Most firms understand the importance of having original content such as blogs, company news and professional insights on their websites. Firstly, if visitors to your site discover something useful or interesting, they are more likely to return. Secondly, it allows your firm to position itself as an authority and provider of relevant, engaging information. Finally, quality content gives you more material to share on social media, consequently creating wider exposure. This is also important as research shows that social shares influence where your website appears in search rankings. So, here are our top five tips for creating material with impact.
Have a clear idea about who you are writing for before you begin. If it is for clients or candidates, what are their pain points and how will the piece address that? Then consider why you are writing it for them. For example, is it to inform them about an emerging issue, explain a complex matter or advise them on an aspect of their career? What will they learn that they didn’t know before?
A good range of content often has input from more than one person. Involve your consultants as they will sit on lots of information and might have some great ideas about the issues which are affecting clients the most or other interesting topics which you could write about. You could even interview them about their roles and experiences. Also, ask others to comment on and proof read your pieces before uploading them: fresh eyes are always useful.
A typical blog post is around 800-2000 words. Plan what you will say before writing it: one way is to bullet point the main things that you want to get across. Divide ideas into paragraphs and use subheadings to make the focus of each one clear. This also helps readers skim ahead to the parts of your piece that are most relevant to them. Ensure that the title summarises the content so readers can see at glance what the article will be about.
There’s a tendency for many agencies to start producing content with real enthusiasm and then, over time, let the number of posts dwindle. Sometimes, there isn’t a post for many months. Ensure that yours are regular and avoid leaving long periods of time between them. Also, don’t upload a number of items at once: drip feed them at regular intervals. This creates the impression of a well-maintained page of content. It also means that the pieces are more likely to reflect timely news and issues that hold relevance for the page’s visitors. And, with the latter in mind, keep your finger on the pulse of current affairs in your sector and use this to help you create the most engaging content.
Once content is uploaded, you want to push it out to a wider audience. Use your social media channels to share the pieces and ensure that consultants are also playing a part in this. You can increase traffic to other posts by including links to them at the bottom of the feature, to encourage readers to carry on looking at your other articles.
For more advice from the BlueSky PR team, read our other blogs.
Contact us and find out how we can improve your agency’s online content.