Improve Content Performance: Transforming Boring Content

Creating content that really resonates with your target audience can be tough, so how do you improve content performance? As a small business owner, you’re already juggling a million things at once, and trying to come up with compelling content on top of that can feel like a daunting task.

But the truth is, if you want to stand out from your competition and connect with your customers, you need to be creating content that captivates them. In this chapter, I’ll be diving into the nitty-gritty of developing a content strategy, crafting engaging content, and measuring its performance. So, whether you’re a seasoned content creator or a total newbie, get ready to take your small business content from boring to brilliant!

Brief overview of the importance of creating engaging content for small businesses.

As a small business owner myself, I know how hard it can be to get your voice heard in a crowded marketplace. That’s why it’s crucial to create content that stands out and grabs the attention of your target audience. Not only does this help you connect with potential customers, but it can also build brand loyalty and establish your authority in your industry.

Engaging content can come in many forms, from blog posts and social media updates to videos and podcasts. No matter what format you choose, the key is to create content that resonates with your audience and keeps them coming back for more. So, in stands to reason that developing a content plan which captures the interest of your target audience and helps your small business thrive is paramount.

Introduction to the pain point of small business owners struggling with creating engaging content that resonates with their target audience

Let’s be real – creating content that truly resonates with your target audience can be tough, and it’s a pain point that many small business owners can relate to. We know that you’re already juggling a lot of responsibilities, and trying to come up with content that captures the attention of your customers can feel overwhelming.

But the truth is, without engaging content, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of competitors and lose out on potential sales. Myself, I’ve definitely felt the frustration of trying to create content that connects with my audience. But with the right strategies and tools, you’ll be well on your way to developing a content plan that speaks to your audience’s needs and interests, so you can build lasting relationships with your customers and see your small business thrive.

Developing a Content Strategy.

When it comes to creating engaging content, developing a solid content strategy is key. That’s why I’m excited to dive into this section and share my best tips for developing a plan that works for your small business. First things first, we need to define the purpose and goals of your content strategy. Are you trying to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or generate leads?

Once you have a clear goal in mind, the next step is to conduct research to identify your target audience’s needs and interests. What are their pain points? What questions do they have? Once you have a good understanding of what your audience is looking for, you can start to identify the types of content that will resonate with them. From there, you can begin to develop a plan for creating high-quality, engaging content that speaks directly to your audience and drives your business forward.

Defining the purpose and goals of a content strategy.

Before going hands-on with developing a content strategy, it’s important to take a step back and define the purpose and goals of your content. As a small business owner, you likely have a lot on your plate, and it can be tempting to jump straight into creating content without a clear plan in mind.

Without a defined purpose, it’s easy to get off track and waste time and resources on content that isn’t serving your business goals. So take a moment to ask yourself:

What do I want to achieve with my content?

Am I looking to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to my website, or generate leads?

Whatever your goal may be, it’s important to keep it in mind as you develop your content strategy, so that you can create content that speaks directly to your market niche and drives real results for your business.

Conducting research to identify target audience needs and interests.

To create content that resonates with your target audience, it’s essential to conduct research and get to know their needs and interests. This step is often overlooked, but it can make a world of difference in the success of your content strategy.

Take some time to understand your audience:

What questions do they have?

What pain points are they facing?

What are their interests and preferences?

By getting to know your target audience, you can create content that appeals to them and addresses their specific needs. There are several ways to conduct research, from surveys and polls to social media listening and website analytics.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and try different methods until you find what works best for your business. By investing time in researching your target audience, you’ll be well on your way to creating content that truly resonates and drives results for your business.

Identifying the types of content that will resonate with the target audience.

Once you’ve identified your target audience and their needs and interests, the next step is to determine what types of content will resonate with them.

There are many different types of content to choose from, including blog posts, social media updates, videos, infographics, and more. But not all types of content will be equally effective for your specific audience. So, take some time to consider what formats and topics will be most engaging for your audience.

