How to Make the Most of Content

When you consider how often you see and hear that famous phrase about content (I won't repeat it), it's incredible to see how poorly sites utilize the skills of their writers. More and more often, written content is limited to a few informative pages which are rarely, if ever, updated and a blog.

Sites with products and services are especially guilty. Except for an introductory passage on the landing page and the myriad product descriptions, commercial sites often seem quite bare. Surprisingly so.

If there is a drive to get content online, it almost always comes in the form of a blog, as if that's the only way for content to appear. The problem with this approach is inconsistency. Stores that sell shoes don't have big events all year round to keep the blog rolling. In the end, this invariably leads to one of two outcomes.

1. Inconsistent Posting - Posts could be every day during busy periods (Christmas, or the run-up to a conference) and then once a month at best when things quieten down.
2. Arbitrary Posts - Once blogging has begun, some feel pressured to create consistent blog posts, even when they have no real value to provide through this format.

However, there's absolutely no reason not to have content in a very different form. B&Q are among the few that are getting the most out of content.

Articles? Here?

I'm not sure if it's single-mindedness on behalf of businesses, or an intentional decision not to, but stores seem to be ignoring the potential of articles. Business models seem to be built on information or sales, and very rarely combine the two.

But not only do they go hand-in-hand, they also mix!

B&Q have a nifty search tool that, as well as bringing up related products and brands, returns related articles in the results. It even suggests them while you search.

When you search for a tap, you don't just get the product; you also get tutorials on installation, maintenance tips and style guides. This gives much more information, for those who want it, for customers to know exactly what they're getting. This could be the difference between a viewer and buyer.

By writing an article the expounds the benefits of a product while discussing another larger topic, you can sell to your customers without being overly ‘salesy'. You can highlight features of a product or suggest other products that it works well with. You can even suggest alternatives on your site so that you don't lose a sale.

As you can see, articles have a range of applications beyond just information. We've all known this for years. But it's time to get out of the blog or article mold, and start being more creative.

Madhat27 said:

When you search for a tap, you don't just get the product; you also get tutorials on installation, maintenance tips and style guides. This gives much more information, for those who want it, for customers to know exactly what they're getting. This could be the difference between a viewer and buyer.

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This is awesome advice, as well as a great reminder that the goal should always be to add value to the target market. Of course, let's be honest, we are after sales. But the only way we can get sales is if we prove to customers that we have something of value to offer them. It is important to look beyond the product and figure out other ways to market it without actually promoting it.

This certainly helps address the common problem of not knowing what to write about

Nice post with some very useful advice. Great work!

Interesting advice.. Thanks for taking time to write for us.

Thanks for the info. I have always agreed that quality content is greater than mass amounts of low quality.

Great post that has a lot of useful information, thanks for sharing!

Good post! I also want to add in that for product/service presentation it's important you understand why the user wants your product or service. What are his shortcomings that might be on his mind that you would be able to cover? What's the thing in his life you could make it easier for him? What's the struggle you could lift off of him? Play on intro-perspective persuasion of your visitors. The intro-perspective aspect of your visitors is where the open questions lie that yearn to be answered. They are a decisive factor to whether a visitor is going to take action or not.

Correct. So true. But now, the writer has to think beyond just writing a great super-informative article.

Writing with great information - there is just too much competition even there.

Now, its all about ENGAGEMENT with your users. And I strongly and personally think, content has to be written with "multi channel" mindset.

Can you post your content in pinterest? You need great snippets in images for it. Or infographic. Does your content suit those content mediums or channels?

Does your article make it through as a slide in slideshare? Is it convertible into those formats? Or is it just one long para of 500 words which you can build your house with like bricks?

Can you make a podcast with your content? Is it readable/conversing type which is easier to read/talk out loud?

I think content writing is no more writing content for a google. Its for user, across channels, mediums and devices.

Great job. Awesome post that has a lots of important information. Thank you very much for sharing such a useful information.

Thank you for sharing this post with useful and interesting advice.

eyashwant said:

Correct. So true. But now, the writer has to think beyond just writing a great super-informative article.

Writing with great information - there is just too much competition even there.

Now, its all about ENGAGEMENT with your users. And I strongly and personally think, content has to be written with "multi channel" mindset.

Can you post your content in pinterest? You need great snippets in images for it. Or infographic. Does your content suit those content mediums or channels?

Does your article make it through as a slide in slideshare? Is it convertible into those formats? Or is it just one long para of 500 words which you can build your house with like bricks?

Can you make a podcast with your content? Is it readable/conversing type which is easier to read/talk out loud?

I think content writing is no more writing content for a google. Its for user, across channels, mediums and devices.

Click to expand...

Fully agree. In the age of social media where everywhere shares images and videos and whatnot, it HAS to first resonate with the audience first before it gets shared.

Thanks for the info!