Hey, you with the online or brick-and-mortar business over there. We congratulate you on leaping (no matter how long ago that was) into entrepreneurship.
We know how much “chutzpah” it takes to save your money, gain investors, go into debt, and mortgage your time and peace of mind to build your dream and serve your audience.
Whether you’re a startup or a business veteran, keeping a steady line of customers engaged with your products and services will always be your biggest challenge.
And, in our everything-digital age, your content is your most potent connection to your audience, your customers, and your raving fans.
Today, we’re here to help you create content that converts. Of course, you can do this on your own — you’re probably amazing at all things marketing.
Read on for the top tips on rolling out the welcome mat with your evergreen web copy that will make you even more amazing.
When time is short and deadlines are many, consider Romain Berg your Content King for copy that converts to customers. Fill out our contact form today, and we’ll create a fully customized content strategy based on your unique brand voice and traffic goals.
Content tip #1: Clearly Define Your Audience
We’ve been throwing around the term “soulmate customers” lately. Sure, it’s a little woo, but also entirely relevant for your company’s growth. Here’s what we mean. When was the last time you asked yourself who you really, really, really want as a customer?
Sure, you may be able to quickly narrow your scope to “dairy farmers” or “plumbers in rural communities.” If you run a B2C operation, your audience may be “women who need haircuts” or “wedding planners and brides,” for example.
However, building an audience is a little like online dating. You have an excellent opportunity to set up your (customer) relationship preferences from the beginning.
Within your general audience target, get even more specific. This specificity will help you craft content that speaks reliably, conspiratorially, and also intimately to your desired customer base.
Also Read : How to Discover Your Brand Voice and Use it for Content that Converts
For example, you may have found that your precision farming app fills a gap for dairy farmers in a region plagued with flooding in recent years. Or, the hair care products you sell at your salon work exceptionally well on curly locks.
Boom. You now have a niche–a precise problem you solve for a targeted type of client. You can write about that! That is, after you create your buyer persona. Happily, that’s our next tip.
Content tip #2: Create detailed buyer personas
A buyer persona is an avatar for your ideal customer. You’ll probably have a few of these, but start with one and get some practice.
Creating a buyer persona is like constructing a customer from the ground up. Here are some criteria to get you started. The more detail you can include in your buyer personas, the more compelling content you’ll be able to produce:
- Physical demographics:
- Age
- Gender
- Shape
- Size
- Hair
- Skin
- Health markers
- Other physical descriptors
If you look at a company like Dove(™), you’ll notice they take great care in highlighting the beauty of many different physical markers. Dove is especially dedicated to making women with curves feel included and valued in their campaigns.
Their content emphasizes inclusivity and creates a strong sense of belonging and trust with their target buyer personas. They’ve done their homework.
- Cultural demographics:
- Ethnicity
- Religion,
- Cultural preference
Jet(™) and Essence(™) magazines are prime examples of targeted connection to People of Color. Their articles and advertising highlight a particular set of cultural preferences, and their readership comes from a historically loyal following on which they can rely.
You can also find great examples of cultural content in brands like Manischewitz(™) or Hebrew National(™). These companies know that a Kosher diet is essential to their audience, and they stand on their product quality in their content.
- Region
- Topography
- Climate
If your product or service is weather-dependent or climate/topography related, you’ll want to include those pain points in your buyer persona.
For a company like WeatherTech(™), maker of custom car mats, their buyer persona may look like this:
“Snowy Suzy”:
Woman wrapped in winter gear trying to herd her young children and dog into her 4×4 truck after hockey practice. Her kids and pooch are snowy, muddy, and wet. She needs a tool to cut down on dirt and grime during the long winter in her northern Minnesota town. She’s a suburban mom who wants only the best for her family, and her time and patience are spread thin.
Now that you’ve got the buyer persona bug; start building your customers, and then proceed to brand voice.
