Content creation is the cornerstone of inbound marketing, offering invaluable rewards in search engine rankings. Crafting content that addresses user needs and questions establishes your website as a valuable, user-centric resource. This guide delves into creating high-quality, SEO-optimized content that engages customers and enhances your online authority, driving traffic and sales.
What is content creation?
By definition, content creation involves bringing to life through writing topics that are useful to a specific audience. This could be in the form of fictional literature or a clinical study. Nonetheless, the content creation process is varied, including generating topic ideas that speak to your target audience or buyer persona, deciding which type of content you want to create, formalizing a content strategy, and then producing your content.
In summary, content creation is the process of generating appealing topic ideas, creating written or visual content around those ideas, and making your materials and the information within it easily accessible to your audience.
Most content processes involve going through rounds of edits and getting approval from other stakeholders before making it accessible to the audience by publishing it on your website, social media, and other channels.
What is a content creator?
A content creator is someone who creates entertaining or informational materials for viewers. ‘Content creator’ especially pertains to people who make digital content since that’s where most content is consumed.
For businesses, a content creator can refer to the writer responsible for crafting newsletters, emails, brochures, articles, and company communications. It can also refer to marketers creating digital marketing materials, annual reports, and advertorials.
This, of course, just scratches the surface of what content creators do. In reality, the responsibilities of content creators vary depending on where they work and who their audience is.
Some tasks that content creators may perform include:
Brand Analysis:
The process of evaluating a brand or a competitor to determine their tone and voice, design style, strengths, weaknesses, and potential content strategies.
Content Ideation:
We brainstorm relevant and engaging content ideas to boost readership, brand awareness, and conversion rates.
Copywriting and research:
We generate a wide range of content types, including social media captions, long-form and short-form blog posts, then synthesize the data from research into a case study.
Visuals:
It is imperative to design or select relevant and eye-catching visuals to elevate content and help it gel with the brand’s persona. Visuals may also include creating videos for audiences on platforms like YouTube and TikTok.
Editing:
Catching flaws or typos, polishing deliverables, and editing video content.
Content SEO:
Applying the best SEO practices to content increases a brand’s visibility and helps the business rank on SERPs.
Content Creator vs. Content Marketer
There is very little difference when it comes to defining these two roles. Most of the time, their responsibilities overlap. Here’s an easier way to differentiate a content creator from a content marketer.
Content creators wield their digital pen to write content that answers customers’ questions and caters to the needs of their clients. They are brand ambassadors offering solutions to the problems of existing and potential customers by creating significant content assets that are error-free, research-backed, and give value to your audience.
Content marketers are also well-versed in writing pieces and creating content to answer customers’ queries. However, content marketers come with a focus on execution. They identify the audience’s desires and how the information can be delivered to users. So, in addition to being great writers, content marketers are also well-versed in understanding consumer research and data analysis to identify target audiences and the types of content that fit the demographics.
What is content SEO?
To understand what content marketers mean by content SEO, it will be helpful to break down the phrase into two parts:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing a website to make it more visible to users performing queries on search engines like Google
- Content refers to any information that lives on and can be consumed on the web
Putting these two concepts together, content SEO refers to creating content that helps your website rank higher in search engines. Content SEO also covers the writing and structuring of content on your website.
Before producing content, there are three elements that content creators consider: keyword research, the structure of the website, and copywriting.
Benefits of content creation: By the numbers
Here are the most interesting content marketing statistics you should know.
- 60% of marketers said content marketing helped them generate demands and leads. Additionally, 60% said having content helped them build loyalty with existing customers. (Content Marketing Institute, 2020)
- The primary form of marketing media created in 2021 was video, followed by blog posts, and then infographics. (HubSpot, 2021)
- 81% of marketers said content is part of their core business strategy. (Content Marketing Institute, 2021)
- Content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing and generates up to 3 times as many leads. (Demand Metric)
- 68% of online experiences start with the search engine. (Brightedge, 2019)
Types of Content
You and your marketing team can utilize plenty of content methods to nurture all of your audience segments and attract more potential customers. Let’s break down the basic content types commonly used today.
