The Essential Elements of Quality Content that Converts

by Content Marketing

When you’re putting in the time, effort and resources to create content, you want it to make an impact. You need your content to serve several purposes, but most importantly, it has to convert.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing generates 3x more the amount of leads than paid search advertising. However, bringing in those leads isn’t enough. To build your business’s success, leads need to convert into buyers. Taking your audience from readers and viewers to paying customers requires a strategy and content that contains these essential elements:

Enticing Headlines

A killer headline catches the reader’s eye and grabs their attention immediately. It can be the key to getting people to click. You could have an amazing blog post filled with valuable, insightful information, but a dull headline can cause your audience to skip right over it. Here are some tips to generate strong headlines for your content:

  • Use power words

Choose words that evoke strong emotions. Outbrain finds that negative words like “worst” and “never” generate more engagement than positive words.

  • Include numbers

Numbers continually prove to be one of the most effective elements of clickable headlines. Designing your post as a list makes it attractive to readers since they’re easy to scan and digest.

  • Be bold

Don’t be afraid to get a little bold with your headlines. Some great ways to think outside of the box are by asking a question or adding a sense of curiosity. Just be sure that your headline is an accurate reflection of the post topic so that you aren’t misleading your audience.

  • Build urgency

Create a sense of urgency that compels the reader to click to find out more. Words like “Hurry!”, “Now”, and “Today” grab attention and drive people to click.

Strong Call to Action

One of the most basic elements of good marketing is using a call to action to get your target market to do whatever it is that you want them to do, whether that’s subscribing, enrolling, or purchasing. Your call to action should be:

  • Clear

Make your CTA stand out by changing the font or color so that it’s different from the rest of the text. Make sure that the action you’re encouraging reflects the content on the page.

  • Concise

Be direct and to the point, telling your audience exactly what you want them to do. Use a single word or a short phrase.

  • Immediate

Don’t bury your CTA in the middle of a post. Make it immediately clear, placing it above the fold so that readers don’t have to scroll to find it.

Easy to Read Formatting

Millions of marketers are competing for attention online today, so the ease of readability can be the key to getting your audience to actually look at your content instead of someone else’s. There are a few simple ways to ensure that your content formatting is easy to read:

  • Use subheadings

Subheadings break up the content and let readers know what to expect to find in the paragraph. As they’re scanning, they can easily find the specific bits of information they want.

  • Keep paragraphs brief

When it comes to blog posts, shorter paragraphs are preferred. They’re easier on the eyes and they keep readers scrolling. Stick to just a few sentences per paragraph.

Conversational Tone

Think about your brand’s voice as you’re creating content. Strike a conversational tone so that your audience feels like they’re hearing from a friend. Avoid technical jargon or academic style writing that can confuse readers.

Tight Focus on a Topic

Finally, make sure that every piece of content you create has a single, tight focus on the topic at hand. Long, meandering material can overwhelm and confuse readers. It’ll make it harder for them to follow and to remember what they were reading about in the first place.

  • Choose one point

Pick one point and stay on it. Emphasize it and write each paragraph to support your chosen idea.

  • Avoid distractions

Going off on unrelated tangents can distract and confuse readers, and they’ll lose the thread quickly. Maintain your focus and give your audience valuable, useful info. You can always expand on other points in related content.

Creating quality content that converts is easier than you may think. By including these essential elements, you’ll be able to grab your audience’s attention right away and compel them to act. At the same time, your content provides your target market with valuable insight and information that helps them in the buying process.

Need to learn more? Contact us today and find out more about how to effectively create content that converts leads into customers!