Content tip #3: Determine your brand voice
Within your buyer personas, there will exist several different personality traits. Particular customers will connect more authentically to your voice than others. That’s totally okay; in fact, you can and should capitalize on that affinity.
When crafting your content, you’ll need to choose a voice to use. Some examples include:
- Direct
- Humorous
- Light and fluffy
- Hard-hitting
- Data-based
- Sarcastic
- Conversational
- Analytical
- Inclusive
- Exclusive
You’ll likely have a blend of several brand voice criteria. It’s best to think about your company values, personality blend of your leadership team, or even just you as the owner.
How do you come across as a person? In your operations? In the public eye? How do you want to be seen as a brand?
Hint: if you’re coming up empty on this question, Romain Berg can help here. We feature a proprietary AI personality finder for all our clients. And our basic analysis is free.
If you’re curious, you can reach out here, and we’ll analyze a 3000-word sample of your existing copy or content. We’ll help you nail your brand voice.
Once you decide on the brand voice that fits you best, you can begin crafting your content.
Content tip #4: Befriend, don’t sell
“I love it when pushy websites and blog posts waste my time with constant sales pitches,” said no one ever.
Today’s customer wants to align with you because you’ll help them, not because your stuff is always on sale.
In your content, tell the story of your buyers. Include their pain points and triumphs. Let them know you’re on their side in many ways.
In the story you tell, your customer is the hero. You and your products are merely their helpers on the way to success.
Once you have several personas put together, you’ll have multiple stories to tell, which should keep you in content ideas for a long time to come.
Your content should solve your clients’ problems, help them use your products effectively, or in general, benefit their lives — for free.
Yep, the key to loyal customers is giving as much (or more) as you expect to get from your buyers.
People remember who helped them. Think of profitable content as a slow cooker rather than a microwave. It’s a long game filled with prosperous and functional relationships.
Your time and effort now will pay off in the long run as long as you are consistent, and your products serve a real need for your audience.
Also Read : 5 Reasons You Should Outsource Your Evergreen Business Content
Content tip #5: Ask (nicely) for action
After you’ve spent several paragraphs solving problems for your audience, ask them nicely to stay in touch with you. A strong, low-risk call to action (CTA) is the difference between someone taking your advice and running, or sticking around for more content and hopefully a sale.
CTA examples include:
- Signing up for a free trial
- Trying a free sample
- Subscribing to an email list (that you guard with your life)
- Receiving your e-book or pamphlet
- Receiving a free quote or discovery call
Content tip #6: Get seen and heard with SEO
Once you’ve created content that connects with your buyer personas, your audience has to find you. Enter Search Engine Optimization (SEO.)
Using relevant keywords in your articles and web copy, as well as Pay Per Click purchases for words and phrases, can help your content rise to the top of the Google search.
An excellent way to begin using keywords effectively is to create questions your audience may ask of you. These are called Long Tail Keywords and are often used by people ready to purchase as opposed to merely getting information.
One of the most effective ways to do this is to pull together a few of your real-life target clients or existing customers. Then ask them how they found you or what questions they asked that your product or service answered.
You can also research your competitors and their content to find out more about effective keywords to use in your articles.
Content tip #7: Stick with it
Content conversion does not happen overnight, but it does happen. When you continue to refine your voice, your messaging, your vocabulary, and your buyer personas, you will build and connect well with your audience. That is, assuming you’ve got a product or service that people want!
Combine your content with a strong, risk-free CTA and comprehensive SEO strategy, and you’ve got a conversion tool that will pay dividends in audience growth and sales down the line.
Further, if you find that your content approach isn’t achieving your conversion objectives, follow our last content tip. Here it is.
The last (and best) content tip: Hire a pro
With the myriad list of tasks on the to-do list of a busy owner, content creation should be the first task you outsource. Romain Berg is a full-service marketing agency.
We’ll create an omnichannel strategy, and quality content that converts, with the power of leading-edge SEO and proprietary AI brand voice analysis. Fill out our contact form today and let us build your conversions with customized content in your voice.