Blog Posts / Articles
Blog posts are perhaps the most dominant form of content available on the web. Well-written and detailed articles can offer a great deal to your audience, drive lots of organic traffic to your site, and significantly increase brand awareness.
Long-form blog posts also allow brands to match up to popular queries on search engines relevant to their audience by giving readers the answers to their questions or educating them about concepts.
Your blog posts and articles can either be short-form or long-form, typically ranging anywhere between 300 to 2,000 words. However, according to the Search Engine Journal, the optimal length is around 1,600 words.
White Papers, eBooks, and Reports
While blog posts are geared toward your audience, other forms of content, such as white papers, eBooks, and reports, are made to promote an in-depth level of expertise and industry knowledge. One good example would be an eBook discussing the “top 10 productivity secrets of successful marketers.”
If you’re planning on writing white papers, eBooks, or reports, remember that this type of content tends to reach 3,000 to 5,000 words and is commonly downloadable in PDF.
Podcasts
Ten years ago, very few people listened to podcasts. However, this type of content boomed in 2018. Now, more than 29 million podcast episodes are available on airwaves, with at least 132 million listeners in 2022, per a graph from Statista.
Podcasts are engaging and personable, making it a smart idea for businesses to jump on the bandwagon. Podcasts are also a great way to reach and educate users about your product and brand ideas. Even people who do not enjoy reading can enjoy podcasts as it allows them to consume content passively. For example, they can listen to a podcast while driving or working but can’t do these things when reading an article.
Email Newsletter
Email newsletters are the “bread and butter” of businesses consistently pushing out new products, updates, or information to their audience. This is because emails are short and “on point,” which means they are easier to create consistently than other types of content.
Many emails get sent directly to a person’s spam folder and, eventually, the trash. To avoid this, give your emails meaningful headlines that make your readers click.
Nurturing Campaigns
Much like newsletters, nurturing campaigns are sent to the readers’ emails. However, unlike newsletters, content for nurturing campaigns is designed to help marketers gather data about recipients that would help speed up the buying process.
For example, some brands send a follow-up email to a customer who has interacted with their website and submitted their email address in a form. If the customer does not respond within two weeks, they will receive another follow-up letter where a marketer can offer advice or help.
Nurturing campaigns are more personable than the traditional newsletter approach, as you can customize marketing funnels depending on where your customer is at in the buyer’s journey.
Videos
Businesses of all shapes and sizes have created video content to boost their brand. And why not? In the United States alone, 75 million people watch an online video on a daily basis, according to Impact Plus. That is a lot of opportunity lost if you decide not to make video content for your business.
One reason that videos are now one of the most popular forms of content is that they are available on multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, computers, personal computers, and TVs. Flashing visuals, especially faces, connect with the average reader much more than text can. Furthermore, viewers are more likely to finish a 30-second video clip than a 5,000-word article.
If you’re hesitant about the impact of a 30-second video, businesses worldwide also create live videos, a type of digital content that allows you to build engagement with your audience in real time. Facebook’s research found that people engage with live videos at least three times as long as other content.
Thought Leadership
If there’s anything people love more, it’s hearing from subject experts. Content like thought leadership allows readers to gain a source of information that they can trust, no matter what subject they’re researching.
One way to maximize thought leadership content is by conducting or publishing interviews with leaders in your field to get helpful information. In addition to interviews, you can get an expert to do a guest post for your site where they give their point of view on a particular topic.
Thought leadership content can be done in many forms, such as blog posts and podcasts or visual content like videos or webinars.
Infographics
Infographics are interesting visual representations of information and statistics, making it easier for readers to consume numbers and facts. In fact, an analysis by Business 2 Community found that consumers are 30 times more likely to entirely consume content if it is an infographic versus a long-form article.
Content creation companies also love creating infographics, partly because they’re quick to make but also because they can pack a powerful punch.
