Leverage Online Writing to Give Your Brand the Boost it Needs
Online writing is the foundation of your digital marketing strategy. Professional copy for every media type is what sets your business apart.
Your brand relies on many different media types to create an effective marketing strategy. While video and other engaging modern formats play an essential role, online writing is a primary element of brand communications. It offers flexibility in how you interact with customers and lets you control the personality and story of your brand.
What is online writing? Sometimes called digital writing, online writing is text presented digitally that includes blog posts, social media posts and forum comments.
Understanding the part that online writing plays in your digital marketing strategy helps you grow your brand. With the right approach to curating, developing and measuring the impact of online text, you can leverage one of digital marketing’s most effective assets.
Online writing provides a foundation for your digital marketing
While some brands focus on digital marketing strategies that rely on other media, most brands succeed by having a solid core supported by copywriting. A survey by the Content Marketing Institute shows just how powerful online writing is today, with 83 percent of B2C marketers implementing written blog posts in their strategies, the highest of any media category.
Online writing is a crucial tool to use to reach your audience and drive conversions. It also offers your customers content in a digestible format, letting them scan and take in your message at their own pace. However, getting that content to them requires a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.
The most important result of an SEO strategy is ensuring your brand comes out on top during online searches. Properly implementing online writing helps your brand improve website traffic through SEO, increase conversions with compelling content and build a real relationship with your customer base by providing genuine value through content.
Incorporating online writing into your digital marketing strategy
Online writing is arguably the most critical element of your digital marketing strategy. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s the only one you need. Instead, realizing the benefits of online writing requires a careful approach that makes the most of all available forms of media. A deliberate approach to your digital marketing strategy is vital to ensure you get the highest impact from each element. Laying out your goals and understanding how tools like online writing can take you there will help your brand grow in the long run.
Your digital marketing strategy isn’t a one-and-done process. Instead, developing effective online writing requires careful analysis of your digital marketing strategy’s impact. Over time, you’ll see a clearer picture of what works, what doesn’t and how to evolve your digital marketing efforts to include the many different types of written content that support your brand.
Utilizing different types of online writing
Online writing covers a range of areas that vary widely in their construction and intent. However, website copy, blog posts and social media are familiar elements of any digital marketing strategy that require effective online writing. Even posts that rely heavily on images or video incorporate at least some written content for compelling calls to action (CTAs).
Written content on your website needs to fulfill its role in driving leads and conversions. Compelling content is vital to convincing your customers, but the layout and structure of the content can be just as important. As your content engages visitors, you need to be sure that CTAs capitalize on that momentum.
Implementing blog posts on your website is one of the most important aspects of online writing in marketing. Marketers consider it an essential marketing channel, with 36 percent ranking it at the top in HubSpot’s State of Inbound Marketing Trends report. In addition, developing blog content with regular output improves your reach to search engines and your customer base.
Other opportunities for online writing
Other formats can also be integral to digital marketing strategy, depending on your niche. For example, many brands use e-books, case studies and white papers to develop stronger customer relationships. These online formats are generally longer than articles or other content and take readers through potential pain points and your brand’s solutions.
More in-depth pieces allow your brand to establish credibility and convey critical information to your online audience. Additionally, requiring a visitor’s contact information before they access valuable content lets you gather quality leads for your email marketing efforts. Thus, this lead generation synergizes with other elements of your brand’s digital marketing strategy.
Deliver real value through online writing
In marketing, the purpose of online writing is to drive traffic and increase conversions. However, that isn’t why your customers engage with your content. Ensuring your online writing delivers real value can help your brand attract more customers within your niche and build lasting relationships.
The best content attracts readers even if it isn’t marketing your brand. Answering customer questions on topics related to your product or service in articles is a prime example of how to attract and engage your audience. In addition, you can further identify customer pain points and lay out a solution your brand provides.
How-to articles provide genuine value for your customers and are among the most influential posts. The 2023 State of Marketing Report from Semrush surveyed over 500,000 blog posts and found that organic search traffic was 1.5 times higher for how-to articles.
Content designed with your goals in mind
Creating valuable content is an effective way to draw readers in, but in the end, you need to be sure that your content drives leads and conversions. Effective online writing relies not just on the information you’re conveying but how you do it to keep pushing the customer journey further.
Capturing the attention of your audience is a significant challenge. The median time a visitor spends reading a blog post is just 37 seconds, according to data from Zippia. Readers will also often scan through a blog post, looking for something to jump out of them rather than reading from the start.