For example, if your audience are predominantly visual learners, you may want to focus on creating more video or image-based content. On the other hand, if your audience is looking for in-depth information on a particular topic, long-form blog posts or eBooks may be the way to go. By identifying the types of content that will resonate with your audience, you’ll be able to create content that captures their attention and drives engagement with your brand.

Here’s a general snapshot of the types of content that works best for different audiences:

Of course, these are just generalizations I commonly bump, and every audience is unique, so it’s important to conduct research to identify the specific preferences and interests of your audience before determining what types of content will resonate with them.

Crafting Engaging Content.

Crafting engaging content is the heart of creating a content strategy that resonates with your target audience. It’s not just about creating content for the sake of having something to post; it’s about creating content that captivates your audience and makes them want to engage with your brand.

It also means writing in a way that engages the emotions of your target audience and addresses their pain points while also being informative and entertaining. As I touched on previously It involves understanding the different types of content that are popular among your audience and being able to create content that aligns with those interests.

Understanding the importance of headlines and titles.

Headlines and titles are crucial elements of your content. They are the first things that your audience sees and can determine whether or not they decide to read further. The importance of a good headline cannot be overstated.

A good headline should be attention-grabbing, informative, and relevant to the content that follows. It should give your audience a clear idea of what they can expect to learn or gain from reading your content.

A poorly written headline can turn off potential readers, no matter how great the content itself is. It’s also important to note that headlines can impact your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.

Well-written headlines can help your content rank higher in search results, which can lead to more organic traffic. Understanding the importance of headlines and titles and how to write effective ones is essential to crafting engaging content that resonates with your target audience.

What makes a good headline?

Here’s an example of a good headline:

“10 Tips to Boost Your Productivity While Working from Home.”

1. The number: “10” – The number catches the reader’s attention and suggests that the article will be organized and easy to follow.
2. The keyword: “Productivity” – The keyword is a central theme of the article, and is likely something that the reader is interested in.
3. The benefit: “Boost Your Productivity” – The headline promises a benefit to the reader, which is likely something they want to achieve.
4. The setting: “While Working from Home” – This sets the context and helps the reader understand that the tips will be tailored for a home-based work environment.

All of these elements combine to create a headline that is both attention-grabbing and informative. By including a specific number and promising a benefit, the headline entices the reader to click and read more. And by including the setting, the reader knows that the tips will be tailored to their specific work environment.

What makes an excellent headline?

So the above is a good headline, right?

Sure… But we can turn that same headline it into an excellent headline by adding power words, positive sentiment words, emotional, words, numbers, etc.

Here’s what the headline changes to (and it’s got a lot more bang):

“10 Powerful Tips to Skyrocket Your Productivity and Conquer Remote Work Burnout”

In this revised headline, I’ve added power words like “powerful” and “skyrocket” to make it more attention-grabbing.

The word “conquer” creates a sense of triumph and the use of the phrase “remote work burnout” adds an emotional element that may resonate with readers who are struggling with the transition to remote work.

Keeping the number “10” in use, adds a specific and concrete element to the headline, which can make it more appealing to readers.

By using positive sentiment words like “boost” and “productivity,” readers are more likely to feel a sense of accomplishment and success, which can lead to higher engagement with your content. Overall, this revised headline incorporates a variety of elements that can make it more effective in capturing the attention of readers and enticing them to read further.

This diagram outlines the key components of creating an excellent headline:

First, you need to identify your target audience so that you can tailor your language and message to resonate with them.

Then, you should use power words and emotional language to grab their attention and create a sense of urgency or excitement.

Including numbers or specific data adds credibility and gives readers a concrete idea of what to expect from the content.

Positive sentiment words can help create a positive association with the content and make readers more likely to engage with it.

Highlighting a benefit or solution shows readers what they stand to gain from the content, which can motivate them to read on.

It’s important to make the headline concise and clear, so that readers know exactly what they’re getting into and why it’s worth their time.

