What Is Content Writing? (+6 Tips To Write Engaging Content)
“Is content writing just making blogs and stuff?” Yes! But also, no.
The thing about content writing is it’s not JUST writing blogs. It encompasses other forms of content involving any sort of copy (we’ll dive into the different types later).
“Is it copywriting?” Kinda, but not really.
“Then what is it?” We get how this type of content marketing can be confusing, so allow us to explain everything there is to know about content writing.
In This Article:
What Is Content Writing?
Content writing is the process of writing and creating online content for digital marketing. It helps your business connect with your audience organically through digital media such as web, social media, and email.
It’s useful for showcasing your brand story, mission, values, and offerings in an engaging way. In a time when people are tired of seeing ads and being sold to, content writing strays from the practices of interruption marketing and reaches potential customers through valuable content.
A common question people ask is: is content writing the same as copywriting?
Short answer – no. The biggest difference between the two is copywriting aims to sell while content writing aims to educate and inspire.
Why is it important?
As a small business, we understand not everyone has the budget for ads. In addition, the internet is cluttered with content, and it can be hard to cut through all of the noise. Content writing solves both of these problems. It’s an effective yet cost-efficient marketing strategy to increase your online presence.
Plus, they help your business in several ways:
Drive more traffic
One of the critical aspects of content writing is SEO. Each content is optimized so that your page achieves the best rankings in the search engine. In fact, content marketing has proven to generate 3x more traffic than traditional marketing.
Increase brand awareness
Your website or social media content provides multiple avenues for people to discover your business. Increasing your internet real estate is valuable in making your brand known to many people.
Build trust and credibility
When you provide valuable information and engage with users, people will think highly of you. They’ll see you as a credible voice in your industry, leading to greater trust.
All of these benefits together will eventually lead to sales. It’s a powerful marketing strategy that will help you succeed in the short term and long term.
Types of Content Writing
Content writing occurs in many forms. Here are some of the most common and effective types of marketing writing.
Blog posts
Blogging is one of the most popular types on this list. It lets you share valuable “what is” or “how-to” content, which helps increase your credibility. In addition, optimized blog posts can drive a great amount of traffic.
Social media posts
Social media is all about communicating information that sparks engagement and conversation with your followers. Your tone should be a mix between education and entertainment – edu-tainment!
Email newsletters
Yes, emails are still relevant! This type of content allows you to connect with your audience directly. It’s an opportunity for you to send personalized content to leads with the potential of converting them into customers.
Ebooks
What better way to position your brand as an industry expert than with ebooks. They’re long-form content that provides insightful information about a specific topic within your industry.
White papers
Similar to ebooks, white papers are industry-specific reports that go in-depth about a specific problem and provide a solution to that problem. Think of them as research pieces.
Press releases
Press releases are official statements that businesses send out to news outlets. The goal is to promote or address something significant.
6 Tips for Engaging Content Writing
Now that you have a better understanding of what content writing is about, let’s explore how you can craft your own.
Make original content
Arguably the most important aspects that we value. You want your blog posts to ultimately come from your own mind. Plagiarism is a big no-no in content writing, and it even hurts your SEO.
So while it’s okay to do your research before discussing a topic, make sure that your writing comes from your original thoughts. Add your own commentary to it and explain the terms in your own words.
Write like how you talk
What makes marketing writing different from, for example, an academic paper is that you don’t have to write in a formal tone. If anything, using big SAT vocabulary and formal language makes you sound condescending, which is unappealing to the reader.
You’ll better connect with your audience if you write in a casual tone. Think of it like this: you’re not talking to your audience but rather with them. Make it feel as if you’re having a conversation with the reader. A conversational tone allows people to better connect with you and your content.
Use headers
Headers are titles that tell the reader what topic you’re discussing in a particular section of your content. They’re great for readability. Section headers allow readers to quickly navigate your page in order to find the information they were looking for.
Not only that, they play a role in improving SEO. Search engines use headers for context as to what your content is about, so they know how to rank your page.
Related Article: 11 Ways to Revamp Your Content Writing
Add multimedia elements
Visual elements such as images, videos, and infographics are great aids to your content. They’re a way of keeping your reader engaged. Visuals act as a complementary tool for helping readers comprehend your ideas.
So remember to sprinkle a couple of images and videos here and there to improve the value of your content writing.
Keyword optimize
Ensure that each piece of content focuses on ONE target keyword – a word or phrase that you want to rank for. Many sites make the mistake of aiming for multiple keywords, but that actually hurts your ranking. Also, adding the same keyword too many times is also detrimental to SEO, so be sure to run your blog post through a keyword density tool so that you’re using just the right amount.
Select one keyword or keyphrase that your blog posts touches on and optimize for it.
(Always) Include a Call-To-Action
Don’t let your efforts go to waste. Cap off every content with a call-to-action. Advise the reader on what they should do next. You can use it as an opportunity to promote your product/service or even send them to a related article.
CTA’s are designed to keep the relationship going between your business and the user.
Conclusion
In content marketing, “how you say it” is just as important as “what you say.” Remember that it’s all about communicating your message in a way that people can easily relate to. With a solid strategy, businesses, big and small, can harness the power of content writing to increase their brand awareness and sales.
Content writing is the bread and butter of People First Content. Our team of professional writers can help you craft engaging and optimized content that generates engagement and leads. Contact us to learn more!
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