics wherever they are. So, you can repurpose your existing content to save yourself the time and money spent producing new ideas.

(My sincere apologies but just wanna share 1 last meme to exemplify this point :S)

You’re not reinventing the wheel and looking up new topics each time you create content for your various channels.

You can turn your popular blog posts into videos, which you can use to build a YouTube channel and embed in your article (which can further help your SEO ).

Create social media carousels to post across LinkedIn, X, etc. Create an email series. Or expand content you know resonates with your audience into a downloadable asset, ie. lead magnet.

Measuring Success: KPIs for Both Strategies

Since we now understand just how interconnected these strategies are, we can see that measuring success can use similar analytics tools but with some nuances!

Key Success Metrics for Content Marketing

As mentioned, time spent on page, social media shares, and the quality of interactions are solid indicators of your content's impact.

But as you likely know, Rome wasn't built overnight, and with anything worthwhile, consistency and time are key.

You'll want to continue publishing across your channel and tracking the trajectory of metrics like follower counts, engagement and conversion rates, and email subscribers.

However, I must mention problems that can arise in content marketing when trying to set up accurate multi-touch attribution tracking of your efforts. Many of the greatest minds in marketing have concluded that finding a reliable source to track accurately is nearly impossible - even with ads!

However, I do believe that at least tracking and comparing of customer acquisition costs (CAC) across different content types and channels is important.

This way, you can double down on the two or three channels that bring you the most engaged traffic and the highest return.

Key Metrics for SEO

SEO has several ways to track success, but first are keyword rankings and search engine results page (SERP) positions for a business's most valuable pages.

Organic search traffic can be a nice metric to track so long as it doesn't become an empty pursuit with little return. So, it's important to track the engagement of that traffic and at least increase email signups.

As is helpful for content marketing, you can track key events in Google Analytics or your other analytics tools. This helps you see which pages bring you desirable returns like signups or contact form responses.

Brand Success Stories (Best Examples for Inspiration)

Here, I just want to list out some of the my favourite examples.

These are a few brands that exemplify content marketing best practices and for the most part, also kill it with SEO as a result.

Hubspot

This is not a particularly unique choice but I truly admire Hubspot.

In terms of b2b content marketing efforts, they're a great benchmark.

And their Hubspot academy is a great free resource for people to learn the ins and outs of marketing (and learn about their tools).

And because of their efforts, they have massive authority and rank for extremely valuable topics (over $3 million/month in traffic value).

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is another pretty obvious choice. But because of how helpful they've been for me, I feel compelled to mention it.

It's a bootstrapped company that has grown into an industry leader thanks to its in-depth, technically precise SEO and digital marketing content (and of course, thanks to their great SEO tool).

Like Hubspot, they provide massive value that simultaneously builds brand credibility, appreciation, and subtly promotes their core offers. And they also do so mostly via blogs, video, some social, and helpful free courses and tools.

And their site is reaping the rewards from their efforts.

Dr. Vu Ngoc Son (Chiropractor)

Okay, here's a 'dramatic' departure from the 2 examples above.

And that's because not all businesses need SEO to be successful (although they DO need content). But this is important to be aware of, and there are many reasons for this . One of them being if the target market doesn't rely on search engines so much.

Dr. Son is a chiropractor in Hanoi, Vietnam (this is important context as we'll get into in a few seconds).

He produces helpful content for how to fix common aches and pains a chiropractor typically helps with. It's helpful and shareable content that's grown his reach across the country and even - the world. In fact I was surprised to find I have multiple friends from around the world following his Instagram.

Dr. Son is killing it on social media:

17.9 million on Instagram
5.9 million on Facebook
8.2 million on TikTok
3.07 million on YouTube

Now of course a chiropractor can typically benefit from local SEO.

However, in the case of Vietnam, you'll find that social media is seen as a more reliable source of information on a brand .

And the website for his practice reflects this.

Sorry, I don't even want to include a link for fear it loads a trojan virus on your computer.

However, because of his video efforts he almost certainly doesn't care.

And while his competitors spend a lot on ads, I've got a strong hunch he'll be top of mind when someone in Vietnam needs a chiropractor.

SEO vs Content Marketing FAQs

What is the difference between content management and SEO?

Content management involves creating, organizing, and managing digital content. SEO focuses on optimizing that content to improve search engine rankings and grow traffic.

Content management is about content creation, and SEO is about making that content discoverable and appealing to search algorithms.

What is the difference between a content strategy and an SEO strategy?

A content strategy focuses on creating valuable, relevant content for your audience. An SEO strategy aims to improve search engine rankings.

Content strategy focuses on audience engagement while SEO strategy includes technical optimization and search visibility.

Is content marketing the same as off-page SEO?

No, they're different. Content marketing creates valuable content to attract and engage audiences.

Off-page SEO involves building external signals like backlinks, social shares, and domain authority to improve search rankings. They can complement each other but are very different approaches.

Which is better SEO or social media marketing?

Neither is universally better. The best approach depends on your business goals, target audience, and resources.

Generally, it’s best to target a couple of channels where you know your audience hangs out to yield the most effective results in your marketing efforts.

Content Marketing vs SEO in Conclusion

In essence, content marketing and SEO are not competing strategies. They are powerful allies that work together to grow brand awareness.

SEO relies on content marketing to improve search engine visibility.

Content marketing relies on SEO as an effective method to target topics and create it in a way that algorithms reward.

The most successful approach integrates both strategies. You always want to create high-quality content that resonates with target audiences across multiple platforms.

By understanding each, you can make the most of both. This way, you can nurture a complete marketing approach that people know, like, and want to do business with.

For any help along the way, feel free to reach out to us here at 8-Bit Content .

285+ Positive & Negative Power Words Sure To Win You Clicks

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 09:15:04 GMT

285+ Positive & Negative Power Words Sure To Win You Clicks

We all judge books by their covers, articles by their headlines, emails by their subject lines, videos by their titles, CTAs by their messaging, etc.

So we know that if we can't attract attention and spark curiosity, the content we spent time or money creating goes to waste.

That's why power words are so important .

They help us reach and resonate with our prospective customers. Especially when positive and negative power words are combined...

This is because the contrast speaks to the emotional and logical motivators of the reader and helps make your copy more memorable.

But we'll go into all of this in great detail below, so let's just cut the crap and get to it.

What are Power Words?

Power words are words that can trigger an emotional, psychological response (such as a visceral reaction ).

They can encourage people to:

Pay attention,
Respond,
Or ideally do whatever action you want.

They've likely been used since the dawn of copywriting back in Babylonian times .

That's because power words convey emotion, and emotions drive action .

Quick tidbit : Even the most famous Roman orator, Cicero - dating back to 50+ BC knew that humans are fundamentally ruled by emotions.

(If you happen to be curious in learning more about how even ancients used emotions to persuade - I highly recommend checking out at least part of the interesting talk in the video below. The professor is a great communicator and his content is excellent!)

Despite operating in vastly different time periods - the persuasive effects of power words remain the same.

So, when it comes to:

Getting readers to click on a blog post,
Open an email,
Check out an offer,
etc.

Remember that emotionally charged power words can, have, and always will work wonders!

You'll see below in the list that there are power verbs, power adjectives, and power phrases.

And as mentioned in the intro, there are both positive and negative types of power words.

For instance, positive emotions can range from feelings of comfort and nostalgia to curiosity and wonder. On the flip side, negative emotions can include fear, crisis and everything in between.

So let's finally get into this list of power words.

191+ Uniquely Positive Power Words

As mentioned, positive emotions refer to various warm feelings like hope, solutions, aspirations, relief, motivation, and other juicy feelings and remedies.

Depending on what you want your readers to feel, these ideas will help guide you in the right direction:

Success and Achievement

Success, Achievement, Triumph, Master, Conquer, Excel, Win, Victory, Accomplish, Best, Better, Greatest, Improved, Outstanding, Superior, Ultimate, Sensational, Remarkable

Excitement and Energy

Amazing, Exciting, Thrilling, Exhilarating, Pulse-pounding, Electrifying, Energy, Energize, Invigorating, Miracle, Boost, Surge, Soar

Joy and Happiness

Delightful, Bliss, Joyous, Thrilled, Ecstatic, Wonderful, Happy, Cheerful, Jubilant, Love

Empowerment and Motivation

Empower, Inspire, Uplift, Motivate, Courage, Fearless, Bold, Brave, Daring, Easy, Challenge

Exclusivity

Exclusive, Elite, Premium, Luxurious, VIP, Valuable, Priceless, Rare, Unique, Insider, Secrets

Trust and Security

Secure, Trustworthy, Safe, Protected, Guaranteed, Authentic, Genuine, Reliable, Dependable, Relief

( Just a quick side note - we're huge believers in bringing a sense of relief to clients and it's a feeling we prioritize with all of our services .)

Community and Unity

Together, Community, Join, Collaborate, Wanted

Innovation and Progress

Innovative, Revolutionary, Breakthrough, Pioneering, New, Improved, Advanced, Cutting-edge

Opportunity and Growth

Opportunity, Growth, Potential, Promise, Discover, Unlock, Reveal, Announcing, Offer

But there's a lot more where that came from in the table below (forgive any repetition - just wanna make sure they're drilled in your head)!

95 Power Words With Negative Emotions

Negative words tap into fears, problems, or pain points, creating tension or urgency.

As per the findings of Daniel Kahneman's Prospect Theory (and later reiterated by countless others around the world), generally - people are more motivated by a fear of loss ( loss aversion ) than the pursuit of gains.

And so, sometimes, highlighting what someone stands to lose (or is currently losing) can be extra motivating.

I.e.: 'Don't Miss Out Like Last Time: Act Now!' (Leveraging fear of missing out [FOMO] and regret.)

Think about it during the next Black Friday season. Make a mental note of trends in ad copy, etc. You'll likely notice these 'negative' power words working their magic!

Just note that while certainly effective, we need to use these techniques responsibly and not to manipulate.

Fear and Danger

Fear, Danger, Threat, Risk, Crisis, Warning, Scary, Frightening, Terrifying, Horrific

Urgency and Pressure (Many of these are Neutral)

Urgent, Immediate, Deadline, Expire, Last chance, Don't miss out, Limited time, Countdown, Suddenly, Now, Quick, Hurry

Anger and Frustration

Infuriating, Revolting, Outrageous, Anger, Frustration, Annoying, Aggravating

Sadness and Despair

Tragic, Heartbreaking, Mournful, Hopeless, Lonely, Devastating, Depressing

Disgust and Revulsion

Disgusting, Gross, Filthy, Revolting, Contaminated, Polluted, Toxic

Scarcity and Loss

Running out, Limited, Scarce, Last chance, Miss out, Lose, Expire

Conflict and Violence

War, Battle, Fight, Conflict, Struggle, Assault, Attack, Destroy, Annihilate

Deception and Mistrust

Lies, Deceive, Trick, Fool, Scam, Suspicious, Untrustworthy, Betrayal

Failure and Weakness

Fail, Weak, Pitiful, Loser, Mistake, Struggle, Stumble, Falter

Shame and Embarrassment

Shame, Embarrass, Humiliate, Disgrace, Awkward, Cringe, Mortify

Let's again, group these words by theme in table format:

Best Practices For Combining Positive and Negative Power Words

Just like with SEO vs Content Marketing - the real 'power' of these words comes when they're used together.

This is where you get into the classic problem-solution copy formula:

Problem-Solution Copy:

Negative words tap into fears, problems, or pain points - creating tension or urgency by highlighting a problem or need.
Positive words then offer solutions, hope, and relief by introducing a solution or benefit.
Together, they quickly complete a narrative and emotional journey from problem to solution.

Attention Grabbing and Memorable:

You start with the negative words which often catch attention quicker - remember humans are especially sensitive to threats and problems - it's one of the essential traits that have helped us survive to this point!
The positive words then maintain interest by offering a desirable outcome.
And the contrast between negative and positive creates a more memorable message .

Comprehensive Persuasion:

Appeals to both logic (addressing a real problem) and emotion (offering a positive outcome).
Caters to different personality types - some respond more to avoiding negatives while others are more driven by achieving positives.

More Realistic and Relatable:

Using only positive words can sometimes come across as too good to be true and insincere.
Including negative words adds realism and relatability to the message - but just note that using too many can be off-putting and even depressing.
So, the balance of the 2 keeps the message grounded yet inspiring.

Urgency and Motivation:

Again, negative words can create a sense of urgency or necessity.
While positive words provide the motivation to act on that urgency (and also have their own forms of 'positive' urgent words as shown above).

Storytelling:

As mentioned above, the combination forms a mini-story in the headline - from conflict to resolution.
And this narrative structure is more engaging, memorable, and easy to understand.
It also shows a more nuanced understanding of the target audience's situation.

Sensory Power Words

Another technique worth mentioning, is the combination or pairing of emotional or logical triggers listed above with sensory 'power words'.

By this I'm referring to words that help the reader visualize their preferred outcome.

This is both effective (by adding another sense to the copy) and memorable.

Here's a famous example:

It’s Finger-Lickin’ Good

But there are lots of different sensory words you can use!

Visual

Sparkling
Gloomy
Vivid
Blurry
Shimmering

Auditory

Whisper
Roar
Echo
Silence
Creak

Smell (Olfactory)

Fragrant
Stinky
Aromatic
Foul
Fresh

Taste (Gustatory)

Sweet
Bitter
Savory
Tangy
Spicy

Touch (Tactile)

Smooth
Rough
Velvety
Sticky
Icy
Fluffy

When done well, this technique can create compelling copy that engages readers on both a sensory and emotional level, intended to increase the persuasive power of your message.

But it's very important to choose wisely.

Only use words that can logically fit with your brand, product, and target audience's needs and desires.

Where Are These Power Words Used Best?

There are lots of different types of content where power words can help you turn strangers into potential customers.

And you certainly don't ALWAYS need to use positive and negative powers together to enjoy its benefits:

Power Words in Headlines

Again, power words in headlines grab attention and push readers to click. With them, you can evoke emotion, create urgency, spark curiosity, and all the rest we discussed above.

For articles and landing pages, consider using words like:

Ultimate - Suggests completeness
Proven - Builds credibility
Shocking - Creates intrigue
Secret - Implies exclusive information

Example: " 5 Proven Strategies to Skyrocket Your Sales "

Power Words in Subheadings

Subheadings keep readers engaged as they scan your content. Power words here can reinforce your main points and encourage continued reading.

Effective power words for subheadings include:

Critical - Emphasizes importance
Effortless - Promises ease
Powerful - Suggests effectiveness
Insider - Implies exclusive knowledge

Example: "Effortless Ways to Implement These Strategies"

Power Words in CTAs (Call to Action)

Power words in CTAs can boost conversion rates by evoking emotion and creating a sense of urgency. For example, words like "Discover," "Unlock," and "Instantly" can make an offer more enticing.

Other powerful CTA words include:

Exclusive - Creates a sense of privilege
Limited - Adds scarcity
Free - Always attractive to consumers
Now - Encourages immediate action

Example: Unlock Your Free Trial Now!

Using Power Words in Email Subject Lines

Power words can obviously be an effective tool to increase open rates by triggering curiosity, value, etc.

And when you get someone to open the email - you can also use them to help boost your click through rates and conversions.

Effective power words for email subject lines include:

Breaking - Suggests time-sensitive news
Exclusive - Implies special access
You - Personalizes the message
New - Indicates fresh information

Example: "Breaking: New Exclusive Offer Just for You"

But it's important to take careful note of which words are often flagged by spam filters . These typically include terms that overly-exaggerate or are too pushy.

So, avoid spam trigger words in subject lines like "Free," "Guarantee," or "No risk".

Boosting Your SEO

Power words can indeed boost SEO by improving click-through rates from search engine results pages (SERPs) and time on page (if you're using power words in headers, etc.).

This sends positive signals to search engines about the relevance and quality of your content.

Just a quick plug - I'm a longtime editor and content manager. I've personally reviewed and edited literally thousands of article titles from authors I've hired, managed, etc.

And the results from using these techniques have been quite positive.

When it comes to a site with thousands of pages though - keeping a site's CTR above 2% can be quite the challenge.

That is unless you're effective with your headlines!

So, consider using:

Guide - Suggests comprehensive information
How to - Indicates practical, actionable content
Best - Appeals to those seeking quality
Review - Attracts those in the decision-making phase
Tips - Promises quick, useful information
Ultimate - Suggests deep, in-depth coverage

Example: "Ultimate Guide: 10 Best SEO Tips for 2024"

Power Words in Social Media Posts

Social media platforms are crowded spaces where content competes for attention. Power words can help your posts stand out and increase engagement.

Here are some effective strategies:

Exclusive or Breaking - Just like for email subject lines - it creates a sense of urgency and exclusivity
You won't believe or Mind-blowing - Triggers curiosity and maybe some cringe - but sometimes cringe sells (when it's authentic)!
Free or Giveaway - Attracts those looking for value
Limited time or Last chance - Induces FOMO
Hack or Shortcut - Appeals to those seeking quick solutions

Examples:

"Exclusive: Behind-the-scenes look at our new product launch!"
"Mind-blowing trick to double your productivity"
"Free webinar: Learn from industry experts"

Just make sure to adapt your language to fit the tone and style of each platform.

Power Words in YouTube Titles

YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world after Google.

Which means it's highly competitive, and your title needs to work hard to earn clicks.

But luckily many of the same tips and tricks that work on Google are applicable here too:

Ultimate or Complete - Again, suggesting comprehensive content
Shocking or Surprising - Creates intrigue
Proven or Tested - Builds credibility
Easy or Simple - Appeals to those seeking accessible content
vs or Comparison - Attracts viewers looking to make decisions

Examples:

"Ultimate Guide: Master Photoshop in 30 Days"
"Shocking Truth About Popular Diet Trends"
"5 Proven Ways to Grow Your YouTube Channel Fast"
"Easy Homemade Pizza Recipe: Better Than Takeout!"
"iPhone vs Android: Honest Comparison 2024"

Bonus tips for YouTube titles:

Use numbers when applicable (e.g., "7 Tips for...")
Include the current year to appear up-to-date
Keep the titles short - around 50 characters
Incorporate trending topics or keywords relevant to your content

And while power words are effective, it's crucial to deliver on the promise of your title.

Clickbait tactics might get initial views but can impact audience retention and standing in the algorithm. So when you're using grandiose power words as adjectives - just make sure your content lives up to the hype.

Power Words in Product Names

Power words can even be used in product names to be more memorable and appealing.

You just need to ensure it's aligned with your overall brand identity and is attractive to your target market. Remember that words are often loaded with emotional baggage (often with deep meanings ) so choose wisely!

Here are some options that other big companies have used:

Emphasizing benefits:

Ultra (e.g., Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra)
Pro (e.g., MacBook Pro)
Max (e.g., iPhone 16 Pro Max)
Zen (e.g., ZenDesk)

Implying innovation or uniqueness:

Smart (e.g., Smartfood Popcorn)
Eco (e.g., Literally an entire industry of 'eco-friendly' products)
Fusion (e.g., Ford Fusion)

Suggesting premium quality:

Prime (e.g., Prime Energy drinks)
Luxe (e.g., Helix Midnight Luxe mattress)
Platinum (e.g., 'Platinum Memberships')

Indicating speed or efficiency:

Turbo (e.g., TurboTax)
Rapid (e.g., Rapid Care First Aid Kit)
Instant (e.g., Instant coffee, noodles, etc.)

Power Words in Ads

Last but certainly not least we have the most common use of copywriting and leveraging power words.

Advertising is a field where the right words can make a huge difference in conversions. And that's whether you're running print ads, digital ads, or social media campaigns.

Here are some effective ways to use power words in ads:

Attention-Grabbing Headlines:

Limited - Adds urgency and scarcity
Essential - Implies necessity and importance

Example: Limited Stock, Essential Product You Can't Live Without!

Creating Urgency:

Now - Encourages immediate action
Today - Adds timeliness
Don't Miss Out - Plays on FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
Last Chance - Creates a sense of finality

Example: Act Now! Last Chance to Save 50% Today Only!

Highlighting Benefits:

Effortless - Promises ease of use
Guaranteed - Builds trust and reduces perceived risk
Proven - Suggests reliability
Transform - Implies significant positive change

Example: Effortless Weight Loss: Proven Method Guaranteed to Transform Your Body

Addressing Pain Points: Goes back to the negative power words discussed above!

Stop - Promises an end to a problem
Eliminate - Suggests complete removal of an issue
Prevent - Offers protection against future problems
Relief - Promises comfort or solution

Example: "Stop Hair Loss: Eliminate Baldness and Prevent Further Thinning"

Call-to-Action (CTA):

- Get - Implies attaining something

- Start - Encourages taking the first step

- Join - Creates a sense of community

Example: "Join 10k+ Happy Members Today"

But remember - overuse or misusing these power words can lead to distrust or even legal issues. The key is to balance compelling language with honesty of what you're offering.

And whenever possible - testing different combinations of power words will always help you improve!

Power Words in Conclusion

So there have it, we've explored the undeniable impact that carefully chosen power words can have on your marketing efforts.

To recap - power words (when used judiciously) can enhance the effectiveness of your headlines, CTAs, email subject lines and pretty much all of your marketing material.

The key takeaways are:

You can enjoy maximum impact by balancing positive and negative power words
Power words can be used across all sorts of different marketing channels
Avoid overusing them though so as to not come across as insincere or, say, trigger spam filters with your email marketing efforts

While power words can be a valuable tool, they're just one aspect of a comprehensive content marketing strategy.

As always, to make the most of this tactic, you want to first nail down your audience, your brand voice, and your overall marketing and business goals.

If you're looking to refine your content marketing approach and make the most of these techniques and more, feel free to reach out to us .

We're pretty nice and always happy to support business growth!

"Cracking the Code: The Smart Way to use 'Then' vs. 'Than'"

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 02:24:37 GMT

How To Use Then vs. Than the Smart Way: Crack the Code

In the English language, then vs than are two words that often trip up even native English speakers.

Sure, they sound the same and nearly look identical, apart from a slight difference in spelling.

But these two words have very different meanings and uses.

Knowing the difference isn't just for grammar perfectionists and language geeks; it's key to making sure you're understood and taken seriously by your readers.

You want to be noticed for the right reasons .

So, let's break it down, clear the confusion, and get you using these words like a pro. No fancy talk, just the straight goods.

Hope this image below helps kick things off!

When to use "then"

When it comes to "then," think of it as the time traveler of the English language. It's all about what happens next, or what happened when, and events in time.

"Then" is your go-to when you're telling a story or laying out steps. It's the word that keeps everything in line like dominoes ready to topple in order.

For example, if you say, "I ate my dinner, then I had dessert," you're using "then" to show the order of events. First comes the meal, then the sweet treat. Simple, right?

Or, let's say you're giving instructions: "Turn left, then go straight." "Then" helps to make sure nobody ends up in a lake instead of at the party.

Here's a tip to keep "then" straight: If you can replace it with "next" or "after that" and your sentence still makes sense, you're on the right track.

Remember, "then" is all about timing. If you're not talking about when things happen, "then" probably isn't the word you're after.

So, next time you're jotting down directions or telling a friend about your day, let "then" guide you. It's the trusty sidekick for all things sequential and indicates a relationship with time.

No fancy language needed, no fluff , just good old-fashioned order, free from grammar errors.

Examples of "Then" in popular phrases

There are plenty of examples of the use of "then" in popular phrases.

Here are a few of our favourites to help you use correct phrases.

"Back then, things were different."
"If you're going to the store, then I'll come along too."
"Think first, then act."
"We'll have dinner, and then we can watch a movie."
"First things first, then we'll tackle the rest."
"I studied hard for the exam, and then I passed with flying colors."
"If it rains, then we'll have to cancel the picnic."
"She smiled, and then I knew everything was okay."
"Finish your homework, then you can play video games."
"He was young then and full of dreams."

When to use "than"

Now, let's tackle "than," the comparison champ of the English language. Unlike its time-keeping cousin "then," "than" is all about measuring up, sizing down, and weighing options.

"Than" steps into the ring when you're comparing one thing to another. It's the word that helps you tell the world what's bigger, better, or maybe just more bizarre.

For instance, if you're arguing about pets and say, "Cats are better than dogs," you're throwing "than" into the mix to compare your love for felines over canines.

Or maybe you're talking sizes, like, "This pizza is bigger than my appetite."

In that case, "than" is your go-to for highlighting the mismatch between the meal and your munching capacity.

Here's a handy tip: If you're stacking things up against each other, and words like "bigger," "better," or "more" pop up, "than" is likely your word.

Remember, "than" is the sidekick for comparisons. No time travel involved, just good old-fashioned this-versus-that.

So next time you're sizing up your lunch or debating superheroes, let "than" help you make your point. Just keep it clear, keep it simple, and let the comparisons roll.

Examples of "Than" in popular phrases

The examples below show how "than" is key in drawing distinctions and making choices clear.

"Better late than never.
"More often than not, things work out."
"Easier said than done."
"Actions speak louder than words."
"Closer than you think."
"Cheaper than dirt."
"Faster than a speeding bullet."
"Smarter than the average bear."
"Stronger than steel."
"Sweeter than ice cream."

Common Mistakes to Avoid

English grammar can be tricky, especially with words like "then" and "than" that can easily mix you up.

And the rules apply for everything from academic writing, to formal writing, to informal writing.

Let's sort out these common mix-ups and make things easier for you.

Confusing Sequence with Comparison

One of the most frequent slip-ups is using "then" when you mean "than," and vice versa.

Remember, if you're comparing, it's "than" you want. If you're talking about time or sequence, "then" is your friend.

For example, saying "I think pizza is more delicious then burgers" mixes up the sequence with comparison.

What you're really looking for is "than" to make that comparison shine: "I think pizza is more delicious than burgers."

And so you've got the grammar correct.

But if you think pizza is more delicious than burgers, you're wrong. Everyone knows a delicious cheeseburger is the best .

Misplacing "then" in a Sentence

Another common mistake is misplacing "then" in a sentence, which can make your message confusing to anyone trying to read it.

A good rule of thumb is to ensure "then" follows directly after the clause it's related to.

For example, "If you're not coming then, let me know" might confuse readers.

A clearer approach is, "If you're not coming, then let me know."

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it Rather Then or Rather Than?

Use "rather than" when comparing two options. "Then" is used for time, so "rather than" is correct when indicating a preference between choices, not sequencing events.

Is it Later Then or Later Than?

"Later than" is correct when comparing times or events. "Then" refers to sequence, so use "later than" to compare something occurring after a specific time.

Is it Earlier Than or Earlier Then?

"Earlier than" is used for comparisons involving time. "Then" indicates sequence. Therefore, when comparing events in time, "earlier than" is the correct choice.

Is it Better Than or Better Then?

"Better than" is correct when comparing two things. "Then" relates to time, so use "better than" to indicate a preference or superior option in comparisons.

Is it More Than or Then?

"More than" is correct for comparisons, indicating a greater amount or degree. "Then" is used for sequencing, so "more than" should be used when comparing quantities or extents.

Is it Less Then or Less Than?

"Less than" is used for comparisons, indicating a smaller amount or degree. "Then" is about time or sequence, so "less than" is correct for comparing quantities.

Is it Well Then or Well Than?

"Well then" is used to transition or respond in conversation, not for comparisons. "Than" is for comparisons. Use "well then" as a phrase to move forward or conclude a discussion.

Can You Start a Sentence With Then?

Yes, you can start a sentence with "then" when it refers to time or sequence, especially in narrative writing or instructions. It helps indicate the next step or part of a story.

Can you start a sentence with than?

Starting a sentence with "than" is uncommon because it's used for comparisons. If you se e it starting a sentence, either it's a mistake or it is being used for emphasis, stylistically. It would not be grammatically correct.

Final Thoughts on Then vs. Than

Understanding the difference between 'then' and 'than' is more crucial than you might think; learn it, and then watch your writing improve.

Whether crafting an email, acing an essay, or just chatting with friends, mastering these two little words can make a big difference in clarity and precision.

So, keep these tips in mind, and watch your language skills shine.

And if you want help along the way - feel free to get in touch! We're here to help.

How to Get Your Blog Noticed: 16 Key Tips and Strategies

Sat, 12 Aug 2023 01:40:31 GMT

How to Get Your Blog Noticed? 16 Key Tips & Strategies

Do you want your blog to be the talk of the town in your industry? The go-to resource for people in your niche, bringing you more traffic and money? Well, friend, it's time to turn that dream into reality. Because in this article, we'll show you exactly how to get your blog noticed.