Writing for your target audience.

When it comes to writing for your target audience, it’s important to understand who they are, what they care about, and what they need from your content. By doing research and identifying their pain points, interests, and preferences, you can create content that resonates with them and keeps them coming back for more.

It’s also important to use language and tone that speaks directly to your audience and their needs. This means using the right terminology and avoiding jargon that may be unfamiliar to them.

It’s also helpful to use storytelling and examples that your audience can relate to, as this helps to create an emotional connection and keeps them engaged. Above all, remember that your audience is at the center of everything you do, and by writing with them in mind, you can create content that truly connects and delivers value.

One way to do this is by conducting market research. The first step is to identify your target audience by defining factors such as age, gender, location, and interests.

But how do you get that information?

One way is to analyze the data you already have. For example, if you have a website or social media accounts, you can look at your analytics to see who is visiting your site or following you. This can give you insights into demographics like age and location.

Another way to gather information is through surveys and feedback forms. You can create a survey using tools like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey and ask your audience questions about their interests, preferences, and pain points.

You can also gather information by conducting interviews or focus groups with members of your target audience. This can give you more in-depth insights into their behaviors and motivations.

You can also use social listening tools to monitor conversations on social media and online forums related to your industry or niche. This can help you understand what your target audience is talking about and what topics are most important to them.

By using these tools, you can gather valuable information about your target audience that can inform your content strategy and help you create content that resonates with them.

You can also use keyword research tools to identify the language and terms that your audience uses when searching for information related to your product or service.

Keyword research is the process of analyzing search engine data to identify the keywords and phrases that people are using to search for information on a particular topic or product. By using keyword research tools, you can identify the language and terms that your target audience is using when searching for information related to your product or service.

Keyword research tools are designed to help you identify the most relevant and frequently searched keywords and phrases for your niche. Some popular keyword research tools include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz.

These tools work by allowing you to enter a term related to your product or service and then generating a list of related keywords and phrases that people are searching for. They provide information on the monthly search volume for each keyword and its level of competition, allowing you to determine which keywords are the most valuable to target.

By identifying the language and terms that your audience uses when searching for information related to your product or service, you can create content that resonates with them and meets their needs. This can help improve your search engine rankings, drive traffic to your website, and increase conversions.

Here’s a short overview that compares some of the most popular free and paid SEO keyword research tools:

Each of these tools serves a unique purpose, and it’s important to choose the right one depending on your needs. Google Keyword Planner is great for beginners who are just starting with keyword research, while Ahrefs and SEMrush offer more advanced features for experienced SEO professionals. Answer the Public is useful for identifying question-based keywords, while Keyword Tool is great for finding platform-specific keywords. However, keep in mind that some of these tools may require a paid subscription for access to advanced features, and pricing can be quite high for some of the more comprehensive tools.

Creating content that addresses the pain points of your target audience.

When creating content for your small business, it’s important to understand what your audience is struggling with. You need to know their pain points and address them in your content. If you can create content that solves their problems, they’re more likely to engage with it and see you as a helpful resource.

For example, if I were a health and wellness coach, I might create content that addresses common issues my audience faces, like stress, lack of energy, or trouble sleeping. By providing solutions to these problems, I can establish myself as an authority in my field and build trust with my audience.

To hammer the point home: Always address and solve (the real) pain points in your content!

On a personal note, here goes nothing… When I first started writing, I used to think I was the bees-knees of product description writing. I mean, my writing was so good it could make a cardboard box sound like the next big thing. Or so I thought.

One day, I received a call from a client, who was less than amused. They had received zero sales from their fancy new product description that I had written for them. I felt a bit confused because, in my head, I had written the perfect product description.

But then after a bit of back and forth it hit me like a ton of bricks – I was addressing the wrong pain point. I had been writing product descriptions that were so abstract and flowery, they had no actual useful information. What a mistake!