There are a lot of free tools and paid content creation tools that agencies and digital marketing experts use to help you create infographics, including Canva and PiktoChart.
How-Tos
How-to guides are one of the most popular and consumed short-form and long-form content types. An analysis by Google found that “how to” queries have increased by 140% over the past 15 years.
A comprehensive guide related to your niche can be handy on your website, even if it’s just about boiling an egg. If you play your cards right and put in the information the people need to learn, your how-to guide could quickly go viral within your industry.
Like thought leadership content, how-to guides can be made in many forms, including videos, long-form articles, and infographics. What’s important is that it’s easy to digest.
Social Media Posts
Undoubtedly, social media posts should be part of any content marketing strategy. Over the past years, social media has become a brand-focused search engine. Research conducted by Smart Insights found that 48% of consumers purchase products when the brand is engaged and responsive on their social media pages.
To support the growth of social media marketing, platforms have also released new features that businesses can use to engage with their followers further.
For example, on Instagram, you can create stories that include polls and Q&A submissions for your viewers. Instagram has also allowed brands to embed product links on their published posts and stories, making it easier for customers to purchase.
Be sure to keep your social media page only somewhat promotional. A data report from Sprout Social found that customers are more likely to “unfollow” pages that only try to sell them stuff.
Content Creation Process: Content Ideation
Ideas for your content come from a variety of places. Sometimes, it can come from your team or stakeholders; other times, it can come from questions or feedback that you may have received from your customers. Deciding the angle you should take on a topic can be challenging and overwhelming, depending on your goal.
To help you get started on creating a potential hit piece, here are a few methods you can use.
How do you generate content ideas?
- Conduct keyword research
Keyword research can help you discover what topics your target audience is interested in or discussing. It also prompts you to cover related issues that may have come to mind after taking this step. - Solicit customer feedback
Asking your customer for feedback will give you a great idea of where you have a gap in your content. Customers will often have unanswered questions about your product or brand. Creating content around those questions will have a meaningful effect on your existing customers and may attract potential consumers. - Understand your customer
Putting yourself in your audience’s shoes will allow you to find engaging, interesting, and helpful content. One easy way of understanding your customers is by checking out sites like Quora to find out topics people are asking about in your industry. - Brainstorm with your team
If you’re stuck with no idea, brainstorming with your team could prove effective. For instance, your customer support team can give you insight into the day-to-day problems that your consumers have. Your sales team knows the solutions that your customers need from you. - Investigate your competitors
While researching keywords and brainstorming can be fruitful, you are responsible as a business owner or marketer always to be aware of the topics your competitors are writing about in your space. Identifying what your competitors are writing about will help you determine how best to approach an issue that would differentiate your brand and identify gaps in their content strategy.
How do you plan a content calendar?
Consistency in creating and publishing content is the key to any marketing strategy. However, the rate at which you post content will depend on the expectations of your audience. If you’re just building your brand, it’s best to begin publishing at a pace you can reasonably stick to.
Once you’ve established a pace you can follow, you will want to create an editorial calendar to help you visualize a schedule and plan for each phase of your content creation process.
Your content calendar ‘must have’s’ are the following necessary information:
- Title of content
- Type of content
- Publishing date
- Current status
Several content creation tools and templates could help you create content ideas and a calendar. We’ve listed a few tools.
- Content research tools – Google Trends, BuzzSumo
- Search Engine Optimizations (SEO) tools – MarketMuse, SEMrush
- Content planning and management – AirTable, HubSpot
- Analytics – Google Analytics, Kissmetrics
- Social media tools – BuzzSumo, HootSuite
- Content creation tools – Google Docs, Unicheck
- Email tools – Mailchimp, Pardot
However, note that you can have some types of tools listed
Content Creation Process: Creating Content
Creating content can quickly be done by sitting in front of a computer and typing away. However, creating high-quality content takes time and effort. With a lot of content now available online and offline, it’s more important than ever to make good branded content and set yourself apart from your competitors.
