Tag Archives: Content creation

September 29, 2017 · 10:45 am

Match Your Content to Your Sales Funnel

We’d all like to believe that the consumer journey is simple and straightforward—that a buyer sees your product advertised somewhere, visits your website, and places and order, all within a span of mere minutes.

Maybe it happens like that sometimes—but usually, the buyer’s journey is quite a bit more complicated. Maybe the consumer makes a general inquiry on Google, and happens to see one of your products in an AdWords placement. He digs around for more information, reading your company blog or checking out some tweets. He forgets about your company, but a week later sees a retargeted ad on Facebook. Weeks or even months after that initial discovery, the consumer finally places an order.

The point is, there are many steps and stages to the buying process—and that’s something that has a direct impact on content marketing.

Simply put, you can’t assume that everyone who encounters your content is going to be at the same point in their journey. Some might be discovering your brand for the very first time; what they need is some general information. Others may be very familiar with your brand, and on the brink of making a purchase decision. What these consumers need is something that will persuade them to make that conversion.

In creating content, it’s important to think in terms of that consumer journey—and to develop content to fit each stage along the way.

Top of the Funnel Content

For starters, you need some content to greet those consumers who are just discovering your brand—the people who aren’t ready to commit to a particular product, but may find your company through a broad, generalized search. Here the goal is to educate them about who you are and what you do, developing brand visibility. Some content types you might consider here include:

  • Blog posts
  • Web content
  • Press releases
  • Explainer videos
  • Infographics

Middle of the Funnel Content

At the same time, it’s important to develop content for people who know your brand and are trying to do their due diligence, figuring out why they should trust your company over the competition. Some recommended content types here include:

  • Newsletters
  • White papers
  • Product demos
  • Reviews
  • Retargeting

Bottom of the Funnel Content

Finally, it’s vital to have content designed to inform the consumer at that moment of decision—to lead to a conversion. Here, establishing trust and speaking directly to value are both key. Recommended content types include:

  • Webinars
  • Reviews
  • Testimonials
  • Direct, personal sales presentations
  • Offers and discounts

Content for the Whole Journey

The bottom line: Content marketing should be mapped out and in sync with the buyer’s journey, which means different pieces of content may serve different functions. Do you have content for each stage of the buying process? If not, get help in strategic, results-oriented content development. Reach out to Grammar Chic, Inc. at 803-831-7444 or www.grammarchic.net.

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October 21, 2016 · 2:42 pm

Why Your Company Should Move Beyond Content Marketing Freelancers

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These days, there aren’t many business owners who seriously dispute the value of original, branded content. It can be proven, with graphs and charts, that YouTube videos increase brand engagement and boost website traffic; that blog posts can be invaluable for bolstering SEO; that e-books and white papers can be unparalleled tools for generating leads. The list goes on and on.

What business owners do question is how best to achieve their content goals. Some take on the tough job of content creation themselves, which is something we admire. Others choose to enlist freelancers. Certainly, the Internet is full of resources that make it easy to track down freelance writers and content creators, and in some cases this approach can work wonderfully.

There is another option that we would obviously recommend most highly, which is engaging the services of a content writing firm—like Grammar Chic, Inc. For companies that have grown past freelancers, this is the logical next step. Allow us to provide a few reasons why.

As your content needs grow, you’ll need to hit bigger volume goals. A freelancer can work well when you’re looking for a blog post each week, but what happens when you need 40 articles churned out, a full website content revamp, or something similarly ambitious? A lone freelancer won’t be able to keep up with that brisk production pace, but a full writing team, with a deep bench of content creators, will.

Freelancers may not have the breadth of experience you need. An integrated marketing campaign will require a wide range of content—not just blog posts but e-books, marketing emails, FAQ pages, how-tos, and more. Each of these content types calls for a different skillset—something you’ll find on a writing team, but not necessarily with a lone freelancer.

Proving ROI is something many freelancers will struggle with. It is inaccurate to say that content ROI cannot be proven; in fact, Grammar Chic routinely provides clients with reports and statistics that show just what kind of results our content is getting. This is a capability that freelance writers simply might not have.

Writing companies will have a wider network of resources to call on. Looking to get a blog post syndicated, or to have a press release distributed through a reputable PR newswire? Freelancers may not have these connections—but a company like Grammar Chic does.

A writing company will provide critical dependability. The worst-case scenario, content-wise, would be for a writer to quit on you in the middle of a big content push, leaving you to find and train someone new. Freelancers are much more likely to do this than a writing company is; a company like Grammar Chic puts its professional reputation on the line when it enters into a contract with a new client, and always sticks to the promises made.

There are some other key distinctions we could name, too—and we’d love to talk with you about them one-on-one. Start the conversation today. Contact Grammar Chic’s deep bench of writers by calling 803-831-7444, or by visiting www.grammarchic.net.

 

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April 23, 2014 · 9:08 am

The Top 5 Benefits of Content Creation

Hand Drawing Content Flow Chart

Here at the Grammar Chic blog, we talk frequently and passionately about the need for small businesses to invest in custom content creation—and okay, we’ll admit it: It may seem like a bit much.

We understand that business owners and entrepreneurs have plenty on their plates as it is; devoting time and resources to content creation may seem, initially, like a needless overcomplication of your daily business operation.

Thus, with this post, we’d like to simply remind you of why all of this matters—to refresh your memory regarding some of the major benefits of content creation.

There are five, in particular, that we’ll herald as being reason enough to invest in content development!

  1. First, there is brand awareness—which may seem a little too soft and unquantifiable at first, but in reality is essential for any business. Simply put, you’re not going to grow your company if nobody is aware that you exist. You’ve got to establish your brand’s voice in the marketplace, to get your name out there where customers and clients are, and to ensure that your brand is associated with positive values. The best way to do that—the only way to do that, we would argue—is to craft content and distribute it on blogs, social platforms, websites, and press releases.
  2. Content creation also helps with lead nurturing. When you make content creation a priority, it means that, at every step of the sales process, your leads are being educated about the how and the why of your products—ultimately, about the benefits those products can offer. Good content can also help guide leads through the sales process, steering them toward an email sign-up or a landing page.
  3. Customer retention is another big one. Say that a customer does business with you, and is sufficiently pleased with the experience that he or she likes your company on Facebook, or starts following your blog. Regular content updates ensure that you’re keeping your name in front of that customer, and regularly reminding him or her of the value you offer—making repeat business and ongoing customer loyalty far more likely.
  4. Content creation can also be a form of customer service. Ongoing customer education, in the form of FAQs, product demos, and how-tos, can make the entire customer experience far richer and more satisfactory.
  5. Finally: Good content proves value. Educational content shows that you know what you’re talking about—that you not only have mastery over your field, but also that you’re prepared to share that mastery with customers, in a way that benefits them.

Is content creation a big commitment? Absolutely—but it’s also a worthy investment. It’s important to either work on content creation on your own terms, or else to outsource it to the pros—and as far as that goes, the Grammar Chic team stands ready to assist! Contact us today at 803-831-7444, or check out grammarchic.net for more information.

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