From choosing the perfect niche to engaging with your readers through comments and feedback, you'll access a list of steps you can take to grow your success.

So, all aboard the Blogging Express. Next stop: Blogtown, USA!

Key Takeaways

- Choosing a niche and target audience is crucial for getting your blog noticed.
- Creating high-quality and engaging content is essential to attract and retain readers. Don't worry we'll get into actionable specifics!
- Promoting your blog on social media platforms is an effective way to increase visibility.
- Building an email list allows you to connect with your audience and promote your blog directly.

1. Target a Specific Niche and Audience

In the vastness of the world wide web, it's essential to carve out your own space and attract the right audience.

That's why choosing a niche and target audience is crucial for getting your blog noticed.

By targeting a specific niche, you can focus your content and establish yourself as an expert in that field to gain the attention of like-minded individuals.

When selecting your target audience, consider their interests, needs, and demographics. And consider the wealthiest of this group. Imagine you're writing to a particular person.

Hootsuite has great resources about "buyer personas" . These help you tailor your content to suit the preferences and capture the attention of your ideal audience.

After all, successful blogs are built on understanding who their target audience is and delivering content that resonates with them.

So knowing exactly who you're writing for, helps you create valuable and relevant content that meets their needs.

Some things to a sk yourself are :

What do I know more about than most others?
Who among those interested in this niche would be willing to spend the most money?
What sorts of questions get the most engagement on niche-relevant Facebook groups and forums?

2. Create High-Quality and Engaging Content

Stating 'creating high-quality content' can sometimes sound like a cliche. A vague recommendation to do something that's inherently subjective.

But it doesn't have to be.

High-quality content simply means content that is engaging, informative, well-researched, well-written, and relevant to the audience (see our customer survey question generator for tips ).

It provides value to the reader and often helps to enhance a brand's image or achieve a particular goal.

Here are some actionable tips to create high-quality content :

Understand Your Audience : Remember, you must always know who you are writing for. What are their needs, interests, and pain points? Tailoring content to your target reader will help you sound more relevant and engaging.
Define Clear Objectives : What do you want your content to achieve? Whether it's to inform, entertain, persuade, or something else, establishing a clear objective helps guide your content creation process.
Research Thoroughly : Well-researched information adds credibility to your content. Use credible sources and make sure to fact-check!
Craft Engaging Headlines : An engaging headline is what draws readers in. Without it, your content can go to waste. Make it intriguing, clear, and relevant to your audience's objectives.
Write Clearly and Concisely : Use simple and clear language. Avoid unnecessary jargon and long, complex sentences that can annoy readers.
Include Visuals : Images, videos, infographics, etc., can make content more engaging and help quickly explain complex points. For instance these days you can use an AI video generator to create custom videos that visually support your message - even if you have zero editing skills. And then you can use an AI clip generator to help cut and arrange scenes automatically. This way your long form content can flow better and you can also have clips to repurpose on social media, etc.
Add Value : Provide interesting insights, solutions, analogies, or information that readers can't easily find elsewhere. Offer a unique perspective or specialized knowledge.
Tell a Story : If applicable, using storytelling can make a piece of content more engaging and relatable. People often remember stories better than dry facts.
Use a Strong Call to Action : If you want readers to take a specific action after reading, be clear about what that action is and why they should take it.
Edit and Revise : Mistakes and inconsistencies can undermine the credibility of content. Careful copyediting ensures that your content is error-free, polished, and professional.
Optimize for SEO : If your content is online, make sure it can reach a wider audience by optimizing for search engines. Cover important topics to your target audience, use a tool like Frase to add relevant keywords in your content, titles and meta data, and use strategic internal linking.
Use Proper Formatting : This is key! Break up large chunks of text with headings, bullet points, and paragraphs. Proper formatting helps make your content more readable.
Keep a Consistent Brand Voice : Ensure that the content aligns with the brand's voice and values. Consistency in tone and style helps in building a strong brand image.
Encourage Engagement : Ask questions, encourage comments (if you choose to enable comments on your blog), or include social share buttons to foster community engagement.
Measure and Analyze : Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console (of a rank tracking tool if you want) to measure how your content is performing. Understanding what's working and what isn't will help you refine future content.
Stay Up-to-Date : If your content relates to current events or changing industries, keep it up-to-date. Outdated information can lose trust and relevance. That's why, you'll typically want to target evergreen topics.

And check out our guide to SEO vs Content Marketing for additional insights!

Bonus Tip!

Carefully consider your writing style.

Keep it simple.

We highly recommend using Hemingway Editor and Grammarly because they help spot mistakes and keep sentences concise.

3. Optimize Your Blog for Search Engines

As mentioned above, to improve your blog's visibility and attract more readers, it's essential to optimize it for search engines.

After all, how else can people read your blog if they can't even find it?

By following some simple steps of search engine optimization (SEO), you can increase the chances of your content appearing in search rankings when people enter relevant search queries.

Start by conducting keyword research . Utilize SEO tools to identify popular keywords related to your niche and create blog posts for each topic seems to garner a lot of questions and engagement.

And don't shy away from long-tail keywords. These are as you'd probably expect - specific topics that target a specific need.

An example of this is a topic like: How to become a freelance writer with no experience .

It targets a specific need. And the beauty of this approach is that the longer and more specific the topic, the lower down the sales funnel it usually is. So you're needing to convince someone new to an idea but rather guide an already interested lead.

And to make the most of your efforts, one of the many key areas to focus on is your blog post titles:

Craft compelling and descriptive titles that include relevant keywords to attract both search engines and potential readers.

Optimizing your blog also involves paying attention to factors such as meta tags, image alt texts, URL structure, and internal linking.

These elements help search engines understand the context of your content better, improving its chances of ranking higher in search results.

By actually implementing these optimization techniques consistently across all your blogging efforts, you can enhance your blog's rank on search engine result pages (SERPs).

This increased visibility will not only benefit the overall growth of your blog but also create opportunities for further blog promotion.

4. Promote Your Blog on Social Media

Making use of social media can obviously be a powerful way to increase the visibility and reach of your blog.

By creating and maintaining active social media accounts on various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, Flipboard, etc. you can amplify your blog's presence and engage with potential readers.

And by simply incorporating social media buttons on your website or blog, visitors can easily share your content with their own followers, effectively expanding your reach even further.

Additionally, actively participating in relevant online communities and groups across social media channels can help you build relationships with like-minded individuals who may be interested in what you have to offer.

To take it a step further, consider utilizing social media ads through platforms like Facebook Ads or LinkedIn Ads.

These advertising platforms allow you to target specific demographics based on interests, location, and more.

But with the average attention span decreasing year by year , leveraging eye-catching visuals and compelling ad copy is essential for grabbing users' attention amidst the noise of countless online distractions.

5. Build an Email List for Your Blog

An email list is a powerful tool that allows you to directly communicate with your audience and build a loyal following.

Successful bloggers understand the importance of email marketing in growing their blog and reaching a larger audience.

And when it comes to building an email list for your blog, one effective strategy is offering a valuable freebie or lead magnet in exchange for visitors' email addresses.

This not only helps you capture their contact information but also establishes trust and credibility by providing them with something of value upfront.

Email marketing allows you to nurture relationships with your subscribers and keep them engaged with your brand.

You can send out newsletters, updates about new blog posts, exclusive promotions, and more.

And it also provides opportunities for collaboration with other bloggers and influencers in your niche. By reaching out to them and offering to feature their content in your newsletter or social media, you can start a potentially reciprocal relationship and tap into their existing audience and gain exposure for your own blog.

6. Collaborate with Other Bloggers and Influencers

Again, by teaming up with others in your niche, you can tap into their audience and gain exposure for your own blog.

One way to go about this is to engage with popular bloggers and influencers on social networks.

By commenting on their posts, sharing their content, and building relationships with them, you can increase your chances to collaborate with them.

You can also regularly check for broken links on popular blogs in your niche, then offer them replacement links from your own content that can help boost your domain authority and drive traffic back to your blog.

Another way to do this is by guest posting...

7. Guest Post on Other Blogs

Guest posting lets you to tap into the existing audience of established authority websites and showcase your expertise to a wider audience.

By collaborating with other bloggers in this way, you not only gain exposure and link juice but also build relationships within your industry.

When approaching guest blogging opportunities, start by conducting blogger outreach to find relevant blogs that accept guest bloggers. Look for websites that have a similar target audience and align with your content creation goals.

Once you've identified potential blogs, pitch them a list of post ideas (that you aren't targeting on your own site) or offer to write an amazing piece of content tailored specifically for their readers.

Just be aware that many will ask for money for this but some won't.

Guest posting provides social proof and establishes you as an expert in your field. And when readers see your name on reputable websites, it boosts their trust in your knowledge and skills.

So again, besides the SEO boost, providing valuable content on others sites can help you attract new readers who may become loyal followers of your own blog.

8. Participate in Blogging Communities and Forums

Participating in blogging communities and forums can help you expand your network and gain valuable insights from like-minded individuals.

You can ask questions,
Share your own insights,
And contribute to ongoing discussions...

This helps establish yourself as an active member of the community and increases your visibility among potential blog readers.

Being part of blogging communities provides opportunities for collaboration and guest posting.

You can connect with other bloggers who have similar interests or complementary niches and explore ways to collaborate on projects or exchange guest posts.

This cross-promotion is a win-win for both parties to reach new audiences and gain exposure.

So, although it's certainly not for everyone, by actively participating in these blogging communities and forums, you not only expand your network but also position yourself as an authority in your niche.

PLUS it helps you to stay up to date on the latest trends, gather fresh ideas for blog post topics, and discover effective blogging strategies that could benefit your own blog.

9. Engage with Your Readers to Build a Community

To engage with your readers and build a community, it's important to create meaningful connections by responding to comments and fostering discussions.

By actively participating in the comment section of your blog, you not only show appreciation for their input but also establish yourself as a responsive blog author.

But building a community goes beyond just commenting back; it involves creating a space where readers feel valued and connected.

You can encourage discussions by asking questions at the end of your blog posts or hosting Q&A sessions on Facebook groups.

Another way to foster community engagement is by offering helpful resources such as in-depth guides or downloadable content pieces. These resources not only showcase your expertise but also provide value to your audience, encouraging them, again, to join your email list so you can keep in touch.

And this sense of community can become an invaluable source of traffic as members share and recommend your content.

10. Use Eye-Catching Visuals and Graphics

Eye-catching visuals and graphics boost the immediate appeal of your content, capture the attention of readers and make your blog posts more engaging.

And this can go beyond simply gaining attention.

These visuals can help illustrate key points or provide additional context to support your message.

Infographics or charts are one way to do this. They help break down complex information into digestible chunks, making it easier for readers to understand and retain.

And if readers are kept interested, they'll keep reading. And the longer they stay on your page, the better your ranking on Google!

Just make sure that when you include images in your blog articles, you optimize them by adding keyword targeted alt text. This helps search engines understand what the image is about and helps you rank in the sometimes overlooked Google Image search.

Canva and Midjourney are just two awesome tools you can use to create excellent visuals to enhance your blog.

11. Write Catchy Headlines and Meta Descriptions

When crafting your blog headlines and meta descriptions, remember to employ attention-grabbing language that entices readers to click on your content.

These elements serve as the first impression of your blog and can significantly impact whether users choose to visit your site or not.

Incorporate your target keyword into your headline and meta description while also maintaining clarity and brevity.

Here are some other things to consider:

Add a touch of creativity and curiosity to make your headlines stand out.
Use power words , odd numbers (to help you stand out), or provocative statements that pique readers' interest.
Pose a question your target audience may have and that you'll answer

For example, instead of a generic headline like ' Blogging Resources,' try something like '13 Blogging Resources Revealed! Which Are Absolute Must-Haves?'

Similarly, don't overlook the importance of writing enticing meta descriptions.

These short snippets provide a brief preview of what readers and search engines can expect from your blog post.

Include relevant keywords naturally within the description while highlighting the value readers will gain from reading it and you'll be good to go.

12. Create a Consistent Brand and Blog Design

Your branding highlights who you are as a blogger and what your blog is all about.

And creating a consistent brand is crucial to build recognition and establish credibility.

So, you'll want to make sure you establish a consistent brand and blog design that reflects your unique style and resonates with your target audience.

Start by choosing a colour scheme, fonts, and imagery that align with your niche and personality. This will create a cohesive visual identity that readers can easily recognize.

In addition to visuals, consider the overall design of your blog.

Is it easy to navigate?
Does it have a clean and professional look?

A well-designed blog not only enhances user experience but also gives off an impression of expertise.

Make sure you use a responsive design that adapts to different devices, so readers can enjoy your content regardless of their preferred device.

And remember, consistency is key when it comes to branding and design. Use the same logo, colours, fonts, and other visual elements across all platforms - from your website to social media profiles.

This will help reinforce your brand identity and make it easier for readers to connect with you and most importantly - remember you.

Once you have established a consistent brand and blog design, the next step in getting noticed is regularly updating and refreshing your content...

Learn more about our content update services !

13. Regularly Update and Refresh Your Content

To keep your content ranking at the top of search engines, you need to regularly update and refresh your content.

Search engines love fresh content, so by frequently adding new posts or updating existing ones , you increase the chances of getting higher rankings in Google search results. Which equals to more organic traffic to your blog.

Plus, staying on top of regular updates allows you to stay ahead of direct competitors in your niche.

If you're consistently providing valuable and up-to-date information, readers are more likely to choose your blog over others in your niche.

14. Analyze Your Blog's Performance and Making Improvements

Analyzing your blog's performance and making improvements is crucial for ensuring that your content resonates with readers and meets their needs.

By regularly evaluating how well your blog is performing, you can identify areas for improvement, optimize your strategies, and ultimately get your blog noticed by a wider audience.

One important aspect of analyzing your blog's performance is looking at the engagement of each piece.

Pay close attention to which articles or posts receive the most views, comments, social media shares, and impressions in Google Search Console.

This will give you insights into what type of content you can focus your efforts on.

Additionally, keep an eye on the bounce rate to see if visitors are leaving after only viewing one page. If so, it may be necessary to improve the quality or relevance of your content and ensure that it matches the search intent of the target keyword.

15. Offer Valuable Freebies and Resources to Your Readers

I already mentioned this in the email list section but it's worth mentioning again.

People love getting something for free, and by providing them with high-quality resources, you not only build trust but also create a sense of value for your audience.

Think about what kind of content or resources would benefit your target audience the most.

An e-book packed with expert tips?
A printable checklist to help them stay organized?
Exclusive access to a library of templates?

The key is to offer something that aligns with your niche and provides genuine value.

By giving away these freebies, you can attract new readers who are interested in what you have to offer. They'll appreciate the useful content and may even share it with others in their network, expanding your reach even further.

But don't worry; offering valuable freebies doesn't mean giving everything away for nothing.

You are establishing the fundamental foundation for relationships around the world and throughout time: reciprocity.

16. Incorporate Video and Multimedia Content into Your Blog

To truly engage your audience, don't forget about adding video and multimedia content into your blog.

It's no surprise that visual learners prefer interactive content that stimulates multiple senses. By adding videos or multimedia elements such as images, infographics, or audio clips to your blog posts, you can create a more dynamic and engaging experience for your readers.

Videos allow you to convey information in a visually compelling manner. A suitable video for a blog post can be a tutorial, an interview with an expert in your niche, or a behind-the-scenes look at your creative process.

And by incorporating video and multimedia content into your blog, you increase its shareability on social media platforms.

After all, people are more likely to share visually captivating content with their friends and followers. And the more people share your content, the more people will see it.

Frequently Asked Questions On Ways To Get A Blog Noticed

How do I choose a niche and target audience for my blog?

To choose a niche and target audience for your blog, start by exploring topics you're passionate about. Consider what interests you and what you can offer readers. Identify your ideal audience and tailor your content to meet their needs, creating a unique and engaging experience.

What are some effective ways to build an email list for my blog?

To build an email list for your blog, offer valuable content in exchange for sign-ups. Create a compelling lead magnet or newsletter to entice readers. Use opt-in forms strategically on your website and promote your email list through social media and guest blogging.

How can I effectively use keywords and long-tail keywords in my blog posts?

To effectively utilize keywords and long-tail keywords in your blog posts, conduct thorough research to uncover the truth about their impact on SEO. This will engage readers and persuade them of the importance of strategic keyword placement.

What are some strategies for creating catchy headlines and meta descriptions?

To create catchy headlines and meta descriptions, think about your target audience and what would grab their attention. Use powerful words, make it concise, and highlight the unique value of your blog post. This will help entice readers to click and explore your content.

How can I analyze my blog's performance and make improvements based on the data?

To analyze your blog's performance and make improvements, dive into the data. Track metrics like page views, bounce rate, and engagement. Identify patterns, uncover insights, and tweak your content strategy accordingly.

And if you're interested, be sure to check out our content strategy services . We're always happy to helping others succeed, so feel free!

How To Get Your Blog Noticed in Closing

Getting your blog noticed will take time but it's definitely worth the effort. With a combination of resilience, consistency and implementing the points we've discussed, you will get the results you're after.

Remember to always put the emphasis on creating high-quality and engaging content that captivates your target audience using the actionable tips provided.

Optimize your blog for search engines, utilize social media to promote it, and build an email list to connect with your readers on a deeper level.

And incorporate images, video and multimedia content to add that extra wow factor that will keep people on your posts.

With these strategies in place, you're sure to reap the rewards.

And if you want help along the way - feel free to get in touch! We're here to help.

Facebook Page vs Group: Which is Best For Your Business?

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 06:55:08 GMT

Facebook Page vs Group: Which Is Better For Your Business?

Struggling to decide between creating a Facebook Page or Group? Well, fret not! We're here to help. In this article, we will explore the worlds of Facebook Pages and Groups, shedding light on their differences and benefits.

You may be wondering why these distinctions even matter. As Abraham Lincoln once said: "Choosing the right platform can make all the difference in serving your online community effectively."

Ok, so he didn't say that. But maybe he should have because those words are full of wisdom!

What is the difference between a Facebook Page and Group?

Let's break it down for you in a way that'll make it super easy to understand.

A Facebook Page is primarily used for businesses or public figures to engage with their audience. It focuses on content management, where brands can post updates, photos, and videos. Engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares are available to measure the success of these posts.

On the other hand, a Facebook Group is designed to foster discussions and user interaction among members. It offers various privacy controls ranging from public to private settings.

While Pages prioritize one-way communication and the brand's posts in news feed visibility, Groups allow members to interact with each other's content easily.

So now that you know the difference between a Page and Group, let's discuss the benefits of using Facebook Pages.

Benefits of Facebook Pages

If you have a business or organization, having a Facebook Page can greatly benefit your brand visibility.

With a Facebook Page, you can create targeted ads that reach a wider audience and increase your chances of growth.

Additionally, you have the ability to customize your cover photo to make it more appealing and engaging to your followers.

1. Brand Visibility

With Facebook Pages, businesses can enhance their online presence and showcase their brand to a vast audience, increasing visibility and recognition. Here are three ways in which Facebook Pages benefit brand visibility:

Social media impact: By creating a Facebook Page, businesses tap into the power of social media to connect with potential customers. With over 2 billion monthly active users on Facebook, businesses have the opportunity to reach a wide audience and increase their online reputation.

Online reputation: A well-maintained Facebook Page allows businesses to build and manage their online reputation effectively. They can share updates, respond to customer reviews or comments promptly, and address any concerns or issues that arise. This helps in establishing trust and credibility among users.

Brand awareness: Through regular posts, stories, videos, and other engaging content on their Facebook Page, businesses can create brand awareness among users. They can showcase their products or services, highlight new offerings or promotions, and interact with followers through various engagement strategies.

By utilizing these features on a Facebook Page effectively, businesses can target their desired audience more precisely using targeted ads without missing any opportunities for growth.

2. Targeted Ads

Running targeted ads on a Facebook Page allows businesses to precisely reach their desired audience based on location, age, gender, interests, and behaviours.

This opens up a world of possibilities for effective marketing.

With Facebook Pages, you have access to a wide range of ad targeting strategies that can help you create personalized ads tailored to specific segments of your audience. This level of audience segmentation ensures that your ads are seen by the people who are most likely to be interested in your products or services.

By using these powerful targeting options, businesses can optimize their ad campaigns and increase the chances of converting leads into customers. You can focus your budget on reaching the right people at the right time, maximizing the impact of your marketing and business development efforts .

However, it's important to note that running targeted ads on a Facebook Page may require a higher budget compared to Facebook Groups. And engagement and conversion rates might be lower due to a larger, less targeted audience size.

Nevertheless, by reaching a wider audience through targeted advertising on a Facebook Page, you have the potential to significantly expand your brand's reach and influence.

3. Analytic Tools & Insights

Analytic tools and insights are vital to gain a deeper understanding of your audience. This will allow you to navigate the vast Facebook landscape with confidence.

With Facebook Pages, you can access user analytics and demographic data through Insights . This feature provides valuable information on audience demographics and content performance.

These tools enable businesses to measure engagement metrics such as reach, likes, comments, and shares. Additionally, conversion tracking allows you to track actions taken by your audience after interacting with your posts or ads.

4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Now let's talk about the benefits a Facebook Page can have on boosting your company's visibility on Google, Bing and other search engines.

Since Facebook Pages are public and indexable by search engines, having an active Facebook Page can greatly benefit your business's SEO.

How?

Well, gentle reader, a Facebook page can contribute to your organization's SEO through the following:

Link Building: You can post links on your Facebook page that direct back to your website. While these are technically "nofollow" links (meaning they don't pass SEO "juice" directly), they can still drive traffic to your website. If those users engage with your site (spend time on site, click through multiple pages, etc.), it can signal to search engines that your site is valuable, which can positively impact SEO.

Local SEO: If you have a local business, using Facebook's location tagging in your Page's profile can help you appear in local search results. This can boost your visibility for location-specific searches.

Content Indexing: Some evidence that search engines index Facebook content, which means your posts could potentially appear in search engine results.

Reviews: A Facebook Page allows for users to le ave reviews. Having positive reviews can strengthen your online reputation and lead to more trust from potential customers. Positive reviews can lead to more traffic, which indirectly benefits SEO.

Customize Your Facebook Page Cover Photo

Customizing your organization's Facebook cover photo is a simple but effective way to improve your brand visibility and attract potential customers.

A good facebook page cover photo can do wonders to creatively showcase your brand's personality and even highlight your values and make a strong first impression to visitors to your page.

Here are some creative design options for your cover photo:

Incorporate your logo or tagline to reinforce brand representation.
Use compelling visuals to tell a story about your brand and its offerings.
Change the cover photo regularly to keep it fresh and engage with your audience.
Experiment with different layouts, colors, and fonts to create an eye-catching design.
Encourage user-generated content by featuring customer photos in your cover photo.

And Canva has excellent templates (like the one above) that you can easily edit or look to for inspiration.

Benefits of Facebook Groups

If you're looking to build a strong sense of community and engagement, Facebook Groups are the way to go. They allow you to connect with like-minded people who share similar interests or goals.

With admin approval and privacy settings, you have control over who joins the group and what content is shared.

Additionally, Facebook Groups provide a platform for businesses to connect with current and potential customers, allowing for a more personal and interactive experience.

And groups can create a sense of community and closeness, whether it's among members or in connection with public figures or influencers.

1. Reach a Wider Audience with Facebook Groups

With Facebook Groups, you have the opportunity to curate content specifically for your community, creating a valuable resource that keeps members engaged and coming back for more.

Building a loyal customer base is crucial in today's competitive market, and Facebook Groups provide an avenue for honest feedback and direct communication with your audience.

Whether it's a public or private group, active moderation ensures that your brand image remains intact while fostering meaningful connections.

By connecting with an online community through Facebook Groups, you open up endless possibilities for growth in your business.

2. Possibility for Growth

By utilizing a Facebook Group, you can tap into the potential for exponential growth in your online community.

To achieve this growth, it's important to implement effective growth strategies and engagement techniques.

One way to do this is through content creation that resonates with your audience and sparks meaningful conversations.

By creating content that addresses their interests and concerns, you can encourage active participation and build a sense of community.

Another strategy is audience targeting, which allows you to reach the right people who are genuinely interested in your niche.

By identifying and targeting your ideal audience, you can increase the chances of attracting engaged and passionate members to your group.

Staying updated on social media trends is also crucial for growth.

By keeping an eye on the latest trends and changes in the social media landscape, you can stay ahead of the game and adapt your approach accordingly. This flexibility and adaptability will help you maintain relevance and continue to attract new members.

Consistently applying these strategies and techniques will foster a thriving community where members feel connected and engaged. Building a strong and engaged community takes time and effort, but the potential for growth and success is significant.

3. Community Building & Engagement

One of the key benefits of community building in Facebook Groups is the ability for brands to directly interact with their audience, fostering a sense of community and encouraging engagement through discussions, comments, and visceral reactions .

Building relationships with members and fostering engagement are essential aspects of community management on Facebook Groups.

By creating a content strategy that encourages member interactions and facilitates meaningful discussions, brands can establish themselves as trusted sources of information within their communities. This not only increases brand loyalty but also enhances customer retention as members feel connected to the brand and its values.

Additionally, by providing personalized support through group interactions, your brand can address individual concerns and create a positive experience for your audience.

This sense of community allows you to connect with like-minded people who share similar interests or goals, further strengthening the bond between your brand and your audience.

4. Admin Approval & Privacy Settings

Your business can create a sense of exclusivity and security with a closed or secret groups. Admin approval and privacy settings cultivate an environment that feels like stepping into a hidden sanctuary.

Admin approval ensures that only trusted individuals are granted access, creating a sense of exclusivity and trust within the group.

Privacy settings offer different levels of visibility to cater to specific needs. Public groups allow anyone to join and view content, while open groups permit anyone to join but limit content visibility to members only.

Closed groups require admin approval for membership and offer enhanced privacy by hiding discussions from non-members. Secret groups take it one step further by not even appearing in search results, providing maximum confidentiality.

These settings give admins control over member moderation and content control while maintaining group visibility according to their preferences.

Transitioning into the next section about 'connect with current and potential customers' without writing 'step', these features enable you to build secure communities where you can connect with your target audience effortlessly.

Considerations When Choosing Between a Facebook Page and Group

When choosing between a Facebook Page and Facebook Group, several factors must be considered. These include your business goals, desired level of community engagement, target audience, and the purpose of the page or group.

If your business goals involve building brand awareness and reaching a wider audience, a Facebook Page may be the better option.

Pages allow you to use engagement strategies like contests and promotions to attract followers. Content creation is also crucial for Pages, enabling you to share valuable information about your products or services.

On the other hand, if your goal is to foster a sense of community and encourage more interaction among members, a Facebook Group might be more suitable.

Groups allow for more personal communication methods such as discussions and polls, which can help in building relationships with your target audience. However, it's important to note that Groups require more maintenance and moderation to ensure that discussions remain on topic and respectful.

Ultimately, understanding your business goals and considering the level of community engagement desired will guide you towards choosing between a Facebook Page or Group.

Facebook Pages vs Groups In Closing

In conclusion, when deciding between a Facebook Page and Group, it's important to consider your goals and target audience.

If you want to promote your business or brand to a wider audience, a Page is the way to go.

However, if you prefer creating a more intimate community where members can engage in discussions and share content, a Group would be ideal.

So do your company a favour and get your face in a book. Facebook that is!

11 Key Advantages of Public Relations

Sun, 04 Jun 2023 08:20:00 GMT

11 Key Advantages of Public Relations

Are you curious about the advantages of public relations and whether or not your company could benefit from more investment in it?

We've helped companies improve their sales via public relations, so we decided to jot down some of our findings.

In this friendly guide, we'll demystify PR, list its biggest perks and pitfalls, and reveal why it's a game changer for companies and the people they serve.

What is Public Relations?

Public Relations, or PR, is all about shaping the public's view of a company, person, or product.

It's a way for businesses to create a positive brand image with their target market.

As the old saying goes: people do business with those they know, like, and trust.

And PR allows you to nurture this at scale.

PR pros use lots of effective tools to accomplish public relations strategy.

Historically, this would involve creating news stories, planning events, talking to the media, or handling difficult situations that might damage their client's positive image.

This often holds true today, but depending on the business, you may also want to work with a carefully curated list of micro-influencer to enjoy similar results.

In the end, the goal is to make the public like and trust your business.

You want people to see your business in a certain way, whether those people are customers, investors, or other important groups. And this is what PR does.