Here are three high-level reminders that would help you through the process of writing content.
Be authentic
Customers know when you’re trying to sell them your products or working to help them. It can also come across as disingenuous if you try to pretend like you have no ulterior motive.
As a matter of fact, you’re on our page now because we used keywords about content creation that led you to come here. While we also want to sell you our service, we created this web page because we WANT to give you tips about making content and boosting your sales.
Tell Your Customers a Story
Storytelling is and will always be an essential component of good content, regardless of whatever content form you decide to create. When creating content, consider highlighting your brand’s journey or how your company has changed consumers’ lives. Find something that makes your business unique, relatable, and personable, and share it with your target audience.
Define Your Content Marketing Goal
Before you begin putting pen on paper, you must determine why you’re making a certain content without determining a strong “why,” your content will fall flat.
Content Creation Process: Publishing
It’s time to put it on your website or send it to your email subscribers. While the content creation is entirely written, effective content does not end with publishing.
The final and arguably most important step in content creation is analysis. You should track several data points to determine whether your content is effective.
Here are some metrics you can track:
Page Views
How many users visit your content daily, weekly, and monthly? For most types of content, a “views” metric shows how often readers have viewed your content and how many unique users have done so.
Organic Traffic
Organic traffic refers to the amount of unpaid traffic from search engines like Google. This type of traffic increases your ranking on search engines.
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate refers to the percentage of visitors who leave your website after only visiting one page. It is an important metric to measure as it can let you know that people are interested in your posts, but the content needs to be more satisfying to keep them on your website.
Time On Page
Time on the page refers to the amount of time a user spends on your page. These numbers will show whether readers stay on your page long enough to read the post, consume the content, or leave within the first five minutes.
Conversion Rates
Conversion rates refer to the number of people who engage with your call-to-action (CTA). This could be filling out a form on your website or taking a content offer.
Should you hire a content creation agency?
Now that we’ve covered the basics of content creation, we’ll discuss why hiring a content creation agency could be the best choice for your business.
Content creation is the single most time-consuming responsibility for marketers and business owners. When you break down the day-to-day workflow of successful brands, creating great content will likely be their chief responsibility.
You will spend a lot of time creating content if you want it to be great—time you may need for other aspects of your business. This is part of why a company like Create Venue exists. The other part is the subtleties of posting content while avoiding flags, ensuring backlinks read correctly regarding on-page content, anchor text regulations, and a plethora of other crucial minutiae.
While it might seem daunting to let someone else create your brand’s voice, there are many benefits to allowing a content marketing company like CreateVenue to develop and deliver fully optimized content for you.
We’re SEO Experts
Here at CreateVenue, we understand how Google works and how best to position an article to rank on the top pages of the SERP. We know that creating content isn’t just about including a keyword; it’s also about using proper headers and related keywords, creating meta tags, and formatting images.
We Take Content Creation Off Your Shoulders!
When you have a lot on your plate, finding consistent blocks of time to write, edit, and publish content on your brand’s website can be challenging. When you hire a content creation agency, you’re allowing experts to focus on your content, regularly update your blood, and work on boosting your rankings.
We Know How to Reach Your Target Audience
In the entertainment world, a saying goes, “All PR is good PR.” The phrase “all traffic is good traffic” does not apply in content writing.
In other words, you can write content that ranks, but that won’t necessarily translate to a booming business. If your content attracts traffic but not your target audience, it’s better not to publish it altogether.
We know how to perfectly marry your brand’s voice and consumer psychology to reach your target audience and give them the solutions they need to address pain points. By doing so, your traffic will increase, and you’ll begin creating a loyal customer base.
Take Your Content To The Next Level?
DIYing your content creation strategy may seem easy to save money. However, hiring our service to manage your content and overall SEO will get you more than just well-written articles.
Our team prides itself in providing deliverables that ensure you have a steady stream of high-quality content tailored to attract your target audience.
We’d love to connect with you for an introductory meeting to explore what a partnership with CreateVenue could look like for your brand. Contact us today!
