Good Content: The Key to Unlocking Audience Engagement [Video]

Yes? No? Maybe? Let us help you figure out what makes for good content, and then let's dive into some of the characteristics that make for a great content marketer.

Characteristics of Good Content

First, it's helpful to discuss what kind of content is getting read. What makes it popular and stand out rather than being low-value content? What are folks looking for when they engage with digital content?

Your audience isn’t interested in just hearing you talk. Your visitors don't want to read.

They want to learn and, if relevant to them, engage.

Whether those needs are to solve a problem or to increase their confidence in your industry, as a successful content creator, it's your job to put your observations into terms they can understand and learn from. That means you can't just recite the things you know, you have to explain why they're important and how your readers can get the answers they're looking for by reading your content.

What influential content creators do:

• Stay up-to-date on industry trends
• Create content regularly
• Educate
• Know your audience and answer its questions
• Provide actionable takeaways
• Inspire change
• Encourage readers to share
• DO NOT advertise or sell

Having great content means you connect with your audience, provide value, show you know their time is essential, and prove you want to engage and delight them and leave them satisfied.

So offer solutions, not just commentary. Be sure it's quality information you are presenting to ensure that when they need more, they come to you to find it.

Create content that engages and provides a benefit.

Answer questions your audience will likely have now, in the past, and the future. Bonus points if you anticipate the information that speaks to a need they might not have articulated yet. Because you have learned as much as possible about your audience, you can address their questions and provide the necessary information.

As you become their trusted, go-to source for helpful information, you become their first stop whenever they need what you do or what you provide. If you seek to provide them with valuable data, your audience knows you to be reliable and free from hype and sales gimmicks. 

Back up your point:

Using data to back up your point is an effective way to bring your concepts full circle.

Whether it's statistics or visual examples, providing additional resources within your content will ensure that people take you seriously, simplifying the reading process. You want people to trust you, so backing up your claims with evidence only strengthens your content.

Feed their curiosity:

Take advantage of the fact that your audience has questions. Use your headline to draw them in, then provide content that follows from that headline. Don't just create clickbait-y titles that lead to keyword-stuffed fluff. You'll lose your audience fast.

Not only should you aim to answer their questions/needs, but do your best to keep it interesting. It's easier to answer a question that you are knowledgeable about, but it is more effective to present the information in a new, creative format.

Question everything and be curious about everything. While indulging this curiosity, you just may find the nugget that enables your next great piece. Remember, you're presenting solutions to the audience's problem (whether they've articulated it yet).

This is also where it helps to be honest with your opinions, as long as you let your readers know they are your opinions. People genuinely care about what you think. Feed their curiosity and give them the truth.

Zero in on pain points:

When you know your audience, then, with that knowledge, you'll also know what some of their problems are and can provide user-centered content. Be specific with a list of what you know they need to know and what they will likely need to know. Give them the information, data, and tools to find their answers or at least a simple-to-use roadmap they can follow to find valuable answers and information and know which pit stops to make along the way.

Excellent content generation is a core element of a successful Inbound Marketing approach. Here are key do's and don'ts to keep in mind when creating good content for your website:

Do:

• Understand your target audience and tailor your content to their needs and interests.
  If your website is for a health food store, your target audience may be health-conscious individuals looking for recipes and nutrition information. Therefore, you can create content that features healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and product reviews.

• Stick to a content calendar and publish content consistently.
  Plan to publish a new blog post every week on a specific day and time. This can help build a loyal audience that knows when to expect new content.

• Measure the success of your content with tools like Google Analytics and adjust your strategy accordingly. If you notice that certain types of content perform better than others, focus on creating more of that content to increase engagement and traffic.

• Create a content strategy that aligns with your company's goals and purpose. If your company aims to increase brand awareness, focus on creating informative content that establishes your expertise in your industry.

• Improve your multimedia content creation skills to create engaging content. Use tools like Canva to create eye-catching graphics and videos that can help increase engagement with your content.

Don't:

• Don't create content that is irrelevant or uninteresting to your target audience.
  If you run a fashion blog for young adults, don't create content about retirement planning.

• Don't copy content from other websites.
  Plagiarizing content from other websites can hurt your website's SEO and reputation.

• Don't publish low-quality or low-value content just to meet a deadline.
  Publishing content that is poorly written, unedited, or lacks substance can decrease engagement and harm your brand's credibility.

• Don't rely solely on text-based content.
  Incorporate multimedia elements such as images, videos, and infographics to increase engagement and make your content visually appealing.

• Don't forget to promote your content through social media and other channels.
  After publishing a new blog post, share it on your social media platforms and email newsletter to increase visibility and drive traffic to your website.

In summary, creating good content for your website requires understanding your target audience, consistent publishing, measurement, a content strategy, multimedia content creation skills, avoiding irrelevant or low-quality content, plagiarism, solely text-based content, and forgetting to promote your content.

You can create high-quality, engaging content that helps grow your brand and reach your business goals.