Attracting clients online calls for compelling content. Us these three tips to create messages that make visitors say yes.
Marketing online is all about content. Websites have designs and images but ultimately must send a strong message to readers.
Online Marketing Requires Compelling Content
Compelling content will inspire online readers to take some action. One way to create content is to imagine that visitors to a website or blog are arriving with three questions in mind:
- Whether this service professional understands their problem and feels their pain
- Whether the professional service works with clients who resemble them demographically as well as psychologically.
- Whether the service provider is the best resource to help currently
Ingredients of Compelling Content
Contents
Storytelling.
Another way to create content is to tell stories. Stories can be about the business owner’s history. For example, a business owner who is a dog trainer may have grown up with dogs since the age of five. This business owner might add stories about problem dogs who were helped with special techniques.
Edge.
Compelling content might also include edgy copy. There are many definitions of edgy copy. It is easiest to think of copy with an edge as the difference between tomato juice and vodka and a perfectly mixed bloody mary.
Authenticity.
Business owners can also strive for content that comes across as genuine, not a cookie-cutter page straight from the hype factory. This approach resembles talking to a good friend in a coffee shop or neighbourhood bar.
It is tempting to use strong language in copywriting to add a touch of “edge.” Business owners can write their content or hire a professional agency to do it or them, so they sound just like Tony Soprano of the famous HBO television series.
Business owners might want to test their audiences before applying these strong examples of controversial language. It is also possible to be authentic with the opposite language style: feminine, sorority style as in, “Hey girlfriend…” It is also possible to sound authentic when using ultra-technical language.
Surprise.
Another ingredient of compelling content might be surprised. To apply surprise, think of readers who have just clicked through ten, twenty, or even fifty websites. They may stop when they arrive at an entirely different site. Perhaps the headline throws out a fact that is not commonly known. Or maybe the layout, image, and colours are not typical for the industry.
Specifics.
Another way to create compelling content is to present specific examples. Instead of discussing “canine massage on medium size dogs,” the marketer can discuss a specific breed of dog (or even an extremely specific dog) who benefited from a particular form of massage. A fitness consultant can present an example of a client who now races up a flight of stairs that left him puffing a month ago.
Multi-sensory.
Another technique involves getting the reader involved beyond the sense of sight or hearing. A mention of “chocolate chip cookies,” “fresh-brewed hot coffee,” or “walk along the beach on a clear morning” can invoke the reader’s senses of smell, taste, and even touch.