Your online writing strategy needs to keep these facts in mind. Every piece of content requires a solid hook to draw readers in before they move on to something else. The layout of the text must be accessible for scanning, avoiding long blocks of text. CTAs at strategic points throughout content make it easy for visitors to make their choice and commit to purchasing at any time.
Online writing for each stage of your sales funnel
Your sales funnel involves multiple stages to take customers from initial interest to the final sale and beyond. Online content plays a role at each step, addressing their specific goals and requirements. Understanding what type of online writing suits each part of the funnel lets you drive conversions and achieve success.
Generating initial interest is one area where blog posts shine. This type of content is exceptional for developing organic search traffic that drives more visitors to your landing pages. In fact, according to Entrepreneur, organic search represents 53 percent of all website traffic, making it a resource you can’t afford to ignore. Further, according to Demand Metric, blog posts account for indexing of 434 percent more pages and 97 percent more links than other page types.
Blog posts also help nurture leads by allowing your brand to deliver its value proposition. Other types of content, such as case studies highlighting past success, can further inspire confidence in your brand. The CTAs you incorporate in website copy, landing pages and blog posts secure sales at the bottom of your funnel.
Implementing online writing for your brand
Online writing in some form or another is absolutely necessary for your brand. Even a business with minimal online presence requires some written content. Digital marketing strategies that use more opportunities can deliver higher sales and growth. Brands have several options when developing original written content.
Assigning occasional writing to an administrative employee seems like a good solution for many small business owners. However, while initially, it may be a money-saver, it could result in disjointed messaging that hurts your brand. Online writing is a skill that takes experience, and many obscure technical aspects go into SEO and other considerations. Moreover, it needs to be in sync with a larger marketing strategy. Not only that, but it will take up valuable time you could spend running your business.
Partnering with a professional digital marketing agency can make developing content much more effective.
You can ensure your online writing aligns with your overall branding and goals. You’ll also benefit from market research and analytics to allow a systematic approach that lets you know your resources achieve results. SEO will be completed correctly, including keywords and phrases, content readability and other criteria affecting search engine rankings and website traffic. Also, more obscure details, such as metadata, load times and mobile compatibility, are optimized. Working with a professional ensures that these technical elements support your brand rather than hinder it.
If you have employees that are good writers with unique sales insights, your agency may invite them to draft articles that are then professionally structured, edited and optimized for online reading. The result is quality online content that supports your sales goals.
Using online writing to support your brand’s identity
Establishing an authoritative brand identity for your business is essential to reaching your customer base and building lasting relationships. Various types of online writing let you create a distinct brand uniquely suited to your specific niche and the products and services you offer.
Doing so requires developing a voice for your brand that remains constant across all your online writing. Website copy, landing pages and blog posts should all maintain consistent messaging. Creating this voice requires careful evaluation of your brand and target customers.
Much of what defines your voice comes down to your target customer base. Different businesses call for varying levels of formality and technicality, not to mention the difference between B2B and B2C sales. When you understand your audience and the decision-makers your content needs to appeal to, your brand will develop more impactful content.
Integrate with other types of media
Your content doesn’t have to be strictly text. In fact, pages that blend different media types are likely more effective. Strategic use of videos and images in landing pages can help drive conversions. Placing these resources at the right points allows readers to dive into a more engaging format once your hook has captured their interest.
Incorporating visual elements in online writing can provide more compelling content that improves conversions. A survey by Venngage highlighted blogs with infographics and illustrations as the highest-performing type of content, with 40 percent of marketers making it their top pick.
Written content can also serve to support video and other media. For example, your brand can use articles and landing page copy to guide readers into viewing an accompanying video. A brief synopsis or CTA can be all it takes to convince a visitor that your video is worth checking out.
Gauging the impact of online writing
As with any marketing strategy component, knowing whether online writing delivers results is key. Taking a deliberate approach to marketing analytics can let you optimize online writing to support your brand.
Basic analytics such as page views and clickthrough rates can help you establish which types of written content attract the most attention and drive conversions effectively. However, you get more advanced analytics by working with a professional digital marketing agency. This is particularly impactful in SEO, where they can fine-tune your target keywords.
Putting online writing to work for your brand
Online writing is a powerful tool to extend your brand’s reach and generate leads. However, implementing online writing in a way that supports your brand and competes in a crowded online landscape isn’t easy. It takes a deliberate approach, adherence to technical requirements and proper support. When you see the results, you’ll know your investment is in the right place.
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