So, I regrouped, rewrote, and re-targeted my approach. I started addressing the real pain points that their customers were facing, and lo and behold, the sales started moving. It was like night and day. I learned then to make sure to always double-check and ensure that I’m addressing the correct pain points!

Here’s how I narrow down pain points:

1. Customer Needs: This includes understanding the specific needs, wants, and desires of the customer. Identifying what their pain points are, and what challenges they face will help businesses focus on meeting those needs.
2. Customer Demographics: This involves gathering information on the customer’s age, gender, location, education, and income. This information helps businesses understand who their customers are and what their preferences may be.
3. Customer Behaviour: This element includes understanding the actions and behaviours of customers, such as how they use the product or service, how they interact with the business, and what motivates them to make a purchase.
4. Customer Feedback: Feedback from customers is valuable in understanding what they are happy with and what needs improvement. This information can be gathered through surveys, reviews, and social media.

When these elements are combined, you can gain a clear understanding of your customers’ pain points and develop solutions to address them. The pain point itself should be the focus, with the other elements surrounding it and overlapping to create a holistic understanding of the customer’s needs and preferences.

Tips for Creating High-Quality Content.

So, now that we’ve got a better understanding of our target audience and their pain points, it’s time to tackle the challenge of creating content that really speaks to them. I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks that will help take your content from average to outstanding.

Strategies for organizing and structuring content.

It’s not just about writing words and hitting the publish button. You need to think about how you structure and organize your content to keep your audience engaged. One way to do this is by using headings and subheadings to break up your content into easily digestible sections.

You can also use bullet points and numbered lists to make your content more skimmable. Another strategy is to use transitions and flow to guide your reader from one section to the next, making it easier for them to follow along.

Trust me, a well-organized and structured piece of content can make all the difference in keeping your audience hooked from start to finish.

Let’s clarify this a bit more…

An organized piece of content can have a significant economic impact on your business. By keeping your audience engaged and interested, the content can increase the likelihood of the audience taking action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service.

This can lead to increased revenue and profits for your business. In addition, by providing valuable and well-organized content, your business can establish itself as an authority in your industry, which can further enhance your reputation and attract more customers. Overall, investing in high-quality, well-organized content can have a significant, generous positive impact on the bottom line of your business.

Organized and structured content is like a well-built house. Without a solid foundation and well-planned structure, your house can easily collapse. Similarly, without a clear and organized structure, your content can easily lose your audience’s attention and fail to convert them into customers.

Best practices for writing in a clear and concise manner.

Being clear and concise is key. Less people want to read a piece of content that is filled with fluff and unnecessary jargon. My best practice for writing in a clear and concise manner is to keep your sentences short and sweet.

Don’t use five words when two will do the job just as well. Also, make sure to use simple language that your target audience can easily understand. Another important aspect of clear and concise writing is to avoid passive voice.

Passive voice is when you talk about something that happened to someone, but you don’t say who did it. So instead of saying “John baked the cake” (passive voice), you would say “The cake was baked by John” (active voice). It’s like talking about a present you got, but not saying who gave it to you. When we write, it’s usually better to say who did something, so people can understand better.

In terms of business benefits, writing in active voice can improve your content’s clarity, readability, and overall effectiveness. Clear and concise content helps your audience understand your message better, which in turn can increase their interest in your business and ultimately lead to higher conversion rates. Additionally, using active voice can make your content more persuasive and compelling, helping you to establish your brand as a trustworthy and authoritative source in your industry.