Main Advantages of Public Relations

Public relations has many key benefits that help all aspects of a business. Here are 11 examples:

Credibility & Trust

Arguably the most important benefit of Public Relations is how it can help foster trust in target audiences.

PR activities often carry more credibility than traditional advertising messages as they leverage third-party endorsements from an objective source like media coverage or word-of-mouth.

You know how you're more likely to believe something when you hear it from a friend instead of from a billboard or TV ad?

That's exactly what PR does. It gets information about you to the public, not through ads, but through other people, like journalists or influencers, who your target audience already trusts.

It's like having a friend vouch for you, which makes people more likely to believe in and support you.

Brand Awareness

A successful public relations campaign can significantly increase brand visibility and recognition by getting your name in various media outlets.

The more people see and hear your name, the more they remember it.

And so when it comes time to need your product or service, your brand will be top of mind!

Cost-Effectiveness

Compared to advertising, PR campaigns can be less expensive and more cost-effective, especially when it comes to earned media such as press coverage.

Instead of shouting about yourself with a loudspeaker, it's like getting other people to talk about how great you are.

For example, maybe a newspaper writes a story about your business, or a popular blogger mentions you in their post. This kind of attention is what we call 'earned media'.

And this is where micro-influencers can get a particularly juicy ROI. Their audience isn't big enough to demand a big investment, but the audience they DO have is also likely more engaged and trusting of their word than, say, a big influencer with a long history of brand partnerships.

Ideally, you'll partner with someone on the rise - someone who is gaining popularity but still willing to partner in return for a free product.

We used this strategy to great success using simple but effective email outreach for a client in the smart office niche:

Audience Engagement

PR fosters a deeper level of engagement with the audience, using storytelling and informative content marketing to create a connection (and as you'll see it's helpful for both SEO and content marketing ).

Let's say your company sells hiking boots. Instead of a marketing strategy centered around a message like: "Buy our boots; they're the best," you tell a story.

You might share a blog post about an amazing mountain adventure someone had wearing your boots. Or you create a video interview with a famous hiker who loves your product.

This kind of storytelling isn't just interesting and gets your audience involved. They can imagine themselves in the story or learn something new from it and maybe likelier to share it with their network.

They're invested in a story, not just listening to a sales pitch.

And because they're engaged, they're more likely to remember your brand and feel a connection to it.

It's like how you'd feel closer to someone you've had a great conversation with compared to someone who talks at you.

So, PR helps to create these deeper, more engaging conversations with your audience, which can help build a stronger connection between them and your brand.

Stakeholder Relations

Public Relations (PR) is like being a good host at a big party.

Just like a host ensures all guests - friends, family, neighbors - are happy and involved, PR keeps all the people essential to your business (we call these 'stakeholders') connected and satisfied.

These stakeholders are not just your customers but also your employees, those who invest money in your business, and the community around you.

For example, a communications strategy might share positive stories about your company to make customers want to buy from you.

For employees, PR might share news and updates to make them feel part of the team.

PR might share business growth and successes with investors to show them their investment is doing well.

And for the community, PR might show how your business is involved in local events or charity work.

In all these ways, PR helps to build and maintain a strong relationship with all the people that matter to your business.

Just like a good host makes sure everyone at the party feels welcome and involved.

Industry Authority

You can also think of Public Relations (PR) as a cheerleader who helps you stand out in a crowd.

Imagine you're at a large event, and everyone there is an expert in their field, just like you. But how do you show everyone that you're not just part of the crowd but a leader?

That's where PR comes in. They arrange for you to do things that highlight your knowledge and experience. This could be giving a talk at a big conference, writing an article in a well-known magazine, or even winning awards in your industry.

When you do these things, people start to notice. They see you're not just another face in the crowd but someone who knows their stuff. They start to see you as a 'thought leader' - a leading authority in their field.

So, PR is like your cheerleader, helping you stand out and get noticed as a leader in your industry. It's all about making sure people see and recognize your expertise.

And you can further this by expanding out the content on your website to showcase your knowledge.

This is one of the best strategic communications tools you have as you own it, and it expands your authority and your opportunities to rank for relevant topics in Google.

SEO Benefits

It may help to think of the internet as a big city; and your website is your home in this city.

Suppose you could put up signs around the city that lead people back to your home. The more signs you have, the more people will likely find your home. For websites, these 'signs' are called 'links'.

Public Relations (PR) can help you put up these 'signs' to help get your blog noticed . This could be by sending out online news releases about your business, writing guest posts for other blogs, or getting other business owners to mention you on their websites. Each of these activities can create a link back to your website.

And here's why this is important: Search engines like Google are like the mapmakers of our internet city. They decide which homes (websites) are easiest to find. One of the ways they do this is by looking at how many 'signs' (links) lead to your home (website).

The more high-quality links you have, the more likely Google is to trust that your website is important and worth showing to people.

So, PR activities can help improve your website's visibility on search engines by creating more high-quality links pointing back to your site. It's like putting up more signs around the city to help people find their way to your home.

Product Launches

Let's say you have a new product release launching on Product Hunt. You know it's great, but how do you get others as excited about it as you are?

This is where Public Relations (PR) comes in. PR is like your very own hype machine. It helps drum up excitement and interest before your new product gets released.

PR might send news stories about it on related websites or email newsletters or organize a contest event where people refer their friends to vote in return for a free trial. You might even get influencers to post about it on their social media.

All of this buzz makes people curious and excited about your new product. By the time it's available to buy, people can't wait to try it. This excitement can help your product launch be a big success.

So, PR is a powerful tool for creating a buzz around new products, getting people excited and eager to try them out. It's like having a hype machine that makes your product launch an event people don't want to miss!

Crisis Management

Sometimes, unexpected problems can happen in a business. It could be a pricing increase, a negative news story, or even a social media mishap. When something like this happens, a wave of bad publicity can hit your business.

That's when your PR can make or break your reputation over time. They're trained to handle these storms. They know what, when, and how to convey key messages to the public.

They typically release a statement or even set up a meeting with the people affected by the problem.

Their main goal is to protect your business's positive brand reputation. They work to prevent the storm from causing too much damage and to fix things as quickly and smoothly as possible.

So, in times of trouble, PR professionals act as crisis managers, helping weather the storm and rebuild its aftermath.

Social Responsibility

PR can help showcase your corporate social responsibility efforts in a tasteful way that helps build a strong reputation as a company that gives back to the community.

If your company does something good, like helping the community, you want people to know about it. PR shines a spotlight on these good deeds.

Let's say your company donates a portion of its profits to a local school, or your employees spend a day cleaning up a park.

These actions show that your company goals account for more than just making money, but also social responsibility.

PR helps to show these efforts to the world. They might write a news release about your donation or share photos of your park clean-up on social media. They make sure people see your good deeds.

This can enhance your reputation. People like companies that do good and are more likely to support them. So, by spotlighting your good deeds, PR can help you be seen as a company that cares about its community.

Long-Term Results

The benefits of a successful PR campaign can be felt long after the campaign ends through sustained brand recognition and reputation.

Think of it like planting a tree.

When you first plant a seed, it may not look like much. But over time, it grows into a large, strong tree.

A PR campaign is like planting that seed. At first, you might send out press releases, organize events, or do media interviews.

This might give you some immediate attention, which is great. But the real magic happens over time.

As your PR efforts continue, your brand name gets seen and heard more and more. People start to recognize and remember you. They might even consider you a trusted and credible choice in your field. And once people perceive your brand positively, it tends to stick around - just like a fully grown tree.

Even after your PR campaign ends, the benefits keep going. People remember your name, trust your brand, and afford you a competitive advantage. This long-term recognition and positive reputation are one of the most valuable benefits of PR.

So, even though it might take time to grow, once it does, it can provide shade and benefits for a long time.

What Are Some Disadvantages of Public Relations?

Of course, people are complex, so there are always disadvantages that may come with PR as a form of promotion for marketing campaigns.

Lack of Control

Unlike advertising, where you have full control over the message and placement, in PR, if you choose the traditional route, the media outlet largely determines the final content, timing, and presentation.

There's also the risk that the message might be misunderstood or misconstrued by the audience, potentially harming the organization's image.

Slow Results

PR often requires a long-term commitment, and it may take time to see measurable results. It's more of a marathon than a sprint.

As mentioned above, with the analogy of planting a tree, PR is about building relationships and trust, which takes time. You must consistently show that you're reliable, interesting, and valuable. It's not about one big splash but many small ripples over time.

And just like growing a tree, there are no guarantees. You can do everything right, but sometimes, things just don't grow as expected. That's why PR requires a long-term commitment. You must be patient, keep working, and trust that your efforts will eventually bloom.

So, yes, it might take time, and there's no guaranteed outcome, but with patience and consistency, you will more likely cultivate something beautiful and fruitful.

FAQ of Public Relations Benefits

Here are some answers to questions people tend to have about PR.

What are the Advantages of an In-House Public Relations Department?

An in-house PR team offers key advantages. They fully grasp your company's essence, allowing for genuine communication.

They can respond instantly to any crisis or opportunity, minimizing delays. Their constant involvement ensures a consistent brand voice across all PR activities.

And despite staff costs, they can be more cost-effective in the long run compared to external agency fees. They can also help align PR strategies with your business goals to sustain lasting relationships with media and stakeholders.

What are the Advantages of Working with an External Public Relations Team?

An external PR agency, similar to outsourcing copywriting , can bring a fresh perspective and inject your strategies with new ideas.

They have a crew of specialists, experienced in various PR areas, and can offer their established media relations for better publicity. They can scale up quickly for larger projects and save your internal team's time for other tasks.

You can also manage your expenses by adjusting their services as needed. They are like skilled tour guides, providing novel insights, expertise, and flexible support when needed.

What are the Advantages of Public Participation?

Public participation that results from PR campaigns has multiple benefits.

It enriches decision-making with diverse perspectives and insights, builds trust in organizations by valuing public views, and strengthens the bond between the organization and the community.

Decisions shaped with public input gain legitimacy and are more readily accepted, facilitating successful implementation. The process allows mutual learning between the public and the organization and empowers citizens by giving them a say in decisions impacting their lives.

Think of it like a group project, fostering collaboration, respect, and empowerment.

Key Takeaways

What's PR? It's like a friendship-maker between your business and the world. It's all about creating and keeping good relationships.
The Good Stuff about PR: It helps people trust you, gets your name out there, saves you money on ads, grabs attention, builds strong bonds with everyone involved in your business, makes you a leader in your field, boosts your online visibility, creates excitement around new products, helps you handle bad times, highlights your good deeds, and leaves a good and lasting impression.
The Not-So-Good Stuff about PR: You'll need to stick with it for a while, and since you can't control everything, there are no sure-fire wins, especially if you go in blind.
Your Own PR Team: They know your company inside-out, can react super-fast, keep your message steady, could save you money in the long run, make sure PR goals match business goals and build long-term relationships.
Hiring a PR Agency: They bring fresh ideas, have specialists for different tasks, already have connections with the media, can offer extra help when needed, free up your time, and let you control costs by choosing what services you need.
People Power: When people get involved in decisions, those decisions get better. It also builds trust, improves relationships, gives decisions more respect, ensures new plans work well, helps both sides learn, and gives people a sense of power.

In the end, PR is a "win-win", much like a great friendship: your company meets its goals, gets a good name, and builds strong bonds, while your target audience sees your company as open, responsible, and responsive.

It's like a two-way street where understanding and working together benefit everyone.

And if you'd like to get some help, don't hesitate to connect with us and tell us your needs !

15 Ways to Create a Visceral Reaction With Your Content

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 13:19:40 GMT

15 Ways To Create a Visceral Reaction With Your Content

Your content can evoke visceral reactions from your prospects.

Why would you want this?

Because this type of response tends to increase engagement, brand recognition, and recall.

And so, understanding how to harness visceral reactions can elevate your content to new heights—separating you from competitors and claiming real estate in your prospect's mind.

So let's explore ways to use sensory language, emotions, imagery, and authenticity to create content that leaves a lasting impact.

We'll look at how it can be fostered positively, plus some examples of marketing campaigns that worked this in the past and also famous people who have used visceral reactions to their advantage. Let's dive in!

What is a Visceral Reaction?

A visceral reaction is a powerful physical response that happens automatically without conscious control.

It can occur when we perceive something as threatening, dangerous, joyous, or any other strong emotion.

It can even include bodily responses like increased heart rate, sweating, shaking, and muscle tension.

And is often described as a "gut feeling" because it comes from the deeper parts of our brain that regulate basic bodily functions and emotions.

How Can a Visceral Reaction Help Your Marketing?

Emotions have a big impact on consumer behavior.

And tapping into customers' emotional responses can be a great way to create brand awareness, increase engagement, and ultimately drive sales.

By creating marketing messages with help from power words and visuals that elicit strong emotional responses, such as excitement, joy, fear (like a fear of loss or FOMO), or anger (sharing a common cause), businesses can make their brand more memorable and compelling to consumers.

For example, a car company may use imagery and language that tap into consumers' desires for adventure and freedom, creating a visceral response that encourages them to imagine themselves behind the car's steering wheel.

Key Benefits

Emotional connection: When you evoke a visceral reaction, you create an emotional connection with your audience. And when your audience feels emotionally engaged, they are more likely to remember your brand, develop positive associations with your products and services, and become your customer.
More engagement: Visceral reactions can capture attention and increase engagement with your marketing and sales efforts. When your content evokes emotions, it can trigger likes, comments, shares, and other forms of social media engagement. It can also result in higher click-through rates, longer time spent on page as it hooks readers , and increased interactions with your brand across various channels.
Easier to remember: Visceral reactions make your marketing and sales efforts more memorable. When your audience has a strong emotional response to your content, even from pain signals, it can leave a lasting impression in their minds. This can lead to better brand recall, increased word-of-mouth marketing, and a higher likelihood of repeat purchases or referrals.
Differentiation from competitors: Creating visceral reactions can help your brand stand out. Emotionally impactful content can help your brand by uniquely appealing to your audience's hearts and minds. This can set you apart from competitors focusing solely on rational messaging and positioning your brand as more memorable, authentic, and relatable.
Increased conversion rates: Visceral reactions can also lead to higher conversion rates. When your audience feels emotionally connected for instance with your business blog , it can influence their purchasing decisions, driving them to take action, such as purchasing, signing up for a newsletter, or contacting your sales team. Emotional engagement can foster customer loyalty, repeat business, and positive reviews or testimonials.

Positive Visceral Reactions

Positive visceral reactions can benefit individuals as they can help reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being.

In marketing, positive visceral reactions can create a strong emotional connection with customers to help drive sales.

Here are some helpful emotions to target:

Excitement

Evoking a sense of excitement, enthusiasm, or joy, creating a high-energy emotional response that can be motivating and engaging.

Inspiration

Inspiring feelings of inspiration, motivation, or awe, stirring up a sense of admiration or wonderment that can drive action and engagement.

Empathy

Fostering empathy, compassion, or understanding towards others can help create an emotional connection and feeling of shared experience.

Happiness

Contentment, or pleasure, and generating positive associations with the content, brand, or message can obviously have long lasting benefits.

Hope

A visceral reaction can instill a sense of hope, optimism, or positivity, creating a sense of possibility and potential for a better outcome.

Connection

Fostering a sense of connection, belonging, or camaraderie, generating emotional bonds and loyalty towards a brand, cause, or community.

Nostalgia

This taps into a sentimental longing or affectionate remembrance of the past, and it can evoke powerful emotions, memories, and associations from the past.

Relief

Offering a solution to alleviate a burden or concern can create a powerful emotional response that fosters trust, loyalty and a positive association with the brand or product. Providing deep breaths of relief can be great for loyalty.

How to Create This With Your Content Marketing?

There are several ways that a company can tap into positive visceral reactions in a content marketing campaign.

Some obvious examples include:

Visuals are a powerful way to evoke emotions and create positive visceral reactions. Companies can use high-quality images, videos with musical elements, and infographics that evoke positive emotions such as joy, excitement, and inspiration.
Stories are a great way to engage audiences emotionally. Companies can tell stories that evoke positive emotions, such as heartwarming stories about how their products have made a difference in people's lives.
Humor is a powerful way to evoke positive emotions and create a sense of connection with the audience. Companies can use humor to create memorable, shareable, and enjoyable content.
Companies can showcase customer success stories to evoke positive emotions and create a sense of trust and loyalty. These stories can be shared through case studies, testimonials, or user-generated content.

But let's look at some specifics as they related to writing.

With Your Writing

Eliciting a visceral reaction from your writing can be a powerful way to engage and connect with your readers.

Here are some tips to help you evoke a visceral reaction from your writing:

Use sensory language

Incorporate vivid and descriptive sensory language such as sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch to create a more immersive and engaging experience for your readers.

Appeal to emotions

Use language that appeals to emotions such as happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and surprise to elicit a visceral response from your readers.

Use powerful imagery

Use powerful imagery and metaphors that create a strong mental picture in your reader's mind and evoke a strong emotional response.

Take risks

You'll need to stand out. You'll need to step outside your comfort zone to evoke a strong emotion from your target audience. So, you'll likely need to take risks and highlight a polarizing stance to get people talking.

Be authentic

Share personal stories and experiences that are authentic and relatable to your readers. This can help to create a sense of connection and empathy with your audience.

Create tension

Use storytelling techniques such as suspense, conflict, and cliffhangers to create tension and keep your readers engaged.

Use an active voice

Use active voice rather than passive voice to create a more immediate and impactful tone.

Vary sentence length and structure

Varying the length and structure of your sentences can create a sense of rhythm and pacing that can heighten the emotional impact of your writing.

Edit and refine

Continuously edit and refine your writing to ensure that every word and phrase serves a purpose and contributes to the overall emotional impact of your writing.

Other Formats

Here are some hints on how you can evoke visceral reactions through various types of content:

Visual content

Images, videos, and infographics can be powerful tools to create visceral reactions. Using striking and emotionally resonant visuals can evoke strong emotional responses in your audience, whether through awe, joy, or empathy.

Audio content

Sound can also be used to create visceral reactions. Think about how music, sound effects, and voiceovers can enhance the emotional impact of your content, such as in podcasts, videos, or interactive experiences.

Interactive content

Interactive content, such as quizzes, polls, surveys, and games, can create a sense of engagement and immersion that triggers visceral reactions. These types of content can encourage active participation from your audience and elicit emotional responses based on their choices or results.

Social media content

Social media platforms offer opportunities to create visceral reactions through various content formats, including sharing related and controversial news stories, posts, live videos, and user-generated content. Emotive and shareable content that resonates with your audience can trigger visceral reactions and drive engagement, likes, comments, and shares.

Experiential content

Experiential content is a powerful marketing tool that can create a deep emotional connection between consumers and brands.

By offering an interactive and immersive experience, companies can evoke a visceral reaction from their audience and leave a lasting impression.

For example a SaaS company can provide a usable demo of their tool on their website to significantly enhance the user experience and drive customer engagement before they even become a customer.

Brand storytelling

Telling compelling stories about your brand, its values, and its impact can create visceral reactions in your audience.

Storytelling through various forms of content, including written narratives, videos, and testimonials, can tap into emotions and create a memorable and resonant experience.

Remember, engaging your audience's senses, emotions, and imagination is key to creating visceral reactions through content.

By leveraging different content formats and techniques, you can create a multi-dimensional experience that captivates your audience and leaves a lasting impact.

Avoid Cliches

Avoiding cliches when targeting visceral reactions from content requires creativity and originality. Here are some tips to help you avoid cliches:

Know your audience

Understanding your target audience's preferences and interests can help you create content that resonates with them in a unique way.

Focus on specificity

Instead of using generic terms or phrases, focus on using specific details and language that help to create a vivid and memorable picture in the audience's mind.

Use metaphors and analogies

Metaphors and analogies are a great way to communicate complex or abstract concepts in a more accessible and engaging way.

Experiment with different formats

Trying out different formats such as podcasts, videos, and interactive content can help to make your content stand out from the crowd.

Take risks

Don't be afraid to take risks and try something new. Creativity often requires taking risks and stepping outside of your comfort zone.

Test and iterate

Continuously testing and iterating your content can help you refine your approach and identify what resonates most with your audience.

Marketing Campaigns That Evoked Visceral Reactions

There have been numerous ads and marketing campaigns that have successfully evoked visceral reactions from audiences.

Here are some examples:

Nike's "Dream Crazy" Campaign

This campaign featured former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, known for his activism and controversial stance on social issues, as the spokesperson.

The ad featured Kaepernick's narration over powerful visuals of athletes overcoming obstacles and pursuing their dreams, invoking strong emotions related to social justice, activism, and perseverance.

And it was super polarizing - so it kept people talking for .

Google's "Year in Search" Campaign

Google's annual "Year in Search" campaign showcases the most popular searches and events of the year through a video montage.

The emotional impact of the campaign comes from the raw and real moments captured in the searches, touching on various themes such as love, resilience, and social issues, which resonate with audiences on an emotional level.

Dove's "Real Beauty" Campaign

Dove's long-running campaign has been recognized for its focus on body positivity and challenging traditional beauty standards. Through thought-provoking videos, print ads, and social media campaigns, Dove has evoked visceral reactions by addressing societal issues related to self-esteem, body image, and beauty ideals, resonating with audiences on an emotional level.

Famous People Who Evoke Strong Emotions

Several famous individuals have successfully used visceral reactions to gain attention in various fields. Here are 3 great examples:

Steve Jobs

The late co-founder of Apple Inc. was known for his captivating and emotionally charged product launches. Jobs was a master at creating a sense of anticipation and excitement among his audience, using powerful visuals, dramatic storytelling, and showmanship to elicit visceral reactions and generate buzz around Apple's products.

Oprah Winfrey

The renowned media mogul and philanthropist has built her empire by connecting with her audience on an emotional level. Winfrey's ability to share personal stories, empathize with her guests, and inspire her viewers has created a strong emotional bond with her audience, resulting in a loyal following and an influential brand.

Elon Musk

The entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has used his visionary and bold ideas to create visceral reactions among audiences. Musk's ambitious projects, such as space exploration, sustainable transportation, have captured the imagination and excitement of many, eliciting strong emotional responses and generating widespread attention. And his recent controversial purchase of Twitter has brought in tons of free publicity across all sorts of channels.

Visceral Reactions Summed Up

Visceral reactions can be a powerful tool for marketers.

Tapping into emotions can help create highly engaging content that resonates with audiences, fosters deeper connections, and drives results.

Whether you agree with the messaging or not, brands like Nike and Dove have successfully used visceral reactions to drive engagement, address social issues, build lasting brands, and stand out in a crowded marketplace... and of course create memorable marketing campaigns.

So, by prioritizing emotional connection and creating experiences that evoke visceral reactions, marketers can create content that sets them apart and drives engagement, loyalty, and sales.

7 Super Simple Tips To Avoid Fluff in Writing

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 00:42:26 GMT

How To Spot Fluff in Writing & 7 Simple Ways To Avoid It

All publishers and content creators share the same problem. Fluff in writing.

Content that takes too long to get to the point is wasteful.

Your desired readers will bounce off your page before you get to the actual point.

And so your time and energy will be for nothing.

So here's how to spot fluff in writing and what you can do to stop it.

(PLUS at the end we include a carousel with tips for creating fluff-free content regardless of format.)

What is Fluff in Writing?

Fluff is unnecessary and irrelevant content that adds zero value to readers. It can be long-winded descriptions, filler words, irrelevant facts, and whatever else is used to make content needlessly long.

You can find fluff in advertising copy and other marketing materials. And it's often used in an attempt to make products more appealing (perhaps thanks to the Length-Implies-Strength Heuristic from copywriting legend Gary Halbert).

But its often poorly used and abused, with no benefit.

Thankfully, with a strong understanding of fluff writing, after this article, you can ensure that your new and old (via updates) content is concise and meaningful.

Types of Fluff Writing and Common Causes

There's a wide range of fluff bloating up the internet.

There are fluffy words, sentences, sections, and even entire fluffy articles.

And there can be many factors to blame for this, such as:

The common belief is that longer articles rank better and are shared more.
The common practice of paying writers per word.
A lack of experience and research on topics written by generalist writers following an SEO NLP tool like Surfer or Frase .

It all leads to useless filler, with surface-level details of meaningless generalities that scream AI writers.

Examples of Fluff Words?

Adverbs are often examples of common fluff.

For example, words like 'very' or 'really.'

They don't add any meaning, and Stephen King hates them .

There are also phrases like "in order to" (to) and "due to fact that" (because), which are unnecessary filler that can be removed or replaced with simpler versions - or better yet, if appropriate - power words .

Key Tips for Eliminating Fluff Writing

If you're in a rush, I want to give you some important tips I've learned from nearly 10 years in the business!

These are the most effective things anyone can do to combat fluff in your content:

Start with a foundation of respect and understanding for your target reader.
Plan out your content with an organized and logical outline.
Aim to get your message across as quick and simple as possible.
Use concrete, simple language with specific examples if helpful.
Edit out platitudes, redundancies (unless it's a summarized section for those in a rush like this one ;), and anything else that won't help your readers.

7 Simple Ways to Avoid Fluff in Writing

So how to stop the madness that is filler content and get to the point?

Here are 7 easy ways:

1. Respect Your Reader

Respecting your target audience is key.

It will help avoid adding patronizing stuff that the reader already knows.

For example:

Let's say someone is searching 'how to measure the effectiveness of your content marketing efforts' in Google.

There's no good reason to start off explaining what content marketing is or why you need to measure its results.

If they're searching how, they're probably past the who what, when, where, why stages.

So, what's most important, when avoiding fluff writing is answering the reader's questions asap.

It'll lead to a better reader experience and help you avoid high bounce rates.

And to effectively do this, you must...

2. Create an Outline Before You Write

This is where you plan out what you want to say before you write.

It's essential for any writing you do, especially a blog post.

Meaningful content for readers and search engines require a clear, logical structure.

You can always copy the structure of the top-ranking pages for a topic.

'If it ain't broke don't fix it.'

But it'll be hard to outrank them unless you go the extra mile.

So checking people also ask questions, quora, reddit, and even YouTube for a given topic can help you add extra information your competitors maybe missed.

3. Target a Shorter Word Count

It's generally good practice to target a word count based on an average of the top ranking pages.

However, if your actual content can be shorter than average, great.

Sharp, concise writing will likely win in the long run.

And depending on the topic, you'll probably want shorter word lengths.

As briefly mentioned above, there was a while when bloggers thought they needed 3000 words to rank.

This was because Google's algorithm was less advanced and needed more words to understand pages.

But now, it's safe to say that Google's algorithm is highly advanced and needs far fewer words to do this.

And since we all have increasingly shorter attention spans, it's safe to bet that finding a wider audience to read long blog articles will continue to shrink.

Side Note: This isn't to suggest people will stop reading.

It's just that longer doesn't equal better.

And satisfying a searcher's intent as quickly as possible is what's important.

4. Be Specific

Abstract language and generalizations usually just make your writing fluffier.

Adding specifics and examples to what your content can go a long way.

Plus concrete examples, specific numbers or statistics also help you get referenced by others via links and social shares.

For example, one survey showed that 75% of readers prefer blog posts to be under 1000 words . With only 5% preferring to read a post over 2000 words.

Because of that stat and confirmation bias, that page just earned another link.

5. Avoid Trying to Sound Smart

Being accessible for a broader audience requires clarity of thought and simple sentence structures.

It means discussing a topic in a way that readers can follow along without needing to think too hard.

That doesn't mean to 'dumb things down' though.

Again, we must always respect our audience and never commit the mortal sin of assuming we're more intelligent than others.

Some common culprits of fluffy writing do the opposite.

They fill fluff content with:

Wordy or complex sentences

Flowery language

Industry acronyms

Complicated language

6. Eliminate Redundancies

Ironically I've committed this crime on a couple of instances in this article.

But generally, if you've already made a point there's no reason to repeat it.

Especially not in back-to-back sentences.

7. Be Brutally Honest When You Edit

Adding personality to a blog post from time to time is important and helps build your brand.

But it's a delicate balance.

An interesting anecdote (to you) can divulge into a fluff story filled with unnecessary details.

And besides a copyediting checklist you can also use free tools to help.

Grammarly or Pro Writing Aid are a couple of good ones.

And when in doubt, you should always copy-paste your writing into Hemingwayapp.

This free web tool will highlight wordy sentences, passive voice (so you can switch to active voice), adverbs, and complex terminology.

Combining it with lessons from The Art of Plain Talk by Rudolf Flesch will work wonders.

You'll replace bad fluff content with clear, meaningful content that cuts right to your reader's needs.

