With so many different types of content production your project needs, it sure can get distracting when it comes to traditional blog-style content. Hopefully you’ve done the leg work already and have crafted your marketing message and know the basic demographics of your audience. You know what they want to read about and have started crafting your “voiceâ€.
This is the path you need to take to convert visitors into customers. Once you start building a steady stream of traffic from search and social, you’ll be constantly cranking out relevant content that speaks to you audience, establishes yourself as an authority in your industry, and creates awareness for the products and services your company has to offer. Hopefully you have the different cycles of content to develop the relationship with your audience for them to opt-in to a list and download more sophisticated forms of content and the sales cycle is in full swing.
So how do you continue to grow your audience? How does one write an article that “goes viral†and exposes your brand to the masses? We all know the importance of social signals in SEO, but how does one get them organically and in volume? While you may have learned the art of writing content for your audience, there is a completely alternative “voice†you also need to learn about: writing content for the “linkeratiâ€.
The term “linkerati†was made up years ago as a way to define those on the web that influence those who link to content via blogs and social media accounts. Links were all the rage back in the day and producing killer content that got the attention of other bloggers could provide a huge boost to a site’s overall SEO in a short period of time.
Nowadays many SEO experts will discredit the importance of links (not true!) but they do share the spotlight with Tweets, Google + “1’s†and Facebook “Likesâ€. The same concept applies to obtaining these social signals and the key is knowing how to write content that gets this kind of attention.
Write About Technology
It may be a stereotype, but tech still rules in the world of viral content – the key is how to get creative with it. Smart phone technology, electric cars, cloud computing, and “The Internet of Things†are all examples of hot tech topics that social influences never get tired of.
If you can find an angle to talk about technology but still keeping it relevant to your industry, then you may have a content winner. And with technology having an influence on everything these days, finding a fun article to write about shouldn’t be that far out there.
Talk About Pop Culture
Speaking of stereotypes, all the nerd bloggers and Tweeters out there LOVE their pop culture references, and if you can pack them into an easily-digestible list (again while somehow being relevant to your core topic) then you can have a home-run viral article up your sleeve.
Pay attention to new movies or TV shows that are on the horizon or perhaps focus on popular culture from a generation ago that relates to your own business and industry. The quirkier you can get with these topics the more chances you have to be seen as original and accepted by these hip, nerdy influencers.
Get Controversial With News
The fundamentals of the web are based on endless arguing (and trolling those arguments) about the trials and tribulations of modern man. If you want to get some attention to your content, write controversial articles about things like political movements, laws, science, etc. Just make sure you’re ready to deal with the ramifications of your statements and how they can also lead to negative press about your brand (unless you believe that any press is good press!)
People love a good argument or discussion about a heated issue. If you are smart about it, you can tap into these topics by providing factual statements that not only stir the pot a little but also relate to your target audience thus aligning yourself with the right mentality and positioning your content to be the best of both worlds. When creating content that has a political angle, always ask yourself if the attention will be worth it – again if you can do so and win the hearts of your potential customers then you have a win-win.