Here’s my checklist of best practices for clear content writing for your business:

1. Use simple and straightforward language: By using simple and straightforward language, you make your content easy to understand and accessible to a wider audience.
2. Keep sentences short: Short sentences are easier to read and understand than long, convoluted ones. This makes your content more engaging and less intimidating for your audience.
3. Use active voice: Active voice makes your content more direct and concise, helping you to get your point across more effectively.
4. Eliminate unnecessary words: Removing unnecessary words from your content makes it even more concise and easier to read. This helps your audience to stay engaged and understand your message more clearly.
5. Use bullet points and lists: Bullet points and lists help to break up long blocks of text and make your content more visually appealing. This helps your audience to stay engaged and retain the information you are presenting.
6. Use subheadings: Subheadings help to organize your content and make it easier to scan for important information. This makes your content more user-friendly and accessible.
7. Avoid jargon and technical language: Using jargon and technical language can alienate your audience and make your content difficult to understand. By avoiding these terms, you make your content more accessible and engaging.
8. Be consistent: Consistency is key when it comes to writing clear and concise content. Make sure your formatting, punctuation, and tone are consistent throughout your content.
9. Edit and revise: Always take the time to edit and revise your content. This can help you catch errors and ensure that your content is as clear and concise as possible.

Tips for incorporating multimedia elements into content.

Creating engaging content for your small business, using multimedia elements like images, videos, and infographics can make a huge impact. Multimedia elements help break up blocks of text, make your content more visually appealing, and provide another way to get your message across to your audience.

One tip for incorporating multimedia elements is to choose high-quality visuals that are relevant to your content and will resonate with your target audience. It’s also important to properly size and format your multimedia elements to ensure they display correctly across different devices and platforms.

Adding captions or descriptions to your visuals can also improve accessibility and make your content more inclusive. Lastly, be mindful of copyright laws and always give proper credit when using someone else’s visual content. Incorporating multimedia elements into your content can help your business stand out and keep your audience engaged.

The following chart is what I use to quickly understand the best uses of multimedia in content.

Measuring Content Performance.

Let’s face it, creating high-quality content is only part of the battle when it comes to achieving success for your business. Once you’ve created your content, you need to know how well it’s performing.

Are people engaging with it?

Are they sharing it?

Are they taking the actions you want them to take?

By tracking the performance of your content, you can gain valuable insights into what’s working and what’s not. This information can help you make data-driven decisions to improve your content strategy and ultimately drive better business results. Below, we’ll explore some of the key metrics you can use to measure the performance of your content, and how to use them to optimize your strategy.

The importance of tracking and measuring content performance.

Tracking and measuring the performance of your content allows you to see how well your content is resonating with your target audience and figure out ways to improve it. By tracking metrics like page views, time on page, bounce rates, and engagement rates, you can identify which pieces of content are most effective at driving traffic and conversions.

Information like this can help you optimize your content strategy, create more engaging content, and ultimately drive more sales for your business. Without measuring and tracking your content performance, you may be missing out on valuable insights that could make a significant impact on your business’s success.

Here’s a table that highlights many of the analytics and KPIs (key performance indicators) you can track, and use to improve you content marketing strategy.

These metrics and KPIs can help you track and measure the performance of your content and provide valuable insights into what’s working and what needs improvement. By regularly analyzing and optimizing your content and email marketing strategy based on these metrics, you can improve your business’s performance and achieve your marketing goals.

Tools and techniques for measuring the effectiveness of content.

One of the more well known tools you can use is Google Analytics, which allows you to track a range of metrics such as pageviews, bounce rate, and time on site, etc.

Another useful tool is social media analytics, which can tell you how many likes, shares, and comments your posts are getting. This information can help you understand which types of content resonate with your audience and which ones you should focus on creating more of.

You can also conduct surveys or polls to gather feedback directly from your audience, asking them about what they find helpful, what they don’t like, and what they’d like to see more of.

So what are the best tools to use, and under which circumstances?