Your Quick Guide Carousel to Fluff-Free Content

Now - just in case you wanted to go beyond just writing and avoid fluff in ALL of your content, here are some tips!

Closing the Curtains on Fluffy Writing (and Other Content;)

There you have it.

Hope this was helpful. Fluff in writing has always been common (just think of all of the 200+ page non-fiction books out there).

But hopefully following the tips above will help you avoid common mistakes.

If you feel like you want any help - say updating your existing content for longer time on page and more conversions, let us know !

We've updated 809 pages for clients to date resulting in greater engagement and leads from existing content, and we're always happy to chat!

How to Become a Freelance Writer With No Experience [+ 3 Key Tips]

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 11:21:59 GMT

How to Become a Freelance Writer With No Experience

A freelance writer is someone who writes for different clients. But knowing how to become a freelance writer with no experience comes first.

But don't worry. It's a common hurdle to overcome when starting a freelance career.

And that's what we're here to help you with.

How to Become a Freelance Writer

One of the first steps to starting a career in freelance writing is to find clients.

These clients are companies, businesses, or individuals who want to hire a writer for a specific project.

Do well, and you'll probably become their go-to help for their copywriting or content needs.

But, before you can persuade someone to pay you as a professional writer, you must first show them you can string together a sentence or 2.

Below are some great ways to get started.

Start your Own Blog

A personal blog is a powerful tool for self-expression, marketing, and branding.

And it’s actually not as difficult to start your own blog as you might think.

You don't have to create a personal blog. It can actually be about any topic that interests you. But it's a certainly a good idea to build your site around a common topic or theme and stick to it.

Not only will this help signal to Google that you're familiar a given topic - and thus can be a reliable source for searchers online. But it'll also help signal to potential clients that you're experienced writing about that topic.

If you can play your cards right and write some long-form blog posts that rank in your niche, on search engines, even better.

This blog of yours is an excellent way to develop and improve your writing style. It will also be a great place to host your freelance writing samples. And it can even provide you with a source of income down the line as you continue to build the site.

[It's also a great way to develop new and practical skills aside from writing.

Site development is a skill that basically every business in the world needs these days.

And showing your online writing portfolio with site development skills on your own freelance writing business site will boost your earning potential.]

Guest Posting On Other Sites

If you can find the email address of blogs that accept guest posts and will let you write them for free, you have a great opportunity.

Here are a few benefits of guest post freelance writing gigs:

You'll be able to practice your skills with writing experience. Show off your skills to a new audience. And you'll more than likely get to link back to your blog.

It will also require cold pitching. And these article pitches will further develop your writing skills. And even more specifically, your copywriting skills.

And effective cold email outreach generally requires a few things:

An attractive email subject line,
A sincere introduction in the hopes of establishing a genuine connection,

You'll get to practice hook sentences . These will help persuade your target to read your email. And this will increase the chance they'll give you a try.

[Suggesting some article ideas that will be interesting and helpful to their readers with no strings attached helps.]

Just know that most site owners of a certain level of authority likely get these kinds of cold pitches several times a week - if not daily - so don't take it personally if you don't get a response.

Just keep trying, and the act itself will be good practice.

Video Script Writing

Think outside the box. Freelance writing jobs can extend beyond the page or screen.

YouTube is a massive platform these days, and the videos you watch there are more than likely following a script.

And these YouTubers may want to outsource the grunt work to those willing to do the grunt work for a little extra income and experience.

I tried this out for Noah Kagan once. Granted I didn't get the gig but the experience opened my eyes to new possibilities when building a client list.

Plus the conversational style needed on video is good practice!

Write for a Content Marketing Agency

Working for an SEO or content marketing agency as a freelance content writer allows you to write about many different topics.

These are good jobs for beginners as you'll also have access to SOPs and editors. Plus you'll get to familiarize yourself with tools like Frase , and other on-page SEO tools.

Once you have found a client like this, you can either work as an independent contractor or an employee of the company.

Decide What Types of Writing You'd Like to Focus on

The next step is to know what type of content writing project you want to specialize in.

Some freelance writers specialize in writing long-form SEO blog posts. But others focus mostly on copywriting.

Your decision here will really come down to your personal preference.

For instance, I struggle with writing long articles. Others prefer it.

Any successful freelance writer will have to decide which they want to focus on.

There's a pretty big difference between copywriting vs content writing .

I'd argue it comes down to personality types. So it's good to ask yourself a simple question: Are you a patient person?

Content writing is perfect for an SEO writer. Someone that likes to dive into a topic with the goal to appease Google and bring value to readers.

Copywriting is more so tailored towards site copy, emails, sales pages.

Choose a Niche You Want to Specialize In

One of the most important steps in your freelancing journey is to find a freelance writing niche and type of writing that you are passionate and are interested in.

This will make it easier for you to produce more quality work while increasing your writing speed.

Then, you need to look for prospective clients who will pay for articles in that niche or looking for those skills.

But the good news with this approach is that in most cases, a technical writer will be paid more for their work due to the scarcity factor.

For example an experienced finance writer in the US makes on average $110,000 a year .

It's a good idea to consider what niches interest you, what type of client you want, and which niche will bring you the best writing income.

Build Your Portfolio

This can be done by writing articles on topics related to the niche or general articles on all sorts of topics.

Building a general writing portfolio is good, but building a specialized portfolio of your technical writing is better.

When you send this into potential clients, they'll more than likely spend more time looking through it and inviting you to do a paid writing assignment.

Where to Find Freelance Writing Clients?

There are many ways to find these clients, and the most popular ways are through freelance writing job boards like ProBlogger or groups on social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook like Cult of Copy.

These are many go-to sites for those writers seeking potential customers and vice versa.

Do you Need Qualifications to be a Freelance Writer?

Freelance writing doesn't require any specific academic qualifications.

Many successful freelance writers do not have degrees or formal education in writing, journalism, or related fields.

Sometimes it may 'get you in the door'. Like for example if you'd like to write for a health and wellness site.

Having a degree in nutrition or other academic qualifications may boost your credibility and make you more appealing to potential clients.

But, these health sites will also have editors or consultants that help to fact-check regardless. So really anyone to produce content while still managing to cover the site's desired E-E-A-T needs.

Generally, demonstrating that you can write well and reliably deliver quality content is what will get you jobs.

So, the most important qualifications for a freelance writer are strong writing skills, a good work ethic, and the ability to consistently meet deadlines.

Your portfolio of work is often more important than your formal education.

What Skills Do Successful Writers Have?

Successful freelance and content writers usually possess skills to help them succeed.

These can be grouped into two broad categories:

Hard skills, which are specific, teachable abilities that can be defined and measured.

And soft skills, which are less tangible and harder to quantify, but nonetheless critical for success.

Hard Skills

Writing Skill: This is the most obvious skill. Successful content writers are strong communicators and demonstrate a solid ability to write in various styles and tones appropriate to different audiences.
Research Skill: Content writers usually write about a wide range of topics, so strong research skills are key. This includes knowing how to locate reliable sources, synthesize information, and present it in a way that's easy to understand.
SEO Knowledge: Content often needs to be optimized for search engines, so a basic understanding of SEO principles is a big plus. This can include understanding how to structure content for the web and keeping up with Google's algorithm updates.
Technical Proficiency: Depending on the project, you may also need to upload content into a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, or use tools for SEO and social media. In some cases, knowledge of basic HTML/CSS could be useful.

Soft Skills

Creativity: Writing requires a lot of creativity, not just in coming up with ideas but in figuring out how to present them in an engaging way.
Adaptability: As mentioned above, successful freelance writers will often need to write on various topics and adjust to different writing styles. This requires the ability to quickly learn about new industries and adapt your writing to fit the needs of different clients.
Time Management: As a freelancer, you'll often juggle multiple projects simultaneously, with varying deadlines. Managing your time effectively is crucial, especially if you want to earn a good income.
Communication: This is key for your writing, understanding client requirements, and providing updates on your progress. It's also useful for negotiating contracts and rates.
Resilience: Rejection is a part of freelance writing. Being able to handle criticism, learn from it, and keep going is invaluable. Plus, you'll have a big competitive advantage if you can take constructive criticism from those who have earned your respect so that you can use it to improve.
Networking: Building relationships with clients and other writers can increase opportunities. Networking can be done in person at events or online through social media and professional networking sites.

Freelance Writing Rates

There are lots of variances to writing rates.

It depends on various factors like industry, experience, and price structuring.

Experienced writers in a given niche can make $100s or even $1000s per article.

Meanwhile, those starting can write for as low as $0.01 per word.

Great Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills Fast

To avoid ever writing for $0.01 a word, you'll want to show you've got writing skills.

Typically the best way to improve your writing is by simply doing it.

After all - practice makes perfect.

But here are a few super simple and easy ways to quickly and easily take your writing skills to the next level.

Practice writing with Hemingwayapp

Hemingway is an amazing free tool. And will absolutely help improve your freelance writing services.

It helps you write short sentences, spot unnecessary adverbs, avoid fluff in your writing , and replace difficult words with simpler synonyms.

The result is writing that is more readable and thus enjoyable to well... read.

Read 'Art of Plain Talk'

I've read a lot of books on writing and grammar :S and I can strongly say that this book is one of the best around.

The author of the book, Rudolf Flesch, is an amazing mind, and although he wrote the book back in 1946, the ideas are still true.

This is the rare case where you can improve your writing simply by reading a book.

I'd argue it will give you a leg up in the freelance writing industry.

It's accessible for free via a quick Google search .

Take an 'SEO' focused content writing course

Many free online courses lay out everything you'll want to remember when writing to rank on Google.

I did the Surfer course a long time ago, which laid out all of the different search intents to keep an eye on, etc.

It's good stuff, plus it's free and one of the most popular writing courses available for today's content needs. Hubspot is another excellent resource for free courses to help your work!

There are also freelance writing courses for general purposes that will surely help.

And the information you need is almost always available for free.

How to become a freelance writer without experience?

Even if it's not exactly a career path you see yourself pursuing long term, freelance writing can be very beneficial.

And growing a successful freelance writing career can lead into many things.

Just try starting out building your own site.

The process will be very worthwhile, and using the simple hacks of writing with the hemingwayapp and reading 'Art of Plain Talk' will take care of your writing quality needs.

Writing Great Essay Hooks [With Hook Examples]

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 16:22:14 GMT

Writing Great Essay Hooks [With Hook Examples]

A great essay hook is like a worm on a line. The writer is a fisherman and the readers are fish: A great essay hook captures readers and holds their attention.

Imagine this scenario: You're curious about how walruses mate. You google "Walrus mating." You click on the first link that shows up.

You read the first few sentences. All very dry content. Technical terms. There's no hook. Your eyes start to glaze over. You close your laptop. End of story.

A great essay hook sentence could have changed this scenario and the course of your entire life. You could have become a great marine biologist.

In this article we're looking at hooks. The advice we'll share will help you craft the perfect hook to keep your reader reading.

So regardless your writing assignment - whether a college paper, a personal statement for a university application, a persuasive essay for a high school English class, or anything else, this article is for you.

What is a Hook?

When a writer takes the time and energy to create content, they're almost always hoping that someone will take the time to read it. Writers need readers after all.

And while writers need readers, readers need something that will grab their attention and make them want to keep reading.

That's where the hook comes in.

A good essay hook is found at the beginning of an essay and it has the purpose of engaging your readers (perhaps with a visceral reaction ) from the very start.

First impressions matter and a good hook can give readers a great first impression of what they're about to read.

An interesting opening paragraph suggests an interesting read ahead. A boring introduction strongly suggests that the reader can expect a snooze fest ahead.

A hook is usually a sentence or grouping of sentences that draws people to your essay or research paper. Hooks are what spark curiosity and interest.

Your essay should make the reader wonder what happens next. They can also be used to make your introduction stand out.

A hook has to be related to the topic you are writing about. This makes it a good lead into the thesis statement where readers can understand exactly what your topic will be about.

How to Write a Great Essay Hook?

That’s a common question that gets asked quite often by students and writers around the world.

To write a good hook, you first you need to ask the question: Who is your target audience?

To make an effective hook, you need to know who are you writing for. Is it an academic audience? Is it for casual readers with limited expertise?

When you think about who you are writing for, you can strategize about what will make them interested.

A formal audience researching a serious topic probably don't want your essay to start with a joke. This will give the wrong first impression.

If you are writing an article that is aimed at casual readers, you will want them to feel curious and not intimidated.

There are different essay types. Some are formal, some are informal. Some are personal, some are not.

When you have thought about this, you can start to think about choosing the best type of hook.

Next let's consider some of the different types of hooks. We'll look at the most engaging hooks and how best these can be used. And we'll give examples to help.

Rhetorical Questions

Is there anything more beautiful than a rhetorical question? Don't answer that.

A rhetorical question is a question that is not actually meant to be answered. In fact a rhetorical question is actually a statement disguised as a question.

A typical rhetorical question has an obvious answer that goes without saying. In any case, this can be an intriguing question because it will lead into something that might be of interest to the reader.

For example, when writing a personal statement for a university application, a person could write: Is anyone's life without struggle?

The obvious answer is no. No one lives a life without some sort of struggle. This type of hook could then introduce the reader to the struggles the writer has overcome.

Rhetorical questions are effective at grabbing a reader's attention because they get the reader to think about the statement the question represents.

Statistical Hooks

According to the Pew Research Centre , nearly 25% of adult Americans reported that they didn't read a book in 2020.

That statistic shows that a significant number of people don't read books. It introduces a fact that might surprise the reader and if you are writing about something related to literacy, this factual hook leads effectively into the essay topic.

The statistic above would be a compelling hook.

As the Data scientist Edward Demings once said, "Without data, you're just another person with an opinion."

People don't generally care about random people's unsupported opinions. Statistics support opinions and show expertise and knowledge.

Reliable statistics give valuable insights about topics. And if you use an interesting statistic as a hook, you give a very positive first impression to a reader who will see you as a writer who has done research.

But word of advice: If you are going to use a statistic hook, make sure the statistic as accurate. To start your essay with a dubious statistic will not make you look reliable and your reader might dismiss you right away.

Famous Quotes

The famous actress Marlene Dietrich once said, "I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself."

In other words, a relevant quote from a famous person can put into words what you want to say, and it carries a lot of weight.

If the quote is interesting or witty, it is definitely an effective way to get people's attention.

For example, if you are writing a college essay about anti-Semitism, you could use a literary quote from Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice the following line from the play's Jewish character Shylock:

"If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

This is an effective quote because:

The quote relates to anti-semitism
The quote is from Shakespeare - one of the English language's greatest writers and someone pretty much everyone respects.
The quote is thought provoking

Oh and it's also a rhetorical question which we've already talked about. So your reader won't be able to take their eyes off the page.

You can easily find an extensive catalogue of great quotes on countless different topics from the website Good Reads .

Narrative Hook

I once tried reading an essay that had no hook. There seemed to be no effort by the writer to get my attention. The first sentence just said what the essay was going to be about. I didn't get past the third sentence before I threw it into the fireplace.

A personal story, like the example above, is a great example of a narrative hook. This is best for an informal piece of writing and it helps to create a personal connection between the writer and his or her reader.

Narrative essays tell a stories. They are usually personal or anecdotal. Narrative hooks do the same thing but in a matter of a couple of sentences. They tell a very short story in 1-2 sentences that should relate to the topic of the paper.

If the reader can relate in some way to the narrative hook, the ideal outcome will be the reader establishes an emotional connection to the writer from the beginning.

Words with deep meanings can also help create an impact with your reader.

Everyone loves stories and even a micro story can be strong way to start an essay that encourages people to keep reading.

Strong Statement Hook

Anyone who writes an essay without a hook is a fool!

The sentence above is an example of a strong statement hook. It is an effective essay hook because it sparks the reader's interest to find out more about why the writer is making the statement.

These types of hooks are used most effectively used in argumentative essays where the writer is arguing something that is contentious.

People who agree with the point might read on to reinforce their opinion. People who disagree might read on to find out where the writer gets the audacity to have this differing opinion.

Either way, people are reading. And that was the point of writing in the first place.

Simile Hook

Writing an essay without a hook is like trying to make love without any foreplay. You can do it. But there's a good chance the person on the receiving end won't finish.

A simile is figure of speech where a comparison is made between two different things to show some sort of similarity.

This article opened with a simile, comparing hooks in writing to hooks used by fishermen.

And the sentence at the start of this section that makes a comparison between foreplay-less love making and a lack of a hook is another example.

Similes are effective because they can show that the writer is clever. They can amuse or intrigue the reader to read on. They also can help to simplify something that might be complicated into an easy and accessible image that a casual reader will be able to appreciate.

Conclusion

A good writer thinks about his or her audience and crafts content that will resonate in someway.

Highly effective content uses hooks to pull readers in and make sure the reader actually reads what has been written.

In this article, we've looked closely at hooks and some of the best examples of powerful essay hooks. We've also looked at how best to use the different kinds.

Get your readers hooked. Start your essay with a great essay hook and reel those readers in.

Or take the easy-breezy route and let us do the work for you !

Marketing vs Business Development [How to Win Big With Both]

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 15:43:42 GMT

Marketing vs Business Development [How to Win Big With Both]

Marketing vs business development is an unlikely head to head.

These terms are sometimes confused. But yes they are indeed different career paths.

Marketing and business development teams share the same objectives. They both generate new leads and customers, build strategic relationships, improve the sales process, and persuade current customers to refer friends. But they achieve these shared goals in different ways. Marketing charms at the macro-scale while business development does so on the micro.

And this is what we will discuss today.

What is Marketing?

Marketing is the aspect of business that focuses on driving attention to your brand in a way that attracts potential customers and persuades them to stick around.

The top aim of marketing is all about offering something valuable to your potential markets' wants and needs in order to develop a relationship that creates leads, then customers, and then referrals.

How does marketing work?

A strategic marketing plan is essential to ensure your company's effectiveness. This plan should establish the company's message, benefits and capabilities that the other departments can deliver.

And this is why it's often essential for the entire company to have input in the marketing strategy.

For example, it's really important that all information in online materials is accurate and consistent messaging.

If a company outsources copywriting to the wrong agency that makes grandiose claims, the company may be a couple of false promises away from a tarnished reputation or worse.

And this is also why the marketing department can sometimes be a relatively unpopular department in a company.

But as long as the marketing tactics (check out the 8 ps of marketing ) used by the marketing team are reflective of the shared goals and capabilities of the entire team, it should be a win-win for all.

Marketing roles

Based on their chosen strategy, the Marketing Department are then responsible for the execution of a variety of marketing strategies (e.g. design of marketing materials, website updates, emails campaigns, etc).

Depending on the size of the business there may be marketing managers for each of these tasks or more.

Public relations is another important part of marketing. And ideal messaging to the public should attempt to be honest and clear so that the company has a positive image among possible customers.

Marketing is all about your target audience.

It's about understanding who they are, what they want, and how you can communicate with them that your product or service is what they are looking for.

Promote and Nurture at Scale

And this is typically done on the biggest and grandest scale possible to get the most attention and grow public awareness about your offering.

Be creative and analytical

Which is why marketing professionals typically require both creative and analytical skills.

To ensure they're being seen by the right people, at the right place, and at the right time.

And not wasting money.

What is Business Development?

Business development has diverse applications depending on what industry or size of the company you are working in.

In general, a key function of the business development team is to help identify new business opportunities and business partnerships wherever appropriate.

This includes developing growth opportunities in new markets and different geographic areas.

Business Development representatives are also responsible for the person-to-person interaction that often must take place for a big sale or order to go through or to develop strategic business partnerships.

So one way to think of it is they help to lay the foundation for the marketing plan and then further help out after the marketing team has warmed up prospects.

Business development roles

Depending on the size of the company, a business development manager is responsible for creating or closing leads.

For a smaller company, it can be great because it's like the sales department with a less abrasive title.

For a bigger company, the business development team help generate real-life leads they can then pass over to the sales team to close a sale.

But in both cases, it's all about building real and genuine relationships with people.

The sales team and business development department are both responsible for forming strategic partnerships that bring in new clients.

Business development specialists are usually expected develop prospects and referral lists. They tend join networking events and trade shows. They even assist in following up with qualified leads from marketing campaigns via email and phone calls.

There are people out there who put their guards up as soon as they're talking to someone in sales.

But the business development team may be just as interested in creating a mutually beneficial 'connector' relationship with you to expand each other's networks as they are with the sale of products or services.

This is where client relationships and business relationships, in general, make this such a valuable team. The relationship-building done here transfers over into multiple benefits.

Soft Skills

Business development is an area of the business that should be left for people with likability and a talent for communication (which can be learned).

The business development process focuses on business growth through meetings with prospects or customers that align with company sales strategies.

Customer Service

It's way more cost-effective to persuade an existing customer to stay or recommend to their friends instead of constantly starting over persuading new potential customers.

Innovative Ideas

Your business development efforts help bring innovative ideas by considering new ways to help you grow your customer base.

Marketing vs Business Development: What are the Major Differences?

While they share the same goals, they have different focuses and responsibilities.

Marketing focuses on the consumer and their journey from awareness to loyalty. It also identifies the strategies and tactics used to achieve that level of loyalty.

However, business development focuses on the tasks and processes that will increase revenue.

Again, the biggest difference between the two is the scalability of their efforts.

The big difference between marketing and 'biz dev' is that marketing can be scaled up as much as a company's ad spend and SEO efforts allow it. Business development often requires meetings and face-to-face interactions with warm prospects.

Business development finds new markets. Marketing then promotes to that market and gets people fired up to agree to meet the business development people in a new warmed context that can lead to sales.

Marketing vs Business Development: What are the Similarities?

As we've discussed marketing vs business development are not in conflict. They share goals to grow the business and they do this in many similar ways.

They both look for opportunities and ways to increase leads.

They both try to nurture leads with the best possible experience to persuade leads to use their products and services.

And they also both want to create a long-term relationship that can be sustained and provide mutual value well into the future.

How Marketing vs. Business Development is The Ultimate Team

Although these roles require different skills, they work great together.

Business development is possible by close contact with your potential customer and listening to their needs.

This is crucial for marketing and essential for crafting an accurate customer profile to create effective campaigns for your potential market.

Together these two skills work together to help build the sustainability of your business.

And helping you maintain momentum in a flywheel-like motion.

Do You Put a Comma Before or After But? [Your Easy Guide]

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 03:58:11 GMT

Do You Put a Comma Before or After But? [Your Easy Guide]

Great question. Love where your head’s at.

You can put a comma before but to connect two independent clauses, meaning they contain a subject and a verb. You may also see a comma after but as a literary device used to insert a quick aside or emphasize a point.

If your eyes start to glaze over at the sight of 'two independent clauses', don't worry. We'll make this easy.

In this article, we'll go over when to use a comma with but , when not to, when to use it after but , and even some Easter eggs, so let's get after it.

Do you put a comma before but ?

The typical instance where a comma is used before but is when there are two independent clauses that are related somehow but not sequential.

This means the but is used to connect two different thoughts that could work as their own standalone sentences.

These independent clauses can have different subjects or share a piece of info with no subject.

Grammar Rules for Placing a Comma Before But

English grammar can be rough.

It's one of those things most of us can listen for and know what's right but maybe aren't 100% sure of the exact rules.

A comma can be a device to help avoid confusion when it falls after words like “but” or “yet” as a way to indicate the contrast between the independent clauses.

Commas are also great at joining two complete sentences together with coordinating conjunctions.

The most common of these conjunctions are 'and', 'but', and 'or'.

For example, “I went to the store yesterday, but I can't remember what I bought.”

Or another example: “I love reading, but it is difficult for me”.

Here we should use a comma before the word 'but' because it is used like an adverbial phrase modifying the verb in this sentence.

What is a comma splice and how to avoid them?

This is the unsavory event where 2 different sentences and therefore ideas are separated with only a comma.

The comma is used to separate two independent clauses that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction.

As long as the two clauses are joined by a period, semicolon, or colon, the comma is omitted.

Side note :

Now, of course, this would only stand out to the 'grammar police' but is something to consider.

See what I did there? I used a pair of commas.

Usually an extra comma adds clunk to a sentence, but it can help on occasion.

Issues of Comma Usage Before But

Keep in mind there are always exceptions and at times the comma before a "but" is optional.

It is often a matter of style preference whether to use a comma before the word 'but'.

What is copyediting if not deciding these kinds of things like comma usage in your style guide.

For instance, the sentence:

"I'd like to go out for a walk, but it's raining."

Can also be written as:

"I would like to go out for a walk but it's raining."

But simple rules do exist in some specific cases and the general basic rule of thumb stands.

One comma rule is that when you're connecting an independent clause to a dependent clause, the comma is unnecessary.

For example 'We had a great day at the zoo but it was really hot.'

Do you put comma after but ?

If you put a comma before and after "but," some people find it more formal writing.

But adding a comma after a but is great if you want to add emphasis on the contrast of the sentence.

For example, in the sentence:

"He didn't eat anything but he drank coffee."

Most people will put a comma before and after "but" because they want to emphasize that he did not eat anything and only drank coffee.

When you use a subordinate clause in this way you are adding context to the situation.

When do you use 'but' in a sentence?

"But" is often used in a sentence to signal contrast and basically go against what was said before.

It can also work as a sentence connector to start off the second half of the sentence.

If you use but in this way, please do proceed with caution though.

If you sprinkle in a but in the middle of a sentence it can disavow everything that came before it.

For instance:

'You look beautiful but...'

'I love you but...'

'I'm not racist but...'

'The food is good but...'

As you can imagine these kinds of sentences can be very dangerous.

Beginning a sentence with but

But is one of the most versatile words in the English language.

Don't be fooled by your third-grade English teacher.

You can certainly start a sentence with 'but' just like you can start a sentence with rather .

'But' can be used to introduce a sentence, start a new paragraph, or connect opposing ideas within one complete sentence.

But, 'but' also has some limitations.

When to put a comma after but at the beginning of a sentence

If you do decide to start a sentence with but before a comma in this way it's best to use it sparingly.

Remember that the comma is the equivalent of a short pause in a sentence like those used for emphasis.

There are only so many times you can take a break in the literary action.

Especially to express contrasting thoughts in rapid succession before you begin confusing readers and your entire article appears redundant or half-baked.

Some Writing Tips on When to Use Commas in Sentences

Commas are used to separate items in a list.
Commas can be used to set off appositive phrases - the device used to insert a name or a quick bio of a sentence's subject to give extra context.
Commas can be used to set off non-essential clauses and phrases.
The comma indicates a break in sentence structure.
Remember that a comma is not always needed, and it is often omitted for efficiency.

What are some comma rules?

Comma usage is a tricky topic for many people, and it can be difficult to remember all the punctuation rules and guidelines.

Here are some of the most commonly used comma rules:

When listing three or more items, use a 'serial comma' after each one except the last item.

I.e. 'I like apples, oranges, and grapes.'

You should use a comma before introductory phrases with a conjunction (and, but, or) that introduces an independent clause.

I.e. 'Times are tough, but there is still hope.'

If there is no conjunction between independent clauses it's better to use a semicolon or period.

I.e. 'Ted Chiang's books are amazing; they are full of great ideas.' 'Ted Chiang's books are amazing. They are full of great ideas.'

Commas before and after but

There you have it. We have gone over some of the comma rules surrounding but.

And in the interest going the extra mile we've also discussed the correct use of but and commas in general.

Hope it's been as fun for you as it has been for me.

And if you'd like to find out how to become a freelance writer with no experience , we've got you covered!

Until next time, wish you all the best.

How Long Does it Take to Write 1000 Words?

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 08:22:22 GMT

How Long Does it Take to Write 1000 Words?

Sorry to say, but it kinda depends.

The average time it takes to write 1000 words is 3-4 hours.

But consider these important questions:

What is the piece of writing on? Is it commercial writing? Is it academic writing? Is it a typical blog post? Who is writing it? How are their typing skills? Is it an experienced writer? A beginner?

As you can see, there are many variables.

Don't worry, in this article, we'll go over how long it takes to write 1000 words, tips to help anyone write 1000 words in under an hour, the opportunity costs involved with writing, and more.

How many pages is 1000 words?

If you are counting by page, then you can say that 1000 words are equal to 2 pages single spaced or 4 pages if double spaced.

That is, if you are using a font like Times New Roman with a font of 12pt and 1-inch margins.

If you were to handwrite 1000 words, regardless of your penmanship skills, your writing will be larger and thus probably double the number of pages.

This goes for cursive, calligraphy, cutesy, and chicken scratch.

Is it easy to write 1000 words in a day?

In most cases, yes!

