Writing effective content marketing is akin to being a tightrope walker. The writer must satisfy the almighty algorithm with the right number of keywords, effective meta descriptions, useful backlinks, well-structured internal links, and an ideal word count — among other essentials.
But a blog can’t just be a dry list of keywords to shoot to the top of web searches — it must also satisfy potential customers with accurate information written compellingly. This combination is the tightrope that content marketing must tiptoe across.
Why Solid Writing Matters In Content Marketing
Let’s say you’re in the business of making furniture. You know how to build a sturdy, attractive chair, and there are various skills and bits of information that are necessary to make that chair possible.
Knowledge about different kinds of wood, which tools to use, which brands of tools are best, how to apply a finish to the chair, how to upholster the seat, and many other proficiencies all combine to make you able to build what you build.
It’s this information that could make for a compelling blog that would not only be instructive for fellow builders but would demonstrate to customers that you would be the ideal person to build them a chair.
This expertise-sharing is the breeding ground for content marketing. Before the internet, if a builder wanted to share their experience to draw in customers, they would have had to rely on in-person networking at events and shows, mailouts, columns in newspapers or magazines, and many other expensive, time-consuming marketing techniques.
In today’s digital age, a chair-builder could craft a blog (or hire someone else to do the actual writing) and take advantage of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to get the same reach.
Why Hire an Outside Writer
You might think, “Shouldn’t the builder write the blogs about chairs themselves?” To answer that, let’s look at commercials — specifically the ones made for TV or online video platforms.
How often do CEOs of companies act as spokespeople for their own businesses? It’s pretty rare, right? And even when it does happen, there are high-profile examples of failures when they try (look at DaimlerChrysler AG head honcho Dieter Zetsche and his derided “Dr. Z” ads).
The point is that when you want effective content marketing, hiring someone who specializes in crafting messages is best.
Content Lasts
Talented content writers are necessary because blogs, columns, and articles will probably be accessible for years if not decades. When a master carpenter writes a column for a newspaper, that will be seen once and then maybe never again. But a blog on a website can stay there for as long as the website exists.
When someone does a web search for the terms that bring up that blog in the search results, search engines make that blog look as fresh as the day it was written. The reader might not even notice that it’s five or ten years old.
All this is to say that if there’s a mistake in the copy, the blog is somewhat dull to read, or the content otherwise fails to satisfy the reader’s needs, that blog is there forever as a testament to why good writing matters.
The chair builder would hire a writer who can take the essential ideas and make them compelling so that as the blog is revisited over time, it still holds up.
Writers Stay Current
One advantage to digital content marketing is that it can also be updated. Whether chair-building techniques have changed, certain woods are longer legal to use, or doctors discover that a particular widely used varnish is a carcinogen, an old blog article can be updated to reflect the changing times.
Writers spend their time writing. They need to be up-to-date on current trends in content length, tone, and SEO techniques. Instead of the carpenter going in and making their own edits to their blogs, they can get a better return by hiring a writer to make new blogs about these changes and graft them seamlessly into old blogs.
Customers Want a Personable Voice
Let’s go back to the concept of spokespeople for a second. Why does everyone know the Geico Gecko, the Pillsbury Doughboy, the Michelin Man, and others? It’s because they give a face to a faceless entity.
Content marketing works very much the same, except instead of a cartoon mascot, it gives a voice to the business — one that can speak directly to a customer. People want relationships; they want voices they trust.
When customers can identify with a particular voice, that builds trust, great content marketing is almost like creating a character. Every piece of branding, every blog, and every ad must have a consistent, personable voice that gives identity to the business. This work is a task at which expert writers excel.
Great Writers Know What Not to Write
Writers live and die by their words. They live in the realm of ideas and sharing information. As such, they edit. They edit a lot. This editing isn’t just to refine the copy to make it flow well and ensure that it’s properly communicating ideas and concepts — it’s also to avoid writing something harmful.
Unfortunately, there are many stories of business owners who make posts on social media that end up hurting their image because they didn’t think through the ramifications of their words.
Is it possible for a writer to make such a mistake and cause a company to suffer backlash? Yes, of course — writers are human, too. The difference is that it’s far rarer because of the nature of how they approach writing.
Again, the reason that a business hires a writer in the first place is that the business knows and understands its business, but a writer knows how to communicate effectively about a business. Everyone has their area of expertise.
Get Visible with Content Marketing by Hiring Great Writers
At Get Visible, writing is our area of expertise! We’ve honed our craft through research, education, and hard work. Our team knows how to create a compelling message to get the attention that leads to sales. If you’re ready to jump into the world of content marketing and get visible, contact Get Visible today!