As I’ve already mentioned Google, let’s start with that one:

1. Google Analytics: This is a free web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. It is a great tool for measuring online engagement, such as page views, unique visitors, bounce rate, and conversion rates.
2. SEMrush: This is a paid tool that provides analytics and insights into search engine optimization (SEO), social media, and advertising. It can help you identify your competitors’ most successful keywords and ad copy, as well as track your own rankings and performance.
3. Hootsuite Insights: This is a social media analytics tool that provides real-time monitoring of brand mentions, sentiment analysis, and audience demographics. It can help you track the success of your social media campaigns and identify areas for improvement.
4. Buzzsumo: This is a content marketing tool that helps you identify the most popular content in your industry by analyzing social shares and engagement. It can help you generate new ideas for your own content and identify influencers to collaborate with.
5. Hotjar: This is a website behavior analytics tool that provides heatmaps, session recordings, and surveys to help you understand how users interact with your website. It can help you identify areas for improvement in your website’s design and user experience.

These are just a few examples of effective tools for measuring content metrics. The best tool for your business will depend on your specific goals and needs. It’s important to choose a tool that provides the data and insights that are most relevant to your business, and use that information to make data-driven decisions to improve your content strategy.

Strategies for using data to improve content performance.

When we use data to improve our content performance, we can create even more engaging and effective content. One strategy is to track the most popular content and analyze the data to see what factors make it successful. We can then use this information to create similar content in the future.

Another strategy is to analyze the content that is not performing well and make improvements based on the data. We can also use data to identify trends and patterns in our audience’s behavior and preferences, which can help us tailor our content to better suit their needs.

Finally, we can use data to experiment with different variations of our content and see which performs best, allowing us to make data-driven decisions to improve our overall content strategy. By consistently analyzing data and using it to improve our content, we can achieve even better results and engage our audience in new and exciting ways.

Having said this, there are five key strategies that I’d suggest you consider:

1. Analyze audience behavior: By tracking how your audience interacts with your content, you can identify which pieces of content are most effective and which are not. This can help you tailor your content to better meet the needs of your audience and improve engagement. Best tool to use: Google Analytics, Mixpanel.
2. Identify top-performing content: By analyzing your most successful content, you can identify patterns and themes that resonate with your audience. This can help you create more targeted and effective content in the future. Best tools to use: Google Analytics, SEMrush, Ahrefs.
3. Experiment with different content formats: By analyzing how different types of content perform, you can determine which formats work best for your audience. For example, you may find that your audience responds better to video content than blog posts or infographics. Best tools to use: Google Optimize, Optimizely, VWO.
4. Use A/B testing: By testing different variations of your content, such as different headlines or calls to action, you can determine which versions perform better. This can help you optimize your content for maximum engagement. Best tools to use: Monetate, Dynamic Yield.
5. Continuously measure and analyze: By regularly measuring and analyzing your content performance, you can identify trends and make adjustments to your content strategy as needed. This can help you stay ahead of the curve and ensure that your content remains effective and relevant to your audience. Best tools to use: Google Analytics, Hotjar, Crazy Egg.

FAQ.

Conclusion.

Creating engaging content is crucial for small businesses looking to connect with their target audience and stand out in today’s competitive market. Developing a content strategy, crafting engaging content, and measuring performance are all essential components to achieving success in content marketing.

By defining the purpose and goals of a content strategy, conducting research to identify target audience needs and interests, and identifying the types of content that will resonate with the target audience, small business owners can ensure that their content is both relevant and engaging.

Crafting engaging content involves understanding the importance of headlines and titles, writing for the target audience, and addressing their pain points. Additionally, following tips for creating high-quality content, such as organizing and structuring content effectively, writing in a clear and concise manner, and incorporating multimedia elements, can further enhance the effectiveness of your content.

Measuring content performance is equally important and requires the use of tools and techniques such as Google Analytics, Mixpanel, SEMrush, and Ahrefs, etc. By analyzing data and using strategies to improve content performance, small business owners can continue to refine and optimize their content for maximum impact.

As a freelance writer, I also specialize in creating blog content that fits your inbound content marketing strategy and tailored to your specific niche and the silos you use. If you already have AI-generated content, don’t worry. I offer an AI text rewriter service that can humanize the text and make it more engaging for your audience. Contact me today to learn more about how I can help your inbound content marketing strategy succeed!