The average writing speed by hand is around 20 words per minute. And the average for typing is usually double at 40 words per minute .

Following this logic, it should take 25 minutes for the average person to type out 1000 words. And 50 minutes if writing by hand.

This is certainly a stretch but helps illustrate how writing 1000 words in a day is not only possible, it's easier than you might think.

If your goal is to write 1000 words each day, a good general rule of thumb to follow is to you schedule your writing sessions during your most productive hours.

This is different for everyone, but it is important to know what yours are.

Ask yourself:

Does your brain works best in the morning before other tasks have time to distract you?
Or is it most creative in the evening when everyone else is asleep?

The other important note is to nail down an ideal writing process that works for you.

Tips On Writing Faster (1000 words in 1 Hour or Less)

If you want to write 1000 words in an hour, especially if you hope to create a quality article from it, you need to follow a system.

By that, I mean your entire writing process needs to be organized.

Let's say your goal is to do some SEO content writing. You could look at Google to reverse engineer your competitors' finished product.

Or you can try this article writing process we use, inspired by the gentlemen at Income School :

Break down your writing into smaller tasks.

Unless you're a topic expert, before you write, you'll need to do some research for content ideas.

Choose a topic you want to cover in the article. This will be your primary keyword used in your main title.
See what's already ranking for the term to gauge the search intent and your competitiveness to rank.
From this starting point, you can then find supporting and highly relevant secondary keywords. These will be your sub-headers to help flesh out your title topic.
Once you've done these steps, you'll have a bullet list outline of what you will write about.
Think of each sub-header as its own brief article where your goal is to write 2-300 words.
Simply make sure you cover the subtopic to the best of your research and abilities and then move on to the next sub-topic on the list.

This helps build momentum with a step-by-step approach.

Pretty soon, you've completed a 1000 word article or longer that covers your topic and the subtopics and that'll help you rank for multiple keywords.

For this method, the really important thing to nail down is the research.

While this may take a bit of extra time in the beginning, it will certainly speed up your actual writing time.

Do the research and planning correctly and you'll be able to write 1000 words in under an hour with your arms tied behind your back.

Best Tools To Help You Write Faster

Besides ear plugs you'll also need a few other tools and tricks to help you work more efficiently. Here are a few that have really helped me over the years.

Frase : If you're writing for SEO or web content, than Frase is a no-brainer. It's an incredibly effective tool for helping to ensure you include all the right terms Google expects from the top ranking pages.

But my personal favorite quality is how it helps you research on a given topic. Unlike competing on-page SEO writing tools, Frase will also scrape questions from Reddit and Quora.

So you'll not only be able to include all the sub-topics of competing pages but also the related questions your target audience are asking on the world's most popular forums.

This will help you gain a better understanding of what to write.

Plus when you optimize the expected words, you'll be able to click on each to get context of how they're used. Letting you do most, if not, all of your research in the same page you write!

I truly can't recommend Frase enough.

I've personally used Frase to create content that attracts over 40,000 organic visitors a month across a just few low DR sites.

It's basically magic.

Earplugs : Put in earplugs to blot out all audible distractions. Headphones with non-verbal music works too of course, but earplugs seem to be especially effective.

Voice to Text : With Google Docs you're also able to talk out what you want written with voice commands . Not only can you write with this, but you can even ask for tables and format them to your preference.

We really are living in the future. ..

How Long Does It Take to Write a 1,000 Words Essay?

The writing time for a 1,000-word essay varies depending on the type of essay.

You could say that it takes between 30 minutes and 2 hours to write most 1000 word college essays.

Of course, this depends on the subject and essay instructions, plus how much research you've collected, and how important the result is to you.

If you seek quality over quantity, then it could take up to 3-4 hours or more.

Some people take even longer because they choose to proofread their work multiple times before submitting it. No shame in that.

But with each read-through, a writer will probably find minor tweaks and changes they'd like to make.

Academic writing tends to invite fluff in writing . It may well be that you can sum up an idea in a sentence but have to expand it to 1000 words.

Just for a quick aside, I recently finished my master's dissertation essay with a grand total of 21,171 words or 90 pages (including the essay with references).

That took an obscene amount of time writing about research I summed up in a 250 words abstract :D.

How Long Does it Take to Write a 500 Word Essay?

A 500 word essay is a page long. This can take you anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and a half.

This is a style of essay you may remember from high school. It's a perfect length for an introductory paragraph, 1-3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

How long does it take to write a 250 word essay?

A 250-word essay is half a page single spaced. Depending on the topic, this can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to produce a coherent essay.

250 words is very short, so you won't have to fluff it up with too much flowery language.

You'll likely have just enough room to get down to the meat and potatoes of the topic in simple language.

While this is certainly a relief, this can also require choosing your words extra carefully and at times can actually take longer to write than a longer piece.

How Long It Takes To Write 1000 Words In Closing

Professional writers will have a faster typing speed than the average. Plus, they may have the writing experience to hammer out 1000 words with little effort.

A beginner writer may struggle to even know where to start. Especially those wondering how to become a freelance writer with no experience .

While it's certainly possible for anyone to write, there are time costs involved.

For professional writing, 1000 words can mean several hours of focus directed away from other important tasks.

If this is you, you may want to think about outsourcing your copywriting and content needs by working with an agency or hiring a freelance writer.

22 Single Words with Deep and Powerful Meanings

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 10:29:14 GMT

22 Single Words with Deep and Powerful Meanings

Language is a powerful tool that helps us communicate and explore complex ideas. Words with deep meanings can inspire or destroy.

In this short and sweet article, we'll look at some examples, and I'll share some half-baked ideas I attach to them.

Hopefully, this will inspire you to consider which words you would pick for your own list.

What counts as words with deep meanings?

Words with deep meanings are often those with important or powerful meanings. They can be words that represent something intense, inspiring, or a complex, multi-layered concept. Or they can also express a 'magical' part of life, like love.

Similar articles will present words most people have never heard of. For this article, I chose to list some words you've probably heard of and may even use daily.

What are some beautiful words with deep meanings?

Adventure:

The word adventure is very common in the English language. It describes an exciting, remarkable, or daring undertaking.

Adventure is often something that involves physical danger or some form of risk. It's traveling into the unknown which takes courage, resilience, and many other noble characteristics.

An adventure can include:

climbing a high mountain,
exploring the dark depths of the ocean,
moving to a new country,
even starting a family,
and, of course, a whole lot more.

Art:

Art is very broad and very human. It can be used to describe any expression of human creativity.

The most obvious form is visual, with paintings and sculptures. It can also be used to describe literature, movies, dance, ' martial arts ', and more.

A big one that will be referenced throughout this article is music.

Music is a form of art that is exceptionally effective at imparting deep meaning, visceral reactions , or intense excitement. Sometimes without words.

Of any art form, I personally feel the most emotion from music. Even with movies, it's often the music that helps convey the intended emotion of a scene. Of course books can be a powerful vessel for emotion too. And music, books, and movies are also all great at delivering experiences and ideas we may not have been aware of otherwise.

TL;DR art is awesome and extremely deep and impactful.

Aspire:

When people aspire to reach their full potential or exceed expectations, we elevate as an entire species.

With a strong desire to accomplish a goal, it seems the potential for human flourishing is endless.

Through this feeling we can always do better and strive for more. We can experience hope for our future.

Being:

There are lots of uses and meanings for the word being.

Perhaps most often, it's used to express existence itself.

It can be the nature or essence of something, such as the body and soul.

Ideally, being consists of doing your thing always in all ways.

It incorporates the objective and subjective features of anything that exists.

Entropy:

Have you ever heard the phrase 'from the moment we are born, we begin to die'?

Well, just as that is for life, so too is it for all the celestial bodies that make up our solar system and even the universe itself.

That is because of the second law of thermodynamics. This details how energy naturally moves toward increasingly random and chaotic forms over time.

This process will naturally increase in all things, eventually leading to 'equilibrium'.

When this happens, all energy will be transformed from a usable form to one far less structured and the universe will gradually sink into disorder.

Ephemeral:

The word ephemeral is a word that is used in a variety of contexts with a variety of meanings. It's used to describe anything short-lived or fleeting.

It may refer to an organism that only lives for a day.

In daily life, it can be used as a helpful reminder that most feelings of discomfort are temporary and just as quickly leave if we allow them to.

Its synonym, 'Fleeting' is also a nice word ;).

Ethereal:

This term is used to describe something very delicate and light in an almost other-worldly way.

Arguably the term 'delicate' actually looks more beautiful and aesthetic.

But I believe the term 'ethereal' presents the concept in a more grounded approach that can help with its validity and thus power.

'Our most cherished possessions - whether they're relationships or belongings have sentimental value and an ethereal quality that we must protect.'

Fortitude:

Fortitude means strength of mind, courage, and determination.

Fortitude is the courage and perseverance to tough out a difficult or unpleasant experience.

It is also the ability to withstand adversity, or feeling of longing without breaking.

Fortitude is present across nature and species. Fortitude is an indomitable spirit, tenacity, endurance, and resiliency - akin to another word on this list - integrity.

Grace:

There is a great clip on YouTube from the film Tree of Life which describes the two ways through life - the way of nature and the way of grace.

The word grace helps to describe a gentle and selfless presence that brings the beauty of kindness to life and makes the world a better place.

Integrity:

Integrity is the concept of completeness and honesty. A person with integrity has moral values and holds themselves accountable for their actions to a high standard.

It is acting within a code of conduct that respects oneself and others in an honorable fashion.

Love:

I will not attempt to define 'love' beyond stating it is a feeling of deep affection and gratitude for the existence of something. A feeling so strong that you could sacrifice everything for another - and thus a true power word .

And since this grouping of letters was chosen to express such an important human experience, it proves that it's a beautiful word.

Nature:

Another easy or cliche choice, but I believe that 'nature' is a beautiful word.

The question is - is it a beautiful word because it has been attributed to such a beautiful concept?

It is a word that encompasses the good and bad, big and small. The sheer complexity of all it encompasses and the complete objectivity to outcomes earns nature's spot on this 'deep' list.

'I recently walked around a national park picking wild strawberries and was awe-struck by nature.'

Osculation:

This is a tricky one, as it kind of diverges from the other words on this list. It represents kissing, which is deep, basically only when viewed as an act of love.

However, if you were talking to a friend and they mentioned they went on a date and 'osculated', you'd look to see if there were any dents in their head. So in most cases, using it would be less deep and more-so unsettling.

It's only on this list because of its use in a deep song about love called Knee 5 by Philip Glass . It's an acquired taste but includes a story that is quite sweet and inspiring.

'And leaning over, the two lovers met in fervent osculation'.

Personable:

Not to be confused with personal, personable is a term for something with a pleasant or charming disposition. Other words for it include amiable and engaging.

People can be personable, but so can products and services and the marketing used to promote them.

How do you ask?

By focusing on the human elements of the business and being more customer-centric .

It can include going beyond the Golden Rule and putting your emotional intelligence to the test to 'treat others how They wish to be treated'.

Profound:

When something is profound, it means that it wields great power.

When something is profound, it has the potential to provide deep knowledge or great insight into something important. It can help us tap into the meaning of life.

This can be anything from scientific breakthroughs, a powerful piece of music, or the feelings between loved ones.

Relative:

Another word on this list with more than one meaning - each being very important with deep meanings.

A relative can mean a family member through various connections.

Relative can also be used to compare with something else.

The results and effects of these two meanings can have equally devastating and empowering effects on a person's thinking and life.

Reverie:

A French word that's also used in English (although not often) for being lost in your thoughts.

Usually referred to as 'daydreaming', reverie is a beautiful word representing a uniquely human ability.

It's also the name of a song by the great classical music composer Claude Debussy . If you haven't already, at least check out his hit track, Clair de Lune .

Serendipity (Serendipitous):

Serendipity is a chance occurrence of events that can be thought of as a happy accident.

It is when something good happens by accident.

Such as when someone finds something they were not looking for.

Spectrum:

Spectrum is a very deep word in that most things exist within a spectrum of extremes or opposites.

Life is a complex sequence of events. And so it is difficult to find anything that is wholly black and white, be it good or bad or whatever else we can use to identify or describe something.

Thus most things exist on a spectrum. And even within that spectrum, there are also different levels to all things.

This creates a near-infinite number of variations and brings colour and 50 shades of grey to all areas of life.

Time:

Time is the progression of past, present, and future events.

Time is a tool of measurement. It helps identify a period in history.

It can also be viewed as a key player in history, evolution, experience, and even has an additional meaning in physics as the temporal fourth dimension.

Pondering the concept of time can lead to many questions.

If you have ever been interested in the concept, I highly recommend checking out the German series Dark , The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli , and this article on waitbutwhy.com .

They:

'They' is often used to generalize the actions or thinking of a group.

It's easy and even natural to do this, but for this reason, it can be one of the most dangerous words in the English language that no one is safe from.

The interesting thing, especially when speaking - at least in English, is how easy and natural it feels to use 'they' to express negative attitudes and generalizations.

'They do this, that, and the other and so I can pretend to understand them in a way that rationalizes my ability to ignore or even attack.'

Transcendent:

Transcendent is a word that was typically used in religious texts.

However, it has different beautiful meanings depending on the context.

It helps to express something whose true meaning is difficult to box in and exists beyond standard labels or simple definitions.

In general, it's used to describe something with power beyond human understanding or knowledge.

A Quick List of Nice Short Words With Deep Meaning [BONUS]

Here's a list of words with 4 letters or fewer that seem pretty.

Bold

Calm

Cat

Era

Flow

Fun

Idea

Joy

Kind

Life

Live

Myth

Warm

Way

Conclusion

There's our list.

Considering words that, at the moment, hold a deep personal meaning has been a fun little thought exercise.

It would be awesome to see a list like this in another beautiful language.

And since language is also social and cooperative, we'd like to invite you to think of your own list.

Yours will be very different and that, in and of itself, is deep ;).

Are Business Blogs Worth it?

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 09:21:15 GMT

Are Business Blogs Worth it?

If you're involved in a business you should absolutely consider its online presence.

Your company probably has a website and social media accounts. But are you taking advantage of SEO? Are business blogs worth it?

Yes they are.

HubSpot reported that half of the top 200 Fortune 500 companies had a corporate blog. And while that number is impressive, small and medium enterprises are still less likely to actively and consistently blog.

Are business blogs even worth it? This article will tackle this question head on and give you helpful guidance in making the right decision for your business.

What's the Difference Between a Website and a Blog?

First, let's start by clarifying and distinguishing two important terms: websites and blogs.

Websites

Websites can be thought of as an umbrella term where you can build webpages to suit your needs.

Business websites are generally formal, customer facing and are used to represent an organization. They provide a platform for multiple types of static content. In a content management system like Wordpress, where most websites are built, these are typically classified as 'pages'.

A business website may undergo slight updates from time to time with tweaks to copywriting, product or service offers, but typically pages like 'About Us' are mostly static and unchanging.

Check out our content update services here !

This makes websites relatively easy to manage for organizations whose limited resources may be focused on other things.

Blogs

A blog (also known as a Web log) is a website, or for this article, a section of a business website that provides relevant content to your business and potential customers.

In the CMS reference above, these are classified as 'posts' and are relatively dynamic.

It usually features a list of posts in reverse chronological order - in other words, most recent article at the top and oldest in descending order.

There are tons of different kinds of blogs. Anyone can start one and personal blogs are all over the internet allowing individuals to provide commentary or news on popular culture and current events.

They can also be used for affiliate marketing. This is where a blog posts reviews on all sorts of tangible and digital products with affiliate links to earn a commission on any resulting sales from blog readers. Other types of blogs include photo blogs and video blogs.

Blogs are similar in most ways to websites, but they are typically more personal in nature. Blog posts are usually less formal than websites, and can still include images, videos, and other media formats, targeting a specific audience.

There are many similarities between blogs and websites. For example, both have pages which contain certain components such as images, videos, text-based content or other types of media formats.

What are the benefits of business blogging?

One of the most important benefits of a company blog is that it’s a great way to build trust with prospects and customers by sharing expertise on a subject to become an industry leader.

Effective company blogs typically have high-quality content that is updated frequently with fresh information in order to keep it relevant. They maintain good writing skills in order to be both informative and entertaining to their readership.

This is one of the best ways to get your blog noticed and frequented by your target audience.

Blogging is effective for a business because it is an easy way to talk to potential customers about particular aspects of the business and share interesting ideas with the target audience. In doing this, blogging can help to promote a company, increase brand awareness, and build stronger relationships with potential customers.

This effort is not trivial. In fact, HubSpot recently found that marketers who prioritized blogging received 13X more ROI than those that didn't.

Let's not forget blogs are also a great place to accumulate inbound links if you can create content that relevant sites in your space find useful and can link to your content. Over time, these efforts compound and, when done right, your overall site can become stronger.

With this power generated from quality content and links confirming that quality, your competitiveness on Google will grow accordingly. You can then create blog posts on topics with high buyer intent relevant to your offering with a greater likelihood of ranking high on Google and gaining high-converting traffic. It's a lead generation tool that keeps on giving.

There are tons of marketing channels at a company's disposal and a business blog is certainly right up there with the best of them all. Studies have shown that companies with blogs gain an average of 67% more leads per month than companies without blogs.

Blogging is therefore a great potential way to build brand awareness, cultivate an email list, and connect with potential customers. It's a great place to communicate ideas or share new discoveries and to provide a human voice for an organization.

To succeed at accomplishing this, however, depends largely on managing a blog that provides relevant content.

Some blogs also offer the opportunity for readers to comment on the post and share their thoughts, which can lead to an engaging conversation between bloggers and readers. A successful blog is one that nurtures this, attracting shares and engagement.

Blog posts can also be broken up and repurposed to be used as content for social media posts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. This further widens a company's reach to potential customers on various networks and allows you to link back to the original content on your site.

In short, blogging helps businesses generate more traffic, convert that traffic into leads, and those leads into sales.

Are there any drawbacks to blogging that need to be considered?

While blogging is one of the easiest ways to get your content out there, it does come with serious challenges that need to be considered.

The difficulties associated with blogging mainly come into play when you are trying to post consistently and on a regular basis. Regular posting of quality content can be essential for a company's ranking in Google.

Frequent additions and updates can keep a site fresh. And while that is all fine and dandy in theory, you may find that you or your team don’t have enough time or energy, or that you just aren’t feeling inspired enough.

This relates to a common struggle among bloggers regarding time management. It's hard enough trying to keep up with all of your duties as manager or owner of the company - let alone trying to find time for blogging too.

In order to keep your blog from stagnating, you will want to find a long list of topics to cover spread out over a content calendar, say, for the next 3 months. This will allow you to know in advance what you'll be posting for the next quarter.

However, you'll want to check what appears on page 1 of Google of any given topic when it comes time to do the blog writing though. It may be the case that the search intent has changed and may be a waste of time to go after during this time. A quick search will help this.

Another thing to consider is that blogging takes time to build an audience and there is no guarantee that it will actually have a significant impact if you aren't willing to do research.

Things that need to be considered include what keywords to use , the length of the article, and perhaps most importantly, the relevance and interest it serves to your target customer.

If you can manage to get some interest in your blog, keeping interest can be like surfing on a wave. Without skill and effort, you may soon find yourself falling into an ocean of disinterested readers indifferent to what you have to say.

It’s also very hard to find out what works with blogging because there are so many factors involved in determining success. Some blogs may die very quickly while others may take years before they become relevant or interesting enough for anyone to care about them.

One of the challenges of blogging is that blogs need consistency and regularity in order to generate an audience. It is important for businesses to understand it isn't overnight and their marketing strategies are long term.

Another thing that takes time is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Among a variety of other factors, this requires lots of high-quality content, link building, and patience.

Google tends to rank websites higher in the search engine results pages if they have more quality content than similar competitors. So if your competition has active company blogs with tons of content and links, but your company only has one or two posts, then you may not be in competition for long.

What are the characteristics of a successful blog?

Your blog content can help you achieve your marketing goals. You'll have the potential to improve your site's Google ranking, social media marketing efforts, and drive targeted traffic to your website.

For this to happen, you'll want to make sure you cover various stages of the buyer's journey. This includes topics that newbies would search for - right up to those with some familiarity with the industry or niche.

A blog is content marketing 101. You want to inform, engage, and eventually persuade. This is not done through manipulation or cutting corners. You earn it with knowledge sharing through valuable content.

Business Blog Tips

One simple piece of advice: Write list articles. Numbers attract the eye, especially when surrounded by letters and words in Google, so turning a blog article into a "listicle" (for example "7 Reasons why blah blah blah") has proven to be a very popular blog post format.

Another helpful tip: Size matters. 55% of bloggers say they see results from blog posts with 2,000 words or more and that it has an impact on search engine rankings. This drives search engine traffic which results in a wider audience and a higher chance of having an impact.

Tip #3: "A picture is worth a thousand words." Not literally, but certainly figuratively in the world of blogging. Effective blog posts contain images, receiving on average 90% more views compared to articles written without images. And the more images the better.
In fact, more than 75% of bloggers say that including 10 or more photos in an article is extremely effective in driving traffic to their blogs. Surprisingly however, according to a study by Orbit Media only 3% of bloggers actually do this.

Conclusion: Should Your Business Start Blogging?

Blogging is an important pillar of digital marketing and, provided you are willing to put in the work, you can expect real tangible rewards.

But, before starting a business blog, businesses should be aware of the challenges of blogging and the drawbacks that can come with it.

Company blogs are worth the effort if you can provide content that your audience values. Asking them questions, and finding ways to generate audience engagement helps with building customer trust.

Audiences want to read more than just company news and they aren't necessarily looking for attention-grabbing videos.

Blogs are a great way for businesses to share their story with the world.

The struggle is being consistent. If you want help to develop a content plan for your business blog, or managing the execution of your business blog, reach out to us and we'll look at your needs and see what can be done.

For this and more, stick with 8-Bit Content .

Copywriting vs Content Writing: How to Win with Both

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 08:02:42 GMT

Copywriting vs Content Writing: How to Win with Both

If you had to decide where to invest your time or money, copywriting vs content writing, which do you think would help your business most?

Copywriting vs. content writing aren't at odds but are instead a team working together to grow your business. Copywriting is persuasion and conversion focused. Its typical goal is to make a sale. Content writing is content marketing. It attracts and engages potential customers through useful and informative content. Its typical goal is lead generation.

These are very much different skills that deliver different but important value to your business.

In this article, we'll look at their differences and similarities. As well as which of the two is most profitable, how to use both, and how to get started.

What's the difference between copywriting and content writing?

Let's start out by stating that they represent different types of writing.

They both depend on presenting factual information. But the differences between copywriting and content writing lie in their goals and how they go about accomplishing them.

Copywriting

Copywriting is the content you produce intended to persuade your audience to take an action.

When discussing a product or service, the focus of the content may be on the benefits, speaking to the emotional buying part of the brain.

Think of it as the content at the bottom of the sales funnel intended to convince an already warm prospect to take a desired action.

It is results-oriented, seen in content like:

Site homepage

sales emails

landing pages

brochures

website pop-ups

re-targeting ads

Content Writing

Content writing, however, is not so much focused on persuasion or the conversion rate. A content writer wants to resonate with an audience and offer them value.

The goal of content writing is to produce valuable content that answers questions and builds an audience (ideally through organic traffic).

While a copywriter may choose to focus on the benefits of a product or service, a content writer can deep dive into the features. Satisfying the logical part of the prospect's brain.

This is typically the top of the funnel content marketing that attracts and informs to build awareness and customer engagement.

You'll see this with:

search engine optimization focused blog posts

news articles

white papers

email newsletters

social media posts

What are the similarities between copywriting and content writing?

Copywriting and content writing do have some similarities.

They both need a writing style that attracts and engages readers and they both need to be informative, grounded in facts.

Many times, content will benefit from including both forms of writing.

Informational blog articles , email campaigns, and video scripts should include copywriting techniques.

Titles

One of the most important parts of the content creation process is crafting the title.

Whether it's an article, YouTube video, or email, you'll want the highest number of people to click on it.

With so many options for people to choose from, this is where copywriting skills come into play.

Crafting an engaging title and attracting a click is the first conversion and 'gets you in the door'.

Introductions

In the introduction section, it's important to hook the audience ASAP.

One simple way to do this is to use the pain-agitate-solve (PAS) copywriting technique.

This is where you draw your audience in by identifying a problem they're familiar with, that your content will tackle. Next, you'll agitate the problem by presenting a worst-case scenario the audience wants to avoid. Then you can summarize the solution , which is the focus of your content.

Conclusions

All content, including informational content, should include some kind of call-to-action (CTA).

Your CTAs are usually in the conclusion. But it can also be good to include something in the middle or even in an exit pop-up to reach the most people.

This can be something like inviting the audience to check out another piece of your related long-form content - ideally further down the sales funnel.

Or to invite them to subscribe or provide their email for your newsletter, relevant deal, or lead generating piece of content.

Which is more profitable copywriting or content writing?

On face-value copywriting is more profitable than content writing. Copywriters can create content for any company or product. They can also write promotional materials for marketing campaigns in any format.

Content writers focus on long-form web copy, blog posts, social media updates, and other similar types of content for their top of funnel needs.

The ROI of content writing is more difficult to track. Your audience will probably consume many pieces of content before they convert. This content is very important as it increases your brand visibility on social media and search engines.

In Marketing Made Simple, Donald Miller says that for most products, customers need to experience around 8 touch points with a brand before they buy.

That's where the informational content plays a key role. It plants a seed in your potential customer's mind that you're an expert and can help.

Your content continues to nurture that idea until your copywriting focused content helps the seed blossom into revenue for your business.

Another important thing to keep in mind about informational content is that it helps generate links.

If you create a helpful and informative piece of content that other sites in your industry want to reference and link to, then the power of your site will increase with each link.

This can be very difficult to do with a site primarily made up of sales-focused pages. It's unlikely other sites will derive enough value to send you many links.

With informational content generating links, you can then use internal linking to spread value to your sales pages.

In short, on face-value, your sales pages may show a greater ROI than your typical blog post, but they're best used in unison.

How can a beginner start copywriting?

In this article, we've mostly covered copywriting vs. content writing for all intents and purposes of a business owner. But say you're interested in tackling the issue yourself.

There are many ways to start copywriting. One of the easiest ways to get started is to practice as an SEO content writer .

This will help you workout your writing muscles while also letting you track what content performs well and what doesn't.

This process will help you understand your audience better, through real-world insights. And the practice of content writing will familiarize you with marketing strate g y .

The skills you develop during this process will pay off. Effective copywriting requires you to know what messages your target audience will respond well to.

There are also great books out there to help along the way on your journey. Some of the best I've come across are:

The Art of Plain Talk - Rudolf Flesch
Influence - Robert Cialdini
Web Copy that Sells - Maria Veloso
Confessions of an Advertising Man - David Ogilvy
Advertising Secrets of the Written Word (also called The Adweek Copywriting Handbook) - Joseph Sugarman
The Boron Letters - Gary Halbert

What are the key skills effective copywriters share?

Strong writing skills: This is a given. It is vital for a copywriter to have strong writing skills.
Your copy needs to be written in a way that is easily digestible for people who may not have much time on their hands. This requires short, punchy sentences that show clarity of thought.
Strong writing skills will also shine through in a writer's ability to present ideas in a palatable way.

Research skills: To make the desired conversion, a copywriter must have a deep understanding of the product or service.
The same goes for their prospective customers. You need to make sure you are writing to the needs of your target customer or audience.
If you understand who your target customers are, it will be easier for you to make them feel something, by using their language and style.

Communication skills: Your copy must communicate an offer using the same language and style your prospects are used to.
This way, you avoid any potential misunderstandings or confusion.
Your content needs to have a clear idea about what it wants the reader's emotion to be.
Whether it is excitement, anger or any other emotion - your content has to give them a feeling in order for people to engage with it.

Can a copywriter become a content writer?

Absolutely. The more difficult question to answer is whether a content writer can become a copywriter.

For content writing, an adequate writing ability is essential. Effective copywriting, though, requires additional skills in persuasion and sales.

These are much more difficult to come by and not always compatible with personality or writing styles.

To reiterate my two cents above, you can upgrade your skills slowly but surely through effective content writing until you level up the ranks to become an effective copywriter.

Conclusion

The beautiful thing about combining content writing and copywriting is that it can turn traffic into sales.

Your content draws your audience in and woos them over until your copy goes in for the kiss.

Neglect either and you may find yourself alone on Valentine's day.

Or you can let 8-Bit Content take care of your needs and help you reach your business goals with relative ease.

And check out our head-to-head of marketing vs business development !

Product Centric vs Customer Centric [Is There a Winner?]

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 06:59:26 GMT

Product Centric vs Customer Centric [Is There a Winner?]

Are you curious to see if there can be a clear winner?

There is value gained with both product centric and customer centric approaches. As we'll see it's best not to pick a side in this battle. The ideal strategy is a balance of both.

Finding that balance certainly isn't easy. In this article, we'll give you a rundown of each approach, their pros and cons, and a way you can get the best of both worlds.

What does a product centric approach mean?

One of the most memorable lines of cinema comes from the 1989 Kevin Costner film Field of Dreams. The line in the movie is “If you build it, they will come.”

In a nutshell, that’s the theory behind product centric.

The term “product” refers to any tangible or intangible asset used by a business to create value. This includes products, services, brands, intellectual property rights, and more.

And you have probably heard “centric” before. It brings to mind your eccentric old uncle Harvey who wears mismatched socks and rides a tricycle through your village square every morning.

The Latin root of eccentric can be traced to ex meaning “out of” and centric meaning “center.” In other words, your uncle Harvey is not centred at all.

Product centric, on the other hand, is very centered - centred around the product.

Product centricity is when a company values its products over everything else. Its products are at the center of the company's operations and value proposition.

The company's team is driven to create and iterate on advanced products that drive sales. Even when there isn't an existing market or perceived need for it.

With this approach, there is a heavy focus on invention and innovation.

A lot of investment (either money, time or both) is put toward R&D to develop new products. Then even more investments are made towards marketing and sales to raise awareness both for the product and the need for it.

A product centric approach can be seen in marketing material that highlights unique features rather than benefits. Like ads for the car industry.

Trying to reinvent the wheel can be a costly and risky approach.

But some product-centric companies like Apple, Google, and Tesla have nonetheless managed to squeeze out a decent living.

Benefits of a product centric approach

1. Has the potential to place your brand at the forefront of innovation in your industry. No one remembers the runner who comes in second place, but they certainly remember the first person to cross the finish line.

2. Allows your team to leverage their specialized skills. And maintain a singular focus on creative pursuits. You're expanding product lines and improving on products that work; quickly killing off those that don't.

3. Can create a powerful brand positioning wherein you're considered best in class. And can then set the benchmark your competitors must keep up with.

4. Gives you the power to set premium pricing with greater profit margins.

Weaknesses of product centric approach

1. You potentially ignore customer needs and challenges.

2. You neglect defining one of the most important foundations of any business - product market fit. Without it, even the brightest minds in the world can invest millions and even billions into a product that ultimately fails (I.e. Google Glass).

3. You are forced to create marketing campaigns that target the notoriously costly problem unaware stage. Meaning you must educate and convince early adopters in the market to give your product a try.

4. Once you've done the heavy lifting raising awareness, competitors can piggyback off your marketing efforts and even undersell you.

5. Without the budget for marketing, it places considerable hope that the product can ultimately sell itself. (I.e. A 'build and they will come' approach.)

6. Your departments operate within distinct silos which make it difficult for them track customers across the complete buyer’s journey.

What does it mean to have a customer centric approach?

You guessed it - customer centricity centers on the customer.

It emphasizes customer success above everything else - including product innovation. It’s a term that's been around for years, but with competition in industries intensifying, it has become increasingly important.

It involves a company-wide focus on solving the needs, challenges, and pain-points of your ideal customers. The customer centric strategy focuses less on product features and more on delivering the best solution to your customer in mind.

What is Ideal Customer Focused?

Let's face it - not all customers are equal. There are some that may, on paper, generate some income, but result in a loss for all the resources and time they require.

On the flip side, there are customers that match your chemistry. You deliver value to them; they are happy, spread word of mouth, and you live happily ever after. These are the customers you want to attract.

For this, value must be delivered throughout the entire customer journey. This includes effective content to support the buyer's journey. And even tender loving care after a sale to propel continuous business growth. You obsess over the customer experience to ultimately gain customer loyalty.

Walmart, Amazon, and Zappos are three examples of customer centric companies who have done fairly decent for themselves with this approach.

Best Customer Centric Companies

Some of the biggest companies in the world today built their brand from being customer centric.

Walmart, Amazon, and Zappos are three examples of customer centric companies who have done fairly decent for themselves with this approach.

Benefits of a customer centric approach

1. You are entering the market to solve an existing problem based on existing customer demand and thus take on less risk.

2. Your marketing and sales teams can focus on the solutions you provide to consumers. Those who are already fully aware of the problem and are hungry for solutions.

3. All customer-facing departments work together to improve customer lifetime value.

4. Centers the company culture and all processes around satisfying your customers, which reflects positively in every aspect of your business.

5. As you become synonymous with customer satisfaction, you give and receive. And any research your prospective customers do will likely be in your favor.

6. A continuation of #5, the reviews and word of mouth spread by a current customer have the potential to grow your sales exponentially. Your customers can recommend you to their networks of other like-minded target customers.

7. With a focus on collecting and organizing data in your CRM for all customer facing teams, you gain a 360 degree view of your customer. You better understand customer behavior and can segment accordingly, highlighting the type of customers most profitable for your business.

8. You enjoy a relatively low cost per lead as your proactive customer service compels users to reciprocate and bring leads to you.

Weaknesses of a customer centric approach

1. Can be time and cost intensive to do effective and accurate market research.

2. There is a greater need for departments to stay updated on each other's work, which increases operational complexities.

3. Nurturing a positive customer experience at scale involves intangibles in the customer experience. These are subjective and so not always easily planned for.

4. Because of less risk, and perhaps a lower barrier to entry, there may be more competition.

5. There can be an imbalance between the customer support and product quality.

6. If you're not careful, a strict customer focus can confuse your messaging and water down your authoritativeness on a subject.

Main differences between customer centricity vs product centricity

Product centric refers to a company that focuses its efforts on creating and selling the best new products possible.

The strategies and processes reflect this product focus, sometimes at the expense of customer support.

Customer centric focuses on customers and particularly the most valuable customers. These are customers who value your offer, refer like-minded friends, and help you build your customer portfolio.

How do you shift from product centric to customer centric?

Historically, companies have leaned on the side of product centricity. This can pay off for those who can afford it.

Steve Jobs was a master at leading a team to build innovative products that deliver an amazing customer experience right out of the box.

But it can pay off just as well to put the customer first.

If you're product focused, shifting to a customer focus will require buy-in from leadership and a top-down approach to change.

Customer-centric business models target customer needs and success. They nurture long-term relationships to keep customers happy to stay onboard and even refer friends.

And if your product is already getting you customers, you may want to heat things up by shifting over to a flywheel model.

The Flywheel model

Customer centric companies rely less on a sales funnel and more on a flywheel.

This flywheel model is Hubspot's iteration of the customer focused approach. Unlike a sales funnel, the flywheel aims to delight leads and customers alike.

It's a model for the momentum a company gains when they have happy customers who refer friends, leave positive reviews, and keep coming back for more.

To do this, though, you'll need to focus on what matters most to the customer experience. An 80/20 analysis can help.

Usually, what's most important are inbound marketing, breezy sales processes, customer referral programs, and strong customer support.

With this focus, you can organize your internal processes around these areas. Buy-in across departments, strong internal communication, and a well organized CRM are key.

Your goal is to have these in place so that you can help throughout the customer journey. So that you have a well-oiled machine to provide the best customer experience possible for customer success.

This success keeps your flywheel turning. And with the momentum from customers and referrals, your flywheel gets bigger and more powerful with time.

In Conclusion

All companies need a bit of both to survive long term.

You can't build a customer base without a great product. And you can't keep customers happy without providing a great customer experience.

The challenge is managing to do both, at scale, without going broke. That's why the flywheel is such a revelation. With a great product as your foundation, you can focus on providing the best customer experience.

This process will not only help you improve your products through constant feedback but also help build customer loyalty and improve word of mouth.

If you ever need help with your customer-centric marketing approach, 8-Bit Content is always here to help!

Can you start a sentence with 'rather'?

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 05:16:47 GMT

Can you start a sentence with 'rather'?

Well... Rather than guess the answer, read on for some helpful insights to a question which has stumped some of the world's greatest minds. And has been the subject of dozens of blog posts in the English language!

Can you start a sentence with 'rather'?

It's an interesting question but the fact of the matter is there has never been any rule stopping you from starting a sentence with rather.

Rather you have always been free to use it at the beginning of sentences if you wish. But as we shall get into, there can be a certain degree of pompousness that comes across when you do.

What is the Definition of 'Rather'

Before we really really dive deeper into the question of whether a sentence can start with the word "rather", it is important that we agree to a few parameters under which we will work. Rules, if you will.

First of all, we need to share an understanding of the definitions of the word "rather."

Depending on who you ask, or which books of language you read, you might get a different answer, but it is very likely that all of the answers are correct.

Rather as a degree adverb

The word "rather" can be used to emphasize an adjective or adverb, often with a similar meaning (though more formal tone) as the word "quite."

For example, if one is attending tea at Buckingham Palace with the Queen, one might compliment the crumpets as tasting "rather delicious."

The Queen would be overjoyed, and you would be given a knighthood on the spot.

The people of Jolly Old England would celebrate for a fortnight (fancy English meaning two weeks). And school-aged children would be particularly grateful because schools would close so families could indulge in the festivities. And you would become a famous example of a humble chap who achieved greatness, and not just among academic communities.

Rather to signify alternatives and preferences

When we want to say what someone prefers instead of another thing, we can use "rather than" to signify an alternative.

For example, if we have two things and a person likes one better than another, then we might say either:

She preferred tea to coffee.

Or we could write this previous sentence using rather:

She preferred coffee rather than tea.

Using Rather in Formal Writing

From the description above, you can see that 'rather' often has a formal connotation. This means that you would use it in such writing as an essay, a journal article, or a letter to the Queen.

If you were to write a letter to the Queen, you could use the word rather to describe your strong feelings for her. You could write for example that:

"Ever since I first laid eyes on your Highness, I was rather overwhelmed by the feelings of passion that stirred within my heart."

Using Rather in Informal Writing

'Rather' can also find its way into informal writing.

For example, if we were typing a way on a messenger app and someone asked you a question like "Would you rather eat ten ice cream sundaes or ten cheeseburgers?"

You could answer incredulously "Rather what???"

The person would then repeat the question and you would have time to choose the answer that suits your personality best.

And when we want to emphasize the adjectives of our sentences, we can add "rather" before them. This means that they have greater importance and/or strength than other parts of speech in the sentence.

"The Queen looked rather ravishing at the 7th edition of the Governor's Ball, don't you agree?"

Rather can have a similar meaning to "quite" when quite is used with gradable words, but "rather" is more formal.

We often use it to express something unexpected or surprising:

Sound like fun?

"Rather!"

Rather Good Examples

So now that we know what rather means, let's look at how we can use it correctly to start a sentence by creating a couple of examples.

Here's a meaningful sentence or two or three from a somewhat limited field for your reference:

"Rather fat, that old charlatan," chortled Cornelius as he sipped brandy by the fireplace and flipped through the 3rd edition of the Penguin Book of Prose.

The Queen doesn't just fall in love with anyone. Rather, she falls in love with charming gentle sirs like yourself.

Rather than worry about it, take a deep breath and test it out. You might be surprised with the results.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, those previous sentences bring our happy article to a merry conclusion.

We set out to answer the question of whether a sentence can start with the word "rather" and I believe we have achieved just that.

Using rather more often can be great to flesh out any academic sentence in your academic writing (your academic cover letter for example). You can also put a comma before or after but .

Depending on your copyediting preferences, it can also be used in your blog posts.

In short, sprinkling a 'rather' or two into a sentence can be a great hack if you merely desire to sound more intelligent than you are.

Keep this in mind when you're adding more book content to the fascinating book you are writing.

Give it a try. Who knows, you might find that using the word "rather" to set things off might just be your ticket to stardom!

3 Simple Steps To Find Keywords That Rank Forums

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 04:32:37 GMT

3 Simple Steps To Find Keywords That Rank Forums

Do you want to find long-tail keywords and topic ideas that can help drive organic traffic to your site?

Look for keywords that rank forums. This shows that the search intent of the topic hasn't been covered yet and so there's a great chance it isn't a competitive keyword.

In short, if a forum or other user generated site is ranking high, there's a good chance you can too.

Quick update/edit: Ever since the March 2023 Google Core Update, forums and UGC sites - particularly Reddit have flipped the script. As of October 2024, Reddit now gets closer to 700M estimated search traffic per month (from the 121M figure below). And this has largely been at the expense of small to medium sized niche site rankings.

Having said that, if your site is for a legitimate business with a product or service attached - you may still find the tips below valuable. (For instance, this agency site you're on, still averages 15k+ page views per month from just 39 pages indexed;)

So, in this article, we'll break down 3 easy steps you can use to find these golden opportunities.

Easy to rank keywords

If you ever Google something and see a forum ranking in a 1-3 keyword position, it's a good sign that it's an untapped opportunity.

This may seem counter-intuitive.

You may think that forums like Quora, Reddit, and even niche-specific forums have strong domain authority. They do, and this isn't to say it's always easy to outrank them.

But for a regular search query, a forum ranking high on page 1 tells you there's a shortage of highly effective content that matches the search intent.

Using forums for keyword research isn't a new idea. SEOs have been using this tactic for years.

There's even a well-regarded keyword tool called Keyword Chef by SEO Ben Adler for this. It even mentions on the homepage that the tool can help speed up the process to find these awesome keywords. And, thus, these juicy keyword ideas continue to dry up each day.

You may already be hard pressed to find any lucrative affiliate keywords left in your niche with this strategy. But there may still be some out there, so you'll want to get started ASAP.

Step 1: Find relevant forums

The first step is to compile a list of relevant forums in your niche. If you've been in it for a while, you probably know a few already.

To find more, you can simply Google: your niche forums.

For instance - if you Google 'digital marketing forums', you'll find this roundup post at number one . The top results will give you some good sites to use in the next step.

You can also search: "target keyword" + "forum".

To keep track of everything, it's good to note the sites down into a Google sheet or excel file.

Step 2: Find the keywords they're ranking for

For this, we recommend using a keyword research tool. There are a lot of options out there for you to use.

If you use Ahrefs though here’s what you can also do:

Take a domain from the spreadsheet you created earlier and enter it into Site Explorer.

Please note that for Reddit, you don't want to put the root domain 'reddit.com' into the search bar and then try to filter down. The site is way too big, with too many pages, so it's not even possible.

Instead, you'll want to input the exact URL of a relevant subreddit. For example, the URL for the Blogging subreddit.

Once you've entered the forum URL, go to the left hand-side and click 'top pages'.

You may get a lot of results, so you'll want to add some filters.

We look for keyword ideas where a forum is ranking in keyword position 1-3. It's not helpful to go after 2nd or 3rd page keywords.

You'll also likely want to exclude 'forum' and 'forums' from the results that appear. Also, the name of the forum - especially for reddit pages.

Note down any helpful keyword and its search volumes and repeat this process for each of the forums you found.

With this process, you'll likely find long-tail question keywords and even lucrative affiliate keywords.

This latter target is becoming increasingly difficult, though. The more likely use of these steps will be to find great question keywords for info pages.

Step 3: Take it a step further

If you do this, you'll have a long list of keyword ideas. The next step is to prioritize them.

You can do this based on search volume, but searches per month aren't always the best factor.

It's important to consider what stage your site is in. High-volume keywords are typically more competitive keywords.

If you're a smaller site, it's best to work your way up and not go after broad keyword phrases like digital marketing in Vietnam .

You'll probably find better results early on building up your authority and targeting smaller, more specific topics. For instance, for a business like ours, an article explaining why businesses should outsource their copywriting .

Also, be aware that the search volumes shown on keyword research tools aren't always accurate.

They're estimates and usually very low estimates at that. They pair the volume data from Google Keyword Planner with clickstream data, but the estimates of each tool are usually different.

The key thing to remember is that if people discuss a topic on forum posts, there is interest in the topic.

And this is where your new blog post can be there to help them.

In theory, they're all good choices as people will use a search engine to look for answers to these questions again.

But in reality, you'll always want to consider what your target audience is likely to search for. And what the search intent of each keyword seems to be and gauge if it will change.

A seed keyword of 1 to 2 words and broad, ambiguous keywords, even with high search volumes, may not be a top priority.

Not only could it be too competitive, but it may be for the unaware stage of the buyer's journey. And even if a forum is ranking for them, it won't automatically mean it's worth your time to create a piece of content for it.

Keyword Golden Ratio (KGR)

To filter your keywords and prioritize them based on what you can rank fastest, you can use the keyword golden ratio (KGR).

This is a tried-and-true formula for choosing easy-win long-tail keywords created by SEO wizard Doug Cunnington.

The formula is quite simple. You divide the number of 'allintitle:keyword' results by the estimated search volume (if it's 250 or below). And you end with a ratio. What you're looking for is the keyword golden ratio of 0.25.

Note that 'allintitle' searches for the 'keyword in title' of all the pages indexed in Google.

If a relevant keyword matches the KGR criteria, it means that a keyword is being overlooked by competitors.

If you visit the KGR link above, you can gain access to a great template by Doug. As you input keywords, it’ll start looking like this. Minus the red ;)

To the right of the keyword, you’ll input the allintitle result. To the right of that is the search volume result. And once you input those 2 numbers, the sheet will spit out the KGR of each keyword.

This process will help you filter your results and prioritize opportunities with decent search volume. As you get going, you might rank on page 1 within days of publishing.

Note to check the page 1 of the keyword not only to see what the search intent is but also what the authority of the other ranking sites are like. Sometimes a word is KGR compliant, but still very competitive. Usually not but it's good to check just in case.

We find that combining these tactics for keyword research can be a great way to target exact keywords that can bring relevant traffic to a site.

In Conclusion

Whether you're a small business or affiliate site, we hope these steps can help you find some nice keywords to get the ball rolling.

To recap, all you need to do is:

Find relevant forums in your niche.
Look for which keywords they're ranking on page 1 for - especially in positions 1-3.
Prioritize what to pursue first based on the KGR of each keyword.

If you give this a try, let us know how it goes. We'd love to hear your thoughts and results.

As always, if you'd like any support with your content marketing needs , reach out to us and we'll be happy to help!

All the best.

Your Simple Guide to the 8 Ps of Marketing

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 04:40:54 GMT

Your Simple Guide to the 8 Ps of Marketing

The 8 Ps of marketing is product, price, place, promotion, people, positioning, processes, and performance. The goal is to get them working together for your marketing mix. If you can you’ll have a much better chance to attract and convert your potential customers.

There's no shortage of marketing advice out there.

But buried under the mountains of opinions and marketing theories are nuggets of gold like the 8Ps of marketing ready to be put into practice.

And in this article, we'll show you why and most importantly how. So sit back, grab your favourite Frappuccino latte and let's get cozy.

What is a marketing mix?

A marketing mix is holistic marketing. It's a framework to approach the marketing strategy for your products or services. And it centers on your target market.

It helps you resonate with customers. And it gives direction to various activities and marketing management across departments in your company.

With an effective marketing mix, you can achieve company goals with various elements working together.

The original marketing mix was a top-down managerial approach that evolved into the 4 Ps of marketing - product, price, place, and promotion.

It's since further evolved into the popular 7 Ps marketing mix, adding people, process, and positioning to the mix. And even the 7Cs Compass Model.

But if you're like us, you like to take things a step further. The 8 Ps adds 'performance' to the list.

These 8 Ps are more helpful for a modern marketing mix.

What does a marketing mix look like?

Weed Man is a company I remember from my childhood for being particularly good at putting this altogether.

They're an excellent example of a service marketing mix.

It's a weed-killing service whose core product and sales promotion work together for a services marketing extravaganza.

They successfully combine marketing mix elements to promote their offer and gain customers.

Their core product self promotes by how green the lawn is. And their sign is one of their advertising tools that work on many levels.

It signals to people to be aware that there are chemicals present. And also that they can have a green lawn too, simply by calling the number. There's even a referral program.

These extra marketing mix elements drive marketing objectives in a cost effective way.

So what are the 8 Ps of Marketing?

Product

The first of the 8 Ps is product. This is the thing you sell. Products are both the tangible and intangible products and services you offer.

Done well, your product can become a marketing device in and of itself . It can turn customers into brand advocates.

Think of how Apple's identifiable design choices turned users into brand ambassadors. The white ear buds, logo facing out, and even the iPhone camera distinct designs promote Apple.

Or consider how Hotmail grew to over 12 million users in 2 years through branded email signatures to invite new users.

Marketing services can do this too. Some companies do this with a disclaimer and link on client sites.

Price

Your pricing policies are one of the most important things to nail down. The dollar amount you set for your product or service has ripple effects.

Your pricing strategy affects your profitability. It can determine who your potential customers will be. And it can affect customer satisfaction.

This is especially true in competitive industries where penetration pricing drives promotion strategy.

This is where new companies, to gain market shares and 'penetrate' the market, undersell competitors and eventually create a race to the bottom.

To avoid this, you'll want to conduct a considerable amount of analysis of your target market.

Cost-based pricing considers the costs involved - labor and resources. But don't forget to factor in the demand and competitor pricing.

It will help you determine a pricing that will speak positively of your product. And it will have a big impact in the success of your marketing department and business development team.

Price too low and it can impact your brand image.

Price too high and your target customers may ignore you.

Place

Place refers to where your product or service is bought, sold, and experienced. This is very different depending on the business.

Retail is obviously different from digital products online. And products are different from services.

It is important for there to be consistency. Customer experience should ideally be consistent across all channels. We also explore this in our guide to content marketing for schools .

Place can also refer to promotional channels.

One of the most important things for a market plan is to determine where your target audience is (you may also want to check out our guide to SEO vs content marketing ).

Where can your customers find out about your product/service?

This helps you know where to advertise your offer. A successful marketing strategy will focus on the channels where your target audience spends their time.

This is why companies will sponsor sporting events or Michael Bay movies in return for product placement.

Promotion

Promotion is all that you do to get people interested in buying your product or service.

It's all of your marketing communications:

Direct marketing
Traditional advertising
Product placements,
Public relations
And more...

One of the most effective ways to promote is through integrated marketing communications .

This again refers to holistic marketing. It means you share a consistent message across all owned, earned, and paid media channels.

Your marketing blog , social media (see a comparison of Facebook pages vs groups here ), ads, partnerships through public relations, and more.

A shared message across these channels will increase your market coverage and keep you top of mind.

A digital marketing strategy with online marketing campaigns centered on an honest benefit can help maintain a consistent message at scale.

It helps build familiarity with potential customers. This leads to trust and positive expectations with your brand.

People

People refers to your marketing team and all people responsible for your marketing. And what they think about your prospects will have a critical impact on your marketing efforts. It will bleed through and show in everything they do.

The first step in creating a marketing plan is understanding who your target market is. It's important to understand your audience and create detailed buyer personas.

This will help you speak directly to various needs, goals, and roadblocks of your target market with clarity and purpose.

That's why an effective content marketing team takes a human approach to the SEO efforts.

Respect and empathy are more than just keywords. They are words with deep meaning and the foundation of a sustainable marketing strategy.

It's critical for everyone involved in promoting your offer, including affiliates to be aligned here. Each plays a role in your overall brand reputation.

Positioning

Your positioning is what helps you highlight the unique features of your offer.

It also helps direct and benefit your public relations strategy . How you'll communicate with customers and prospects.

All other aspects of your marketing mix and competitive environment will play a direct role in your positioning.

Consider what you offer and to who. Who are they, what do they want, how can you help them get it.

It can be helpful to create a product mix that matches various markets. This can take time to develop though and you'll want to be very strategic.

You don't want to hurt your brand image trying to please the masses.

It's very difficult for luxury brands to maintain prestige with budget priced offerings.

Processes

This refers to how your company delivers products and services to customers. It other words, your service performance.

It also affects planned marketing and campaign processes that encapsulate your promotional efforts. This is true at each stage of your sales funnel.

Both products and services require detailed processes. Good processes are a significant competitive advantage. Luckily, with widespread digital integration, we are blessed.

We have access to countless tools to help with sales funnels, re-targeting, and checkout processes. They help maintain a consistent customer experience.

Combine detailed and refined processes with high standards in customer service and you have a recipe for success.

Processes can also help align your team through fair and standardized key performance indicators. You can set clear, company-wide expectations.

And of course it helps save you the cost of time when training new hires.

Performance

You can judge the performance of marketing efforts not only on the returns of profits but also on reputational gains.

Companies increasingly champion causes their prospects care about through marketing efforts.

The goal is to strengthen connections through shared interests and values.

These are often environmental and social causes trending at any given time.

Kickstart Your Marketing Mix Today

The 8 Ps of marketing can be used as a marketing mix framework for any type of business or organization.

It's remarkably effective as a form of symbiotic marketing that applies to all types of products and services.

And it'll help you think deeply about your target segment so that you can spread your message with the most effective customer-focused marketing mix possible.

You may also be interested in following these great tips on how to get your blog noticed .

And of course, you can always let us know if you need any help with your marketing objectives. 8-Bit Content is here to help!

The 6 Human Needs of Highly Effective Content

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 04:28:49 GMT

The 6 Human Needs of Highly Effective Content

Highly effective content performs many tasks:

It provides helpful information in an easy-to-understand way.
It reaches its intended audience and engages with their interests.
It highlights a brand's knowledge and adds to its authority.
It persuades readers to do whatever the brand hoped they would do.

To do all this and more, it's important to keep in mind that your readers are human.

To achieve a highly effective content marketing strategy, each piece of content should make use of, or speak to, a human need.

What are the 6 human needs?

You may have heard of Tony Robbins. His work helps millions of people around the world. He’s a self-help superstar and master marketer.

He's built a reputation as the leading authority on “peak performance”. US presidents, top athletes, leading global executives, and other notable figures call on him for private consultations.

During his career, Robbins has adapted Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. He's highlighted 6 levels as being critical for an individual’s fulfillment.

Here’s a quick breakdown of each and how they can connect:

Certainty: We crave security and stability in our lives, but we also want…

Variety: Change helps break up a tired routine. It can also introduce a challenge that leads to…

Growth: This process creates movement that builds momentum towards a feeling of fulfillment and…

Significance: A hope that there’s a special purpose or meaning for our lives, which we also get through…

Connection: By accounting for the human interests of others, we can build stronger connections. But it’s unsustainable without…

Contribution: We must serve the greater good, both for ourselves and others. This adds to our security and brings us back to certainty…

Effective Content Marketing

Thinking about these as the underlying needs of your prospects can lead to more valuable content.

For a fun thought exercise as you read, try considering each need and how they can relate to your prospect and your offer.

This will be a creative challenge that will help you communicate your value to prospects. It can even help you create a more detailed buyer persona. This will help you break out of the status quo with original content that speaks to your audience.

Certainty

People buy things for many reasons.

Maybe they’re overwhelmed and want some outside support. Maybe FOMO and they want to buy some bitcoin, blonde hair dye, and beard oil. Maybe they’re thirsty and want a Coke.

Regardless of the cause of a purchase, prospects want some certainty that they’ll get what they pay for. That it'll scratch whatever their itch is.

Consumers crave certainty. This is especially true for big purchases where they may feel fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

There are many causes of uncertainty. There may be inconsistency between the marketing messaging and what the product or service delivers. Delivery times may be unclear.

If you look at negative reviews of eCommerce and SaaS companies, you'll see they often stem from uncertainty.

What does this mean for content?

It's our job to help build trust and certainty through our marketing strategy . Content creation that speaks to the security and stability we seek. You can use your content to show your prospects what you can deliver, what you know, and why they should trust you.

A company’s messaging must revolve around what it can indeed provide. The benefits customers can expect to enjoy. This is way more interesting for consumers than features.

Even creating content that delivers what the headlines promise can help build trust and rapport. Just make sure it's easy to digest and consistent across channels.

Variety

Without it, content has the potential of becoming bland.

Variety is the spice of life and the ingredient that helps your content stay fresh and exciting.

It will also help you reach a wider audience, displaying your brand in different formats and platforms. For instance, people gravitate towards different content types . Some prefer YouTube to reading blogs and vice versa.

This process can literally be as easy as repurposing your new or most popular content into different formats. Videos, podcasts, email nurture campaigns, social media posts, ads, or even lead generators.

Using a variety of formats and platforms will help to spread your message and ensure prospects stay familiar with your brand.

Sharing a consistent message in a variety of ways will help drill in your value proposition and keep your brand top of mind.

Growth

A burning desire to develop and grow drives a lot of our thoughts and actions. The SaaS industry helps people and businesses leverage automation to more effectively grow.

It doesn’t have to be a major change. Even a small step in the right direction can be priceless to a prospect. What truly matters is fueling the momentum.

It’s not only your product or service that can drive this growth. Your original content and messaging can also play a role.

If you're able to spell out how your product or service will help prospects accomplish growth of any kind, your profits will probably grow with them.

Great content is a win-win. It can help build your audience and brand advocates. And it can be an invaluable sales tool as you gain the relational value of other's spreading your message.

Helping them grow and learn with your content wherever they may be brings them closer to trying out your offer. For an excellent example of this, check out the content marketing of Ahrefs .

Significance

Everyone wants to feel significant. It may not be obvious, but you prove your prospects' significance when you offer them a thoughtful solution.

Your content can highlight this intention in clear language. This is a great way to express empathy and address any concerns they may have.

You’ve done your research and brainstormed the needs of your prospects. Google's 'People Also Ask', Quora, Reddit, and even competitors' FAQs can be great sources for questions to answer. All you have to do is then present them with answers and solutions in your content.

In this way, you show their problems are significant. So much so that you sacrificed your time and resources to help them.

This can help to strengthen a connection grounded in mutual respect.

Connection

Most businesses today depend on long-term, win-win relationships with customers.

You help them overcome a challenge with your products, services, and content . And they give you continued business and hopefully spread your brand to their network.

No matter what you offer, pretty much every sentence of your content can address your prospects and their needs directly.

How can you do that? One way is to by adding a person to the subject of each sentence.

You can find the human interests buried in every story. Even less obvious subjects like science and technology breakthroughs come from the work of humans.

The series Cosmos does a great job at this. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson is also a great example. Both provide engaging informational content on science through a focus on the humans behind the discoveries.

All you have to do is add ‘people, they, their, you, team, etc.’ as the subject of the sentence.

These human interests are much easier to read. Adding them to your content can improve the clarity of your messaging and time on page.

Contribution

This builds on our need for connection. All healthy relationships of any kind and anywhere are reciprocal.

Both parties in a relationship have to contribute to fulfill the needs of the other and add value to the whole. It's required for healthy and sustainable relationships of all kinds.

Your content can emphasize this, and as you cultivate your content, you can involve your audience in the creative process. You can ask for their input and strike a goldmine of new ideas.

AND this contribution will reinforce the connection that your business depends on.

If you can make your prospects feel like insiders, they may become brand advocates. This can be more effective than any paid ad campaign.

Referral and affiliate programs make great use of this. Giving influencers incentives to spread your messaging.

You can also do this for free. It can be as simple as acknowledging an audience generated idea in a piece of content.

Attribute an idea in a piece of content to someone in your network and let them know.

Not only will they likely share it with their audience, but more people will probably share ideas for their chance to gain recognition.

This can be a goldmine for fresh ideas and new perspectives.

After all, like how people crave connection, they also want recognition. If they can champion ideas that improve their personal brand through relational value, it's another win-win.

Give them that opportunity and tap into new opportunities.

Conclusion

Your content is written for humans to read.

It only makes sense that you can improve your chances they'll do that if you tailor it to their needs. And as we have examined, humans share 6 needs that can help make effective content.

If you want to have a maximum impact with your content, be sure to tailor your original content to at least some of these human needs. You may see significantly better results.

OR better yet, let us help you. Contact us today and let’s take your content to the next level.

Digital Marketing in Vietnam [Insights and Opinions]

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 12:18:39 GMT

Digital Marketing in Vietnam

Southeast Asia is home to countless digital marketing agencies and digital nomads.

It's the ideal playground for a high quality of life, low cost of living, and enough sunshine to give you heat stroke.

Although still not as popular a destination as Thailand or Bali, digital marketing in Vietnam is on the rise.

Vietnam is full of kind and creative people, delicious food, and great cafes. It’s been my home-away-from-home since 2014. And except for when the sharks bite the internet cables, it's a great place to work!

Digital Marketing Explained in 52 words.

Before we begin, let’s make sure we have a clear definition:

Digital marketing is online marketing used to promote a brand’s offer over the internet.

It includes email, online ads, social media, and other text or multimedia used to promote a message online.

Testing many channels, digital marketers can review the performance of each with analytics and double down on what works best.

Viet Nam

During my time here, Vietnam has undergone massive development across the board. Everything from modern infrastructure to social changes has made noticeable headway.

Apart from the inevitable smog that comes with this rapid development, it’s been a joy to witness.

I have yet to master the language though and so many parts of the culture remain a bit of a mystery. But there's no denying that Vietnam today is a far cry from the 'nam' taught in history class.

It's actually quite common to hear a fellow expatriate mention they feel more free here than they do back home.

This all makes Vietnam a great destination for digital nomads . Plus, as we’ll see it's got world-class programmers and some great marketing opportunities.

The Digital Business Environment in Vietnam

In its current stage of development, optimization is more than a strategy in Vietnam, it’s a necessity.

Compared to the West, investor resources can have limitations. Companies thus must operate in a cost effective manner. This breeds creative solutions.

A growing number of companies have outsourced or moved their operations to Vietnam.

This is not only for cheap labor ( Vietnam labor costs being 90% less than the USA) , it's also because of how skilled the labor force is.

Vietnam is both a strategy and solution for businesses competing for team operation optimization.

Massive companies, including Microsoft, Intel, and IBM have found this advantage in Vietnam.

They've all made investments in the country to help Vietnam become one of the top countries for software companies to outsource to.

To be clear though, Vietnam isn't simply a country for the West to outsource to.

It's a country with some of the brightest minds in the world. With leading digital developers coming from all over. From Vietnam's largest cities to its smallest fishing villages.

It may surprise outsiders, but Vietnam is at the forefront of the latest technologies. Even AI and Fintech solutions have been popular topics of interest here for years.

A recent Finder's study found that Vietnam is the world leader in crypto adoption .

I had the pleasure of working with one of the top entrepreneurs leading this charge for Vietnam. One of his Facebook posts sums up this evolution perfectly.

So why do I mention all this?

To highlight the point that opportunities in Vietnam are on the rise. Especially in digital. And digital services are popping up all over the country.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

There are many great cities across Vietnam. But to stay on the cutting edge of the digital marketing environment, Ho Chi Minh City, best known in the West as Saigon, is certainly an excellent choice.

Ho Chi Minh City is the country's commercial capital and a major hub for the Vietnamese marketing scene.

Great local companies have offices here as well as a large group of expats working in a variety of digital industries all over the city.

This makes Ho Chi Minh City the perfect place for frequent gatherings.

Before and after COVID, bright minds congregate and build their networks. They meet and share insights into digital marketing strategy, and more.

Working in all kinds of industries, there's a lot to learn and enjoy at these events.

And these events are also a great place for local businesses to build contacts.

Digital Marketing Landscape in Vietnam

In the past few years, Vietnam has shown a remarkable internet penetration rate. With the rise of mobile, widespread internet access is readily available.

Vietnamese internet users have risen to 70% of its population and the average user spends upwards of six and a half hours per day online.

Local companies marketing to Vietnam and vice versa are quickly developing. As a result, marketing trends are doing the same to keep pace.

Over the years, SMEs and big companies in Vietnam have prioritized social media marketing and advertising.

Vietnam has quite a young population. Over 55% of the population are under the age of 35 and as the image below shows, these generations use many social media platforms.

Over 27,000 Facebook accounts use the social media network as a retail platform to market and brand build with content and ads.

Video marketing and mobile optimization have been a focus. Facebook and Instagram, YouTube and TikTok are all extremely popular.

The issue for brands, though, is that this has led to an over-saturation in social media marketing.

Companies’ digital marketing campaigns should use a variety of channels to reach their audiences.

Challenges in the current trends

The preferred marketing style for companies in Vietnam is relatively different from the West.

Please note that some of what I've been saying here is just my opinion from experience.

I've noticed local businesses can promote their brand to Vietnamese audiences as much as, or even more than, customer benefits.

A recent study by Q&Me Market Research gave some great insight into a potential cause.

The leading concern surrounding digital marketing for companies in Vietnam is a lack of opportunity to learn the subject.

They note despite its rapid development, management sometimes lacks understanding in digital marketing.

This presents both a challenge and a lot of opportunity.

Global Commercial Opportunity

Our world is getting smaller.

More and more companies are expanding their markets globally. There are many companies in ecommerce, SaaS , and even app developers already doing this in Vietnam.

Their operations are mostly here, which lets them out-price their competitors in the West.

Vietnam is developing rapidly, but most people still make relatively little. Local companies thus can get more bang for their buck targeting the West.

Doing so successfully though takes more than a hreflang tag and translation of a website.

English content

Some aspects of their marketing, like English content, have to be outsourced to expats or agencies.

They can outsource copywriting for their websites and social media marketing campaigns. This allows a local company to reach their target audience with more localized content.

These all present great opportunities for a foreign marketing agency or digital nomad based in Vietnam.

One thing to note, though.

While still not as fluent as other major countries in Southeast Asia, English skills in Vietnam are improving fast.

When I first arrived, especially in the northern regions of Vietnam, strong English speakers were very rare. Today, a surprising number of requests from local companies are copyediting services .

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City is a hotspot for SEO experts. Some notable names in the community choose to live here. Karl Kangur, Ben Starr, Eric Van Bursick, Mads Singers, and Daryl Rosser, to name a few, have been living here for years.

Most do affiliate marketing or service international clients. But all, at least the experts I've encountered, have been remarkably nice, down to earth, and happy to share.

This is invaluable and can help you gain actionable SEO insights to help you level up your abilities.

This can make it possible to help local brands outrank competitors in search. Some local companies have already enjoyed some nice success in getting help with SEO.

All brands, especially those targeting the West, want a strong ROI. And so their marketing strategies may want to rely less on ads.

Ad costs are much higher in the West than in Vietnam. This creates a need to invest more in written content and earned media for SEO.

At a lower cost and longer time horizon, a company can build its brand with owned media. They'll mostly just need to produce useful content that matches search intent, and build strategic partnerships for links.

A quick and easy way to rank in international search is to target keywords ranking forums .

Influencer Marketing

The combination of owned and earned media can create a nice marketing mix .

Some agencies (like 8-Bit Content) can offer clients content for their website pages, blog, and social media platforms. Plus other services to help strengthen market penetration through the use of influencer and affiliate marketing.

This strategy combines the benefits of search, social media, and native advertising. You can partner with YouTube and social media influencers. And affiliate sites willing to help you build your online presence and promote a product or service.

Brokering these agreements can boost a company's visibility, reputation, and link profile.

It can be really profitable to work with micro-influencers.

Compared to bigger influencers, 'micro's have smaller dedicated audiences anywhere from under 5k to 50k. These smaller audiences usually come with higher engagement rates.

They also may be quite new to this and enjoy the clout of even being considered. These win-win partnerships make it possible to reach a relevant audience at little to no cost.

This kind of service is great for agency expertise. Local Vietnamese companies often need help from native English speakers to develop and carry out this strategy.

Conclusion

Vietnam has highly capable people in all fields.

There are a lot of solutions for IT, mobile app development, SaaS, and Facebook and Instagram social media marketing management.

Opportunities for expat digital marketers remain. There are some quality local agencies, but English remains an issue.

Today, a marketing strategy needs to go above digital advertising and include content that can help them build organic search.

Offering a service that can take care of this in both English and Vietnamese is where a value proposition gets interesting. Contact us at 8-Bit Content if you'd like any help.

What is Copyediting? [Checklist and Tips Included]

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 03:17:22 GMT

What is Copyediting?

Copyediting is the leading cause of hair loss among writers.

Why?

Because tragically, some copyeditors lack a clear understanding of the nature of their work and how they can support a writer.

So what is copyediting? Well copyediting is what improves the quality and readability of a piece of writing. It’s a copyeditor's job to make sure a text is clear, accurate, and concise. In short, to make it the best it can be.

If a writer is lucky and works with an experienced copyeditor, they can indeed become a better writer. The notes they receive can be invaluable.

But, if a writer's editor is, say, a corporate marketing team - the notes may be something like: "make the press release more wow " - with no specific or clear suggestions for improvement.

So in this article, we'll cover what copyediting is and how you can make the most of it. Plus, we'll share some tips and a checklist of what to look for.

Hope it helps!

Copyediting vs. Proofreading

The words copyedit and proofread are sometimes synonymous, but they are in fact different.

Proofreading is a basic, mechanical process done at the very end before publishing. It is the last line of defense to ensure there are no more lingering spelling and grammar errors.

Copyediting requires more of a 'judgement call'. Copyeditors consider the style, choice of words, turns of phrase, and placing of punctuation to make ideas more digestible and more impactful.

Both proofreading and copyediting are important and require careful attention to detail. But remember that they occur at different stages in the production process.

Let's say you want to build out your website.

Your process may look like this:

You do a bit of research and choose a relevant keyword that you can rank for . (One way is to look for keywords that rank forums .)
You search the term and browse the top ranking pages. You look at the topics they cover and identify what types of information Google currently believes will satisfy the searcher.
You create an outline based on this research and the value or 'hot take' you want to add to the top ranking pages that's missing (look at questions asked on Quora or a related subreddit).
You or a writer create a high-quality piece of content that closely follows your outline.
Your editor then goes over the content to see what can be expanded, condensed, or removed. This broad feedback is known as substantive editing.
You or the writer then go back and revise the piece based on these edit suggestions.
Your copyeditor then looks over the revised piece with a fine-tooth comb. Their goal is to follow the style guide and help deliver the idea in the cleanest package possible.
You then go over the piece for a final proofread and triple check to make sure all minor errors are fixed.
You publish the piece.
Your team promotes the hell out of it and ask around if relevant sites to link to it.

Now keep in mind there are apps that can help you proofread and copyedit.

Grammarly can help you proofread.

Hemmingway is great to help you copyedit.

ProWritingAid can help you do a bit of both.

But these apps can’t do 100% of the job for you.

Hemingway app, for example, confuses Grammarly as an adverb because it ends in 'ly'.

English is full of exceptions to rules and so software can stumble on these idiosyncrasies.

You can and should use these tools with your work, but they can not replace the skills of an experienced human eye.

(But it will be fun to see how well this opinion ages.)

What’s a Style Guide?

Style guides are essentially standard operating procedures (SOPs) for your content team. They help maintain writing and editing standards.

They are guidelines used by magazines, websites, and any other publication to maintain a consistent voice.

There are tons of different style guides out there. Many notable publications have their own internal manuals known as 'house guides'.

The Economist style guide is a great example. It opens with an important note for any B2B copyeditor to keep in mind. It also helps to illustrate the kinds of things you find in a style guide.

“The first requirement of The Economist is that it should be readily understandable. Clarity of writing usually follows clarity of thought. So think what you want to say, then say it as simply as possible.”

Dreyer's English is also a great style guide by long-time Random House copy chief Benjamin Dreyer. He has copyedited 100s of acclaimed books and his thoughts are a helpful reference point.

Choosing a guide and sticking with it will help to answer questions that may arise while writing and editing. It will also help you maintain consistency if you ever want to outsource copywriting .

The guide can include everything from 'big topics' like tone; to small details, like whether to use the number or the word.

The Copyediting Process

The first thing you should do if you're copyediting is read through the entire document - out loud.

I add out loud because this is the most effective way to spot any clunkiness in the text.

Here's a little hack if you ever feel too tired to read out loud:

Highlight the text, right click, and press print.

Save it as a PDF.

Go into your downloads, again right click, and press open with Microsoft Edge.

Here you can use the read aloud feature to transform your life.

Choose a voice and speed that fits your preference. You can change it to nearly any accent you can think of.

(I recommend the Neerja voice at a faster than normal speed;)

I could (and do) talk all day about this feature. It can read to you any webpage or PDF book you have. But I digress.

Again, with this first read through, you're looking for unnatural flow and tonal shifts. Make a note when you find them.

Sentences

After the first read through, you will then go through and assess each sentence on their individual merits:

Are there any parts that seem unclear?

Is anything missing or repetitive?

Can you rephrase something to improve its clarity?

Can you start a sentence with rather? ;)

Is there filler that adds nothing but word count?

Answering these questions will help you make sure the text is more accessible for the reader. And where your sentences play such an important role.

In his book The Art of Plain Talk, the great Dr. Rudolf Flesch says language consists of sentences.

We try to express what goes on in our minds using sentences. Thus, to learn how to say things simply, we must start not with our words, but with our sentences.

Another great point he mentions in the book is that you should aim to include only one idea per sentence.

You can add more than one idea, but only if they are closely related. Our aim should always be to keep sentences short and easy to understand.

Making sure ideas are clear in sentences is also the job of a line editor . (There's a great example here of the different ways line editors and copyeditors edit sentences.)

In the likely event you don't have a line editor, a copyeditor can play both roles.

The goal is for each sentence to flow into the next and keep the reader engaged. One great tip for writers and editors to follow is Joseph Sugarman's idea of a slippery slide. (His book 'Advertising Secrets of the Written Word' where he describes this technique is fantastic.)

You want readers to spend more time on your page. Designing each sentence to hook readers into the next does just that.

This is especially helpful for landing pages or sales pages. Although we cover all sorts of hooks in essay hooks !

Your goal here is to keep readers engaged to follow the sentences down to a desirable call to action.

Attention to detail is also key here. One task of a copyeditor is to spot irregular spacing and dropped or repeated words in a sentence.

You should also make sure that every word makes sense within the context of the sentence. If certain words are being repeated often, look for ways to cut them or use synonyms instead.

Punctuation

During this second read through, your copyeditor must also look out for punctuation.

Periods, commas, colons, semicolons, hyphens, etc. are all examples of punctuation. They are some of the most effective tools to help the reader digest your words.

In today's style of writing, trends seem to move away from punctuation.

There seems to be less talk around the dinner table about whether you can put a comma before or after but in a sentence.

Instead, commas are replacing semicolons. And even hyphens are being removed from words like e-mail. Language is being simplified down to its barebones for those in a hurry.

A famous example of this is Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Punctuation is largely stripped away with only periods and a few commas and colons remaining.

Here’s an example of some dialogue in the book:

What are you eating.

Whatever we can find.

Whatever you can find.

Yeah. He looked at the boy. You wont shoot, he said.

That's what you think.

You aint got but two shells. Maybe just one. And they'll hear the shot.

Yes they will. But you wont.

No quotation marks. Not even a question mark (although they do occasionally appear in the book).

There's nothing inherently wrong with any of this. It's just important to remember that the lack of punctuation in The Road is a literary device.

Punctuation is sparse to help highlight the bleakness and loss of life in the story's setting.

But when done well, punctuation can be a great way to highlight your personality in writing.

You can use it to 'write like you talk'. It’s also more eye-catching. You can use a dash to add a pause, an exclamation mark to emphasize an idea, and brackets for a quick aside.

It may be unpopular among the 'cool kids', but that's likely because they're jaded from too much time online and have lost their humanity.

But like everything, it's probably best to avoid the extremes. Use it correctly with some moderation and try not to overdo it.

Grammar and Spelling

Of course, one of the most important tasks of a copyeditor is to ensure the spelling and grammar are correct.

Have you ever read an ebook or article and noticed spelling and grammar mistakes? Did it make you think less of the piece and everyone involved? You probably did.

We want the information we digest to be of high quality. Spelling and grammar mistakes can suggest something is low quality and even unprofessional.

This is an odd impulse. What really matters is the quality of the ideas behind the words. But, if the spelling and grammar are off, they'll distract from the ideas.

Thankfully, we are blessed with copyeditors, spellcheck and other apps mentioned in this article. They can be a huge help with spelling and grammar.

They may have even saved a lot of us from embarrassment at some point. But sometimes, they too make mistakes.

For instance, it is important to know who your audience is. British and American English are surprisingly different. In fact, they are so different that the Economist Style Guide has an entire section on it.

I am Canadian, so I have lived with an internal conflict on which way is best all my life.

Should I add the 'u' to 'color' even though that sounds like 'coloor' or 'colhour'?

Which way you choose should largely depend on your target audience and what they're accustomed to.

What Skills Does a Copyeditor Need?

A copyeditor needs to have both excellent writing skills and a sharp eye for details.

Every sentence must be read carefully and changed to its best version.

This task is certainly not for everyone. It is rare to find both abilities in a person. That's why if you find someone with both, it is best to hold on to dear life.

It may seem dramatic, but consider for a moment some of the various skills a good copyeditor needs.

Excellent writing skills. Again, their job is to refine a piece of content to be more clear and engaging. This includes:
Headline writing.
Crafting strong hook sentences.
Optimizing sentence structure.
Clarity in writing (ideally showing strong interpersonal skills).
An understanding of the target audience and their expectations.

Plus the more technical qualities of writing like:

A strong grasp of the conventions of grammar.
A sharp eye for typographical errors.
Proper spelling.
Style consistency.
A keen eye for punctuation mistakes.

Keep in mind, it also helps if your copyeditor has a working knowledge of SEO.

Finding a copyediting provider who also makes sure your titles, intros, sub-headers, and meta-descriptions can engage readers while including appropriate keyword placement can be a huge plus.

How are Copyediting Services Priced?

Copyediting is best paid for by the hour or by the project.

It's not good to pay by the word because the amount of work required for each project varies widely. This is not only in length but also in the amount of words and effort required.

To help reach a fair estimate, it's recommended that clients send a sample of one of their drafts for edit. This helps to give copyeditors a clearer picture of the work required.

Paying by the hour or by the project affords the copyeditor the ability to go through the text and do a proper job. You won't have to worry that they're making changes just to earn a bit of extra money.

Personally, I like to price it per project. This helps to define clear expectations upfront.

Please note that when pricing per project, it is important to define and agree on very clear boundaries of what's to be delivered with a quote.

This avoids any nickel and diming on both sides. And creates a win-win approach for both you and the copyeditor.

What You Should Look For in a Copyediting Service

Experience and a proven track record are key.

Projects have different goals, so not every point discussed in this article relates. But, in terms of web copy, you'll want to make sure that what you publish will at least add a bit more value than your competitors.

You'll want a service provider that can go over the content for inaccuracies, grammatical errors, and tonal consistency (one voice).

They'll also have to fix spelling mistakes, formatting issues like spacing between sentences.

Ideally, you want to find a copyeditor with:

A clear pricing arrangement.
An easy-to-use service.
Access to examples of previous projects.
Good communication throughout the entire process.
Clear terms & conditions.
Proofreading services available.

If you want a reliable service to deliver all your copyediting needs for you, our team at 8-Bit Content is happy to help!

7 Reasons You Should Outsource Copywriting

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 03:32:50 GMT

7 Reasons to Outsource Your Copywriting

The simple act of outsourcing your copywriting can save you from a time and soul sucking experience you may be familiar with:

Your cursor blinks on a blank page. You take a few stabs at writing a strong opening sentence, but each attempt reads like a limp handshake. You erase and try again. Minutes turn to hours and the only thing you have to show for it is an overwhelming sense of frustration.

Sound familiar? If yes, you’re not alone.

When a business outsources its copywriting needs, it taps into an army of professional writers who can help them create engaging content that drive sales.

If your business already uses outsourced copywriters, you know what a difference this can make.

If you're still on the fence on whether it would make sense for you and your business, then this article is for you.

Why outsource copywriting?

1. High Quality Writing

Writing of any kind can be an arduous grind, and copywriting is perhaps one of the toughest.

An engaging piece of content written to persuade and drive people to take action is more than just good writing. It requires a deep understanding of marketing , sales psychology, whatever the subject of the content is, and much more.

Attempting to do this while also running your business or managing projects is quite the task.

So, if you’re interested in outsourcing your copywriting, look for copywriting service providers who show an understanding of the above, plus can write:

Interesting headlines and sub-headers
Strong CTAs and hooks throughout the text
Search engine friendly articles [note that search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, and copywriting are 3 different skills]
Attractive product descriptions
Engaging social media content
Effective email campaigns with great subject lines

The beautiful thing for you, the client, is that once it’s delivered, it’s all yours. You can use it however you like and your team can promote and monitor the results.

You can also always repurpose popular messaging into different content formats. This will help you increase your reach and keep your messaging consistent.

Doing this has the potential to convert customers from multiple channels for years to come.

2. Risk Reduction

Hiring a full-time or even part-time staff can be risky.

In the U.S., a 2024 Gallup poll shows that just over half (51%) of employees are willing to jump ship from their current companies.

That is disturbingly high.

High turnover rates equal to wasted resources recruiting and training. It adds risk to company hiring practices.

However, companies can mitigate all this risk simply by outsourcing certain tasks to agencies who specialize in them.

Apple, Google, Alibaba and many other companies outsource . They could do everything with their internal teams but choose to harness the power of outsourcing. Because just like SMEs, it helps them reduce costs (and risk), and access a vast pool of talents and skills, to focus on their core business.

And just consider how non-native English business owners can leverage outsourcing copywriting and even their marketing strategy to tap into bigger markets.

Engineering expertise may be available in-house but now they can gain access to native speakers with sales experience to help scale with no risks involved.

3. Effectiveness

Competition can be fierce and teams must be agile and cost effective with their marketing budgets.

By partnering with a remote team of content writers, you get exactly what you pay for.

You only pay for the content writing, not a full-time employee.

When you outsource the copywriting process, you get the chance to work with experienced copywriters in the field.

There’s always someone to bounce ideas off a nd y ou won’t have to do extensive research or learn new skills yourself.

You're not paying to recruit and train them. You don't even have to pay for the pricey SEO research tools that are likely needed.

You are simply collaborating with experienced content marketing professionals that will help you move closer to your goals.

4. Efficiency

This is another great reason to outsource copywriting.

Effective copywriting takes a TON of time.

Articles, landing pages, advertorials, and whatever you need to promote and persuade can often be the product of hours, sometimes days, of research, outlining, writing, and revising.

In fact, it's often the peculiar case that short, punchy copy takes longer to write than long, descriptive articles.

Taking all of this off your hands allows you and your marketing team to focus your time on tasks, perhaps closer to your expertise and more urgent to your daily business operations.

5. Organic Search

The technical expertise of a dedicated digital marketing agency can add compounding value to your business.

Whether it’s copy on your website, blog content, or even strong calls to action, your words can make a huge difference.

One way you can build your brands’ authority and online presence is simply by publishing accurate, high-quality content that speaks to your prospects' needs.

If you're able to outsource copywriting to a company who can help you do this, you'll be able to grow your competitiveness along with your sales.

The value of this high-quality content creation for your site will compound. And, as you grow your topical authority and get links from relevant sites, you'll eventually rank for commercial keywords in your industry.

And by the way, speaking of links - to jumpstart your link-building efforts, you can use a simple internal linking method.

Your content agency can help you create blog posts that link to the relevant pages designed to help you sell. This will help inform your readers of your expertise, build your topical authority, and rank for keywords at all stages of your sales funnel.

With these strategies in place, you can reduce your ad spend and get organic qualified leads for years to come.

6. Keeps things Fresh

When you rely on in-house copywriters, you may notice certain phrases or business jargon being repeated that don’t resonate; or worse, content that confuses and alienates potential customers.

A content writing agency with a knack for copywriting helps you avoid these common mistakes.

You can meet your content demands with a fresh and exciting voice that speaks directly to your prospect.

Partnering with a content agency can help you gain an outsider perspective from a writer within your target demographic. This is like a cheat-code in how to position your product or service to your customer's needs.

It's also a quick and easy way to liven up your company’s overall brand image.

A great and effective approach is to ask a content agency to write blog posts about your industry and how your products or services help your customers.

With the writers representing your audience, you'll be able to connect better than ever.

This kind of approach allows you to showcase your empathy and expertise in the niche. It also helps to publish new and interesting content to keep your brand top of mind. And again, you and your team can always repurpose this content in various ways.

7. Gives you an edge

Without great content or copywriting, there's a lot of pressure on say, a product designer to create products that sell themselves. This aligns with the 'build it and they will come' fallacy.

In a perfect world, this would work. Companies could make great products and services and people would buy them with no promotion or sales efforts needed. But the fact is, competition is fierce and y our customers will probably need a helpful nudge. And this is where copywriting is key.

Packaging the facts of your product or service in clear and concise writing that also speaks to your customers' emotions has the power to help you stand out in a crowded space.

Regardless of how you choose to promote, you mustn't forget the power of effective copywriting.

If you don't want to rely on constant promotions or sales, it's likely where most sales will come from. It's where you bring out the big guns and show your prospects why they need your offer.

And this is where working with a freelance writers or an agency can pay off big-time. It's literally how we make our living.

Outsource your copywriting and focus on your strengths

You don’t need to give your in-house teams extra work and potentially lose more staff. What you need is a content agency that can take care of your content strategy and copywriting needs for you.

This way you can stop wasting time writing and gain back your freedom to focus on the tasks you're best at.

8-Bit Content is here to help.

We connect you to your potential customers via compelling content and strong calls to action.

So, if you're ready to get the help you need, contact us today !

10 Actionable Tips for Effective Email Outreach

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 08:35:42 GMT

10 Actionable Tips for Effective Email Outreach

This is a short and sweet guide to help you improve your cold email outreach results.

They're tips for anyone working with a small budget and who needs to make the most of their email outreach efforts.

These exact tips helped me connect directly with people I had originally thought of as being out of reach.

People like former MIT professor and now famous podcaster Lex Fridman.

Using the general tips below, I established over 300 partnerships with companies and influencers over a 6-month period for an e-commerce company. All without spending a dime.

No spam or ‘gaming the system' tactics are needed. Just genuine relationship building through outreach campaigns using simple and actionable tips that will get you talking to those you wish to faster.

So, without further ado, let's get into it.

Cold Outreach Email Tips

1. Email Like a Real Person

A lot of people know this by now but it is worth noting that it is vital to have a real name in your business email address. This is infinitely better than reaching out to someone with an email name like start@8bitcontent.com .

Without a name or even a company email address, your chances of getting a response from cold emails are next to none. Believe me, I tried.

2. Divide and Conquer

You can't really talk about effective email outreach or email marketing without mentioning segmentation. Knowing your personas and grouping email recipients together based on shared interests, industry, location, and more is vital.

It helps to understand each target audience and send out personalized emails at scale. This helps you organize your email list, craft a more personable and relevant email pitch, and likely increase your response rates.

3. Email subject line

You could offer the greatest opportunity in the world, but without a great subject line getting you through the door, it could be a waste.

Like a great headline, it should quickly convey some kind of benefit, mystery, or news to the reader, and if possible, all three.

There is one pre-requisite that I urge you to always include, the subject's name in the subject line.

There's a considerable amount of A/B testing involved in the sweet science nailing down the right ones. You've got to write a lot of them and they are typically unique to your messaging and personas.

I sent out hundreds of emails testing different subject lines and messaging. At first these cold emails didn't have a great success rate but over time, certain patterns started to appear.

Ex: if your intention is to offer someone a partnership, proposal, or anything in between, your email has a better chance to be opened and responded to if the subject line looks like this:

Jane Doe X 8-Bit Content

This is usually my go-to format that seems to work almost without fail with a high open and response rate. It's eye-catching and, more than likely, bound to be opened.

It's also very easy to implement this tip in an email blast through mail merge and the like. It can be this simple: [Name/Company] X 8-Bit Content.

4. Length

Most people have very little time to waste and they like their content to get to the point as quickly as possible.

Emails therefore should be concise and to the point. Many people have learned this by now and yet I still receive long, drawn-out emails regarding so and so doing whats and what with no end in sight and no clear point as to how it'll relate to or benefit me.

Classic examples of this are introductory emails where several paragraphs are spent at the beginning explaining what a company does. In an effort to make sure a relative stranger will read past the first few sentences, prioritize the beginning of the email to clearly state what benefits you're offering the reader.

If possible, summarize your business later on in a sentence or 2.

Also, be sure to include lots of whitespace.

Hi ……, Hope things are well with you and yours.

As _____ of ______, I am curious if you would be interested in our… As many of us have experienced through our daily lives, we're not starved for content, we're bloated.

You are likely reaching out to busy people. So it is your responsibility to get to the point ASAP.

5. Break Convention

This isn't to say that you should disregard the suggestions mentioned above but rather reconsider some of the common tropes used when emailing acquaintances, potentially even relating to how you communicate with superiors.

Replace formal, literary language with plain, friendly, and human language.

Perhaps the most common culprit which often sets the tone for the rest of the email is ‘Dear'.

Although an age-old term of respect and endearment, starting your email with ‘Dear' can inadvertently create a barrier of entry of sorts between you and the subject.

Although the word's meaning is literally the opposite, in today's world of business it can be often read as distant, unfamiliar, and even insincere.

Here are some suggestions.

Replace:

‘Dear ________,’ with ‘Hi/Hello/Hey _________,’ ( Particularly if talking to someone within the same age range or younger. Older generations can be an exception to this as they may appreciate it if you address them with ‘Dear’ but overall I’m sure you get the idea. )

‘I’m writing to inform you…’ with ‘Just letting you know…’

‘Yours sincerely,’ with ‘All the best,’

The list goes on and on, but the point is, we should put the quill down. It's 2020 and 46% of emails are opened on mobile devices connected to 1 of 2,666 artificial satellites orbiting the Earth. It's ok if our email language reflects a more contemporary tone.

Again, this isn't to suggest using sloppy or unprofessional language to appear friendly. Rather, it's a means to build rapport quicker for ongoing correspondence.

6. Classic Formatting

This can also relate to the tip of breaking convention.

Do you know what feels better than receiving a carefully designed and ‘personalized' email that is obviously part of an email blast-out using Mailchimp? A carefully written email from an individual at the company seemingly written specifically for you.

Let's say your mission is to promote a sale. Try sticking to the tried and true regular email formatting. You can carefully write the email copy to be personable and appear to be directed specifically to that individual. Include their name and company in the email copy. The messaging can be the same.

They're your VIP and you're delivering them the message, you're just doing so in a format that feels more familiar and substantial.

7. Clearly state exactly what’s in it for them

A cardinal sin that most emails commit is vague and generic messaging. Sure, there's a call to action at the end but it's never crystal clear why the reader would even want to take the next step.

Say you're interested in establishing a partnership with an affiliate site whose business model runs on advertising. You should highlight that your product will engage their audience and bring traffic, even reminding them of shared audiences and interests.

8. Follow-up

It is possible that your first email will not get a reply. Don’t take this personally or let your ego get in the way of trying again — it’s possible they didn’t see it.

If necessary, you could 1 or 2 short and friendly follow-ups a week or so apart, quickly reminding them of what your intention is can work wonders, as long as you don't abuse it.

9. Space them out

If you are going to follow up, make sure you don't harrass them and land in the spam folder. You need to always be courteous.

Just a side note for email mailing lists. People receive emails all the time and are likely to unsubscribe if they notice you’re sending more than they expected.

A lot of companies seem to disregard this and race to terrorize their mailing list as often as they can. Please, for the sake of humanity, show your respect by spacing them out. An email, say, every Tuesday is okay, but multiple times a week can be overkill.

10. Email signature

Ideally, your emails will be filled with value. This can include your email signature. It can be a great place to promote something you've done that may be of interest to your segment.

This could be some kind of social proof like a testimonial from a customer, or a link to a blog post that may help them. Your email signature can be icing on a cake.

These tips can be surprisingly effective in building trust and authority in meaningful and tangible ways.

Give them a try and let me know the kinds of responses you get at will@8bitcontent.com .

The Story of Gringo Tacos in the Heart of Ho Chi Minh City

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 09:25:47 GMT

The Story of Gringo Tacos in the Heart of Ho Chi Minh City

Love is perhaps the most powerful motivator in the world. It inspires us to strive for greatness. It provides the passion necessary to complete whatever tasks and goals we may have to the best of our abilities. It pushes us to work harder to provide for the ones we love.

For Doug Stratton, love has been the foundation and driving force behind his celebrated Gringo Tacos y Cantina in HCMC. This love not only refers to his love of Mexican cuisine but also and most importantly, his love for his girlfriend Trang Bui.

This kind of tenderness may come as a bit of a shock when based solely on appearances. As perhaps the perfect representation of a true man’s man, Doug has an imposing stature and towers over most people he meets. Unsurprisingly, he spent years as a younger man working as a bouncer back home in his native Southern California.

There came a point in his life, however — as in everyone’s life if allowed the opportunity, when he decided to make a change and follow his true passions. He was tired of having a ‘job’ and so he began the journey of discovery, analyzing the various things he actually enjoyed doing. This process kept leading him back to a core interest — cuisine.

He decided to enroll in a culinary school to begin his new life. During his education, he was instructed and mentored under the tutelage of not one but 2 renowned chefs famous for their expertise and work in Thomas Keller’s legendary Michelin 3-Starred restaurant French Laundry .

For reference, Michelin releases an annual series of guidebooks dating back to 1900. They grade the quality of restaurants around the world. Any restaurant receiving any star is a massive accomplishment and a restaurant receiving 3 stars, the highest honour of any restaurant, signifies ‘exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey.’

In 2005, he visited Vietnam for the first time. One of his valued instructors was Vietnamese and wished to show her star pupil the culinary innovations which the country is now more widely renowned for. Doug immediately fell in love with the country.

HCMC and Vietnam, in general, was very different then from how it is today. He describes how The Caravelle Hotel in District 1 was actually the tallest building in the city at the time and in that case, most likely the country. It was wholly foreign and exotic to a Western perspective, and for an adventurous man like Doug Stratton — truly exciting. The visit left a strong impression on him and he continued to visit Vietnam on holidays for years.

Back home in Southern California, he spent 15 years in fine dining, specializing in Asian fusion. Having trained under such talented chefs, he learned from the best and over years of hard work and long hours, he mastered the intricacies and every facet of the job.

His love of Vietnam was always in the back of his head however and one day he decided to take a risk and finally make the move to Vietnam.

Shortly after his arrival, he met a special woman, Ms. Trang Bui. They fell deeply in love with each other and have been together ever since. Something was missing though — his first love — Mexican food. The only options available at the time were Tex-Mex and for anyone with half the experience and expertise of Mr. Stratton, it certainly wasn’t enough.

Growing up, Doug was surrounded by Mexican culture and would typically eat Mexican food 3–5 times a week. As a result of being on the Mexico-United States border and having been a part of Mexico for some time during the 1800s, Southern California is a region of the United States of America that is famous for its Mexican influences.

He craved for an authentic Mexican eating experience in Vietnam. His girlfriend, Ms. Trang suggested he take matters into his own hands and utilize his expertise for the benefit of the city. Merely 18 days later, he opened up the Gringo Tacos stand inside the famous Ben Thanh Street Food Market.

In honouring the food he grew up with and knows so well, they decided to make everything from scratch using only the freshest high-quality ingredients. This includes their queso fresco (fresh cheese), Mexican crema, all of their sauces and salsas and even their corn tortillas and tortilla chips.

Every morning they would visit the local markets to select the best produce, and even import any ingredients and equipment needed all the way from Mexico. With all of this attention to detail in offering the city an authentic experience, the Gringo Taco stand soon built up a strong reputation.

Word spread fast and the business grew in popularity. Two months after opening the taco stand they began making deliveries to people all over the city. The taco stand was the first step to test the market and it far exceeded their expectations.

Within 8 months of opening, the Gringo Taco brand had exploded in popularity and they had opened a second location at 137 Calmette Street in D1, HCMC out of necessity.

With this new location and additional space, they expanded their delicious menu offering even more of the flavours everyone loves. They even opened a bar area which includes one of the most extensive collections of Tequila in the city, serving up a wide variety of delicious, specialty Mexican cocktails for new and returning guests every night.

With an acute eye for detail, they decorated their new location with all of the intricacies of Mexican culture one could possibly think of, including the importance of community. Any visitor will be struck by the warm and inviting atmosphere and exceptional guest experience they have so expertly crafted.

For the kitchen, instead of hiring old and experienced veteran chefs who are typically set in their ways and not open to new ideas and new ways of cooking, Doug decided once again to try something different.

Taking an owner approach to the kitchen and all areas of the business he found it was important to step back and find chefs with less than 2 years of experience who were eagerly wanting to learn.

This allowed him to teach, shape and mold them with the expertise he had accumulated after all of his years in the kitchen. It allowed him the freedom to focus on other pressing issues that typically arise daily with any business while remaining confident in the quality of what was coming out of the kitchen.

In the front house, Gringo Tacos y Cantina offers equally exceptional service. This is due in large part to the criteria he looks for in his hiring.

With less emphasis on experience and more on character, he always finds the right person for the job. Hiring based on personality, he places great esteem towards those who are friendly and show a good heart.

These are people with endless potential and characteristics necessary for success in a family, good-natured environment.

His intuitions have worked out well thus far as the taco stand in Ben Thanh Market is run wholly by his team and he hasn’t needed to visit it since they opened their second location in January of 2018.

He invests in people and it brings the best out of them.

The passion he carries bleeds through into everything he does. When asked about his motivation he spoke admirably about his girlfriend Trang.

Besides the obvious wishes of providing guests with a good experience with good service and of course the best food possible, with the success of Gringo Tacos y Cantina, he wishes to provide his girlfriend Trang with ‘the life she deserves’.

‘None of this is possible without her.’

As the motivator behind opening the taco stand in the first place as well as handling part of the operation side of the business, Ms. Trang has solidified a tremendously valuable place in Doug’s heart. He strives to be able to take care of her and works long hours every day to get closer to this goal. It is not likely that there is any stronger motivation than that.

With plans to expand the business into Hoi An and beyond there is no telling where the Gringo Tacos y Cantina might end up in the future but as a labour of love, it is certain that Doug will be grinding away, day in and day out to ensure one day his goals can be reached.

There aren’t too many widely accepted universal truths in the world. There are perhaps some, such as those regarding love as stated in the introduction, but arguably another example could very well be that Mexican food is delicious. Doug Stratton and Trang Bui along with their trusted team of young and hungry servers and chefs exemplify all of this in their everyday creations and for that — on behalf of everyone in the city, we sincerely thank them.

Profile: House of Barbaard

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 04:55:30 GMT

House of Barbaard: A Home for Gentlemen with Attitude

With a unique brand of panache, House of Barbaard has successfully managed to blend old-fashioned chivalry with modern unapologetic brashness.

The Dutch-founded, Vietnam-based brand has been making major strides across the country since opening in 2016.

Thanks to the unique brand, men across the country have been afforded the opportunity to express themselves in ways that were thought to be forgotten.

The gentlemen behind House of Barbaard have had quite an interesting road leading up to the success they enjoy today. What was originally planned to be a clothing line, quickly transformed into something much more all-encompassing.

A community of like-minded men to share ideas and conquer obstacles through newfound confidence and discovery. They have shared with us their amazing story which is our sincere pleasure to present to you.

Let us start from the beginning. Since their second year of High School — House of Barbaard founders Tom Goedhart and Guido de Leeuw have been best friends. Growing up 30 minutes outside of Amsterdam in the quiet, picturesque harbour town — Hoorn, the 2 first connected over their shared love of food.

During break times at school they would visit a local grocer on their way to Guido’s place where they would concoct new creations with a variety of ingredients. Working together to make something new and wonderful, this marked the beginning of a very special and creative bond.

Once they finished High School, Guido went off to Switzerland to study Hotel Management in a sprawling, breathtaking campus reminiscent of Hogwarts.

He studied alongside the offspring of the world’s elites and had to remain sharply dressed at all times. He was surrounded by a variety of cultures as many of his classmates were coming from Asia and other parts of the world.

It was there that he met a very special girl from Vietnam that would prove to have a big impact on the futures of both gentlemen.

Tom stayed in Netherlands for university where he first studied interactive design and then completed a following degree focusing on product design. His studies also involved a 6-months internship in Shanghai which introduced him to the Asian way of life and left quite an impact on the way he saw the world.

The two friends always kept in contact during their post-secondary studies however and Tom visited Guido at his Swiss school numerous times.

After their studies they both spent some time working in the Netherlands in their respective fields of interest.

In 2010, Guido visited Hanoi and was captivated by its rawness. At this time the city was much different then it is today and, in many ways, represented the new frontier for such a young and hungry individual.

This was most apparent during his visit when he discovered a glaring flaw in the city. There didn’t appear to be any good places to find nice shirts for men.

Coming from Europe, where fashion flourishes and having been used to dressing well since even before his time in university— Guido foresaw this limitation representing a great opportunity for the entrepreneurial spirited duo to capitalize in the form of a fashion line.

Both Tom and Guido share the same vision and hobbies and therefore any opportunities that either find during their travels are typically a point of interest for both.

More so brothers than friends, Tom is naturally more inclined to the creative side of things as his background in design would suggest; whereas Guido is more customer service oriented with his business and sales background.

When combined, their yin and yang dynamic is a fantastic representation of the ancient philosophy working in harmony for the modern age.

As soon as Guido returned home to Holland, he gathered with Tom and they sat down to develop their business plan. They soon discovered, however, that their financial situation at that time was not realistic for such an ambitious endeavor and they were left back at square one.

‘It’s better to plant a seed, then to plant a tree and hope the roots stick.’

Shortly after, Tom was given some Reuzel pomade from his barber at the immensely popular Schorem .

This ‘old-school barbershop’ is so internationally famous that it is not uncommon for people to travel all the way from Germany and beyond to then line up for hours just for a haircut.

The Reuzel pomade ended up being so great in fact that Guido’s Vietnamese girlfriend suggested the idea of bringing it to Vietnam as there was no such product available in her country.

The men have always worked very fast and instantly called up the pomade producers at Reuzel and suggested setting up an Asian distribution center.

The company was intrigued by the idea and gave them the go ahead and they immediately began work on creating various marketing channels for their project.

On the same weekend, through a stroke of sheer luck or perhaps destiny, a massively circulated Vietnamese publication released a highly complementary article about Schorem and another article the following week about Reuzel.

The orders began pouring into their distribution channels with growing numbers and Guido decided one day to quit his job on the spot and move to Hanoi. His girlfriend’s family had a house in Hanoi where he stayed, and her family was able to help him set up meetings and make connections with some high-level government officials and customs agents.

As a fully-foreign owned business, this was essential in the success of accomplishing their goals in Vietnam.

'To do business in Vietnam — You need the right connections.'

Tom remained in the Netherlands during this time to finish up some work however they remained in constant communication, working together on every aspect of the business over phone and skype.

As the official distributor in Vietnam of the Reuzel pomade and in association with Schorem (which translates in English to scumbag), Guido felt the need to align himself with their sensibilities.

He began dressing similar to a 1950s ‘greaser’ — complete with the leather jacket, slicked back hair, and the whole nine yards.

He started off delivering the products to his customers himself.

This helped him turn heads and gain interest around town, and pretty soon he had familiarized himself with every winding lane in the city like the back of his hand.

Tom arrived just in time for their expansion into other products and their boom in popularity. Their merchandise became so popular in fact that people began bootlegging their products.

Visiting relatives from Western countries would smuggle in suitcases filled with the pomade for the intention of underselling the dynamic Dutch duo. This was merely a small speed bump however and only the beginning of them having to deal with copycats.

Their innovative problem-solving mindset led them to develop hologram stickers for their products ensuring their clients of the authenticity of each purchase.

They also began distributing their products to customers with ‘Thank You’ postcards signed by both Tom and Guido. This was a nice touch to the standard process and solidified their focus on high-quality branding to go along with their premium customer service.

As they continued to expand in customers and products they were constantly asked when Schorem would be coming to Vietnam. It became increasingly apparent that the demand was undoubtedly there and that the existing offerings throughout the country weren’t up to the standards that the market craved.

During their time as brand representatives, they were witness to all of the industry’s shortcomings and how even the high-end venues in Vietnam that tried to copy Schorem consistently missed their mark.

The idea had been planted. ‘Why not open our own high-end barbershop the way we would want it.’ This eventually led them to detach themselves away from the image of Schorem — with their ‘scumbag-barbaric’ style and instead embrace their own more formal approach to the ‘bad boy’ style.

They focused on their natural sensibilities — ‘being gentlemen with attitude.’ They weren’t entirely different from the Schorem style as they liked the connection to barbarianism however they wanted to do away with the ‘scumbag’ symbolism.

After some thought they eventually decided on House of Barbaard by combining the English word ‘bar’ with ‘baard’ — Dutch for beard, and conveniently ‘Barbaard’ without a ‘d’ — Barbaar is Dutch for barbarian.

The only problem was that they weren’t barbers. They did however have contacts to all the right people and were and remain firm believers in the philosophy that if you want to do something, you have to do it right.

They began formulating a plan, finding investors and locally sourced talent across Vietnam as well as looking at importing experts from Holland to educate their team on best practices.

Bringing their mission in Vietnam full circle, they ended up recruiting the man behind the Reuzel and Schorem articles in the Vietnamese publication for their head of marketing as well as the exact Dutchman who started this whole journey by giving Tom the Reuzel pomade, to help educate their recruits.

Since we aren’t barbers ourselves, we come at things differently and that gives us an edge.

From there they went about ensuring that their team of barbers would be highly skilled in a variety of applicable arenas and not just in hair styling. They set up a barber school and recruited the most passionate, best possible applicants from all over the country to make the best team possible.

They ended up with 50 applicants and held 3 different interview stages to join the school.

The first was an introduction where they had discussions with each individual recruit to see whether they shared the same passion and motivation.

Next was to examine basic knowledge with tools, scissors as well as general social skills with strangers.

For the final stage, there were 15 recruits remaining and they were broken into 2 teams. They were then asked to participate in the ‘Escape Game’ to see how well they worked together. This was quite a genius and innovative tactic and likely one that will be used by companies in the future as it was important for Tom and Guido to recruit people that were strong team players.

Those that succeeded in the interview process were inducted into their barber school which included ‘gentlemen classes’. They were taught about the company’s vision and standards as well as traditional procedures of being cordial, offering good-natured hospitality, and other soft skills.

Tom and Guido also had a very unorthodox approach to typical training programs in Vietnam as they gave participants salaries.

The team of applicants who made it through now work for House of Barbaard are now thriving in their new environment — networking and building relationships with the elites of Vietnam on a daily basis.

We are not a company, we are a club and we treat all our people as family.

They opened their first shop in Hanoi in January of 2017 and grew in popularity so rapidly that they quickly expanded to HCMC after only 1 year in business.

What they found was that wealthy men from around the country would fly to Hanoi for the weekend with the primary reason being to get a haircut at House of Barbaard.

The definition of men on a mission, once in HCMC they converted a former Airbnb into the grand establishment it is today in under 1 month.

They never cheated on quality however and leveraged each other’s educated skills and opinions to the fullest extent, sharing the decision process of all aspects of the business. They saved countless dollars with Tom’s design prowess and Guido’s hospitality expertise.

As always, they take great pride in their work and consider themselves perfectionists. They have successfully managed to simultaneously maintain a very high attention to detail while preserving the big-picture focus necessary for business founders.

This has also been imprinted onto the entire team. ‘The longer people work with us, the more they gain confidence — taking initiative and thinking and acting for themselves.’ This is a priceless lesson.

Since they started, not a single team member has left the company. Two have tried but they ended up coming back quickly.

They never give up on their team nor their dreams and now that their brand has taken off and become so successful they have begun working on releasing their own clothing line as they had originally intended.

They have established their own subculture with a loyal following and therefore have created the demand for their ideas through a rather unique and extraordinary introductory journey.

Certainly, you will see the appeal and the reasons for its popularity once you enter their lavish locations and experience the services they offer. An old-fashioned barbershop, on paper they specialize in two things — haircuts and beard grooming. House of Barbaard however is much more than a typical barbershop — it’s a lifestyle.

If you would like to show off your business story in a similar light, let's talk!

A Few Words for Vietnamese Women's Day

Sat, 20 Oct 2018 05:22:05 GMT

Some Words of Gratitude on Vietnamese Women's Day

There is an old expression that goes “Men make the house and women make the home.”

The implication is that men have traditionally worked with the bricks and mortar to build a shelter, while women have bought the warmth and happiness to make the shelters a place worth staying.

Those sorts of outdated gender roles no longer hold true. And in fact, in Vietnam, you just need to pass by a construction site to see that not only do women make a home, but they’re often literally building the house as well.

You will find Vietnamese women working in offices, factories and rice fields, and today they are even playing major roles in the governance of the country: Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh, acting President of Vietnam, and Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân is Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Vietnam.

Today Vietnamese women form the backbone of the economy in almost every sphere and account for 25% of Board members and CEO's in the country . And while they play important roles in the workforce, they remain central to the family.

They are the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of Vietnam and due to the strong influence of Confucianism in Vietnam, they often have been assigned the traditional domestic roles as caregivers. But the history of Vietnam has proven them to be also resilient and ferocious.

In fact, one of Vietnam’s earliest conflicts was led by two sisters, Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị who led a rebellion of 80,000 soldiers – including women – to rid the land of its corrupt Chinese overlords in AD 40.

Although they were eventually defeated, it was not before they had seen several victories against their enemies and had also established a capital from which they ruled. They continue to be seen as national heroines to this day.

One doesn’t need to look back thousands of years to see the impact that Vietnamese women have continued to play in shaping their country. Vietnamese women are famous for having fought alongside the men in some of the most bloody conflicts of history.

Most recently, in the American war, where they fought with great courage on the frontlines of the battlefield. Women also served to provide the demanding manual labor to keep the war effort going, working in the factories and toiling tirelessly in the rice fields to feed their families and the army.

They also kept the hospitals operating as doctor and nurses to help the injured and sick. Countless women died during these conflicts, but the resolve of Vietnamese women was never broken.

Of course, it’s not just in wartime that Vietnam’s women have proven their incredible strength. The many contributions of Vietnamese women go on and on.

The next time you see one of the many traditional Vietnamese dances, and you see Vietnamese girls in bright ao dai fluttering delicately with skillful and graceful movements, just remember this: While Vietnamese women possess great beauty, they also possess great strength and are a perfect reflection of what makes Vietnam so special – after all, they helped to make it.

This article was originally the cover story of the Autumn 2016 Edition of What's On Nha Trang.

Sea Walking in Nha Trang, Vietnam

Wed, 05 Sep 2018 07:28:46 GMT

Sea Walking in Nha Trang

We arrive at the harbor bright and early in the morning, and it is already buzzing with activity. Hawkers sell hats, sunglasses, cigarettes, and ice cream while groups of tourists from around the world mill about, waiting to set out for the many different island tours available.

Despite the surface appearance of chaos, there is an undercurrent of order and efficiency which is clear by how the tourists are systematically shepherded onto the boats without incident.

Our adventure starts on a speedboat made for no more than 10 people. Our guides greet us with friendly smiles as they help us aboard, hand us our lifejackets and make sure we are seated comfortably before they back the boat away from wharf and turn towards Nha Trang Bay. Soon we are speeding along the water, salty mist splashing in our faces and the wind blowing in everyone’s hair. I’m bald, so I can only imagine how great that feels.

We rocket past small fishing villages perched on islands and large anchored container ships and we all scramble to capture photos with our phones to post on Facebook and Instagram.

The photos are out of focus and blurred because we are travelling so fast, but no complaints. We’re excited to reach Hon Mun Island, operated by Viet Asian Nha Trang’s famous sea walking company.

We reach our destination and eagerly make our way onto the jetty, watching with fascination as a group of visitors climb out of the water wearing large transparent sea walking helmets, like astronauts emerging from the ocean’s depth.

As the helmets are lifted from their shoulders, they begin chattering excitedly amongst themselves and taking selfies together.

After changing into our swimming suits and storing our belongings into the lockers, we gather again at the edge of the jetty where we receive a safety briefing from the professional staff of Viet Asian. Then comes the question:

“Who wants to try first?

In hindsight, perhaps I was overly aggressive in the way I pushed past my friends, my wife and my children to be at the front of the line. But I was excited. The helmet weighs about 40 kg and they put it on my shoulders as I descend the ladder into the water. Once I am submerged it is light as a feather.

There is a steady flow of oxygen supplied to the helmets via tubes that lead to an oxygen machine on the surface and scuba divers employed by Viet Asian hover nearby, guiding us to the coral reefs and providing a welcome sense of security.

The helmet is not designed to be sealed shut – my chin is bobbing in water – but somehow it remains a bubble of breathable air. The mysteries of science.

I continue down the ladder until my feet are firmly on the seabed. Then I turn and walk outward. One of the divers hands me a plastic bottle full of bread crumbs. As I squeeze it, dozens of fish surround me and nip at the bread.

It’s truly incredible. The view from the helmet is crystal clear and the sea-life around me is up close and personal. The water is pleasant and warm.

There is much to explore underwater. The divers direct us to the incredible corals and we gather around for a group photo that we will certainly treasure. Schools of fish swim around us as we smile and hold hands and share an unforgettable experience together. The time passes by very quickly and when we return to dry land, one thing is certain: We will be back.