If you’re a complete beginner when it comes to content marketing, it can sometimes feel like you’re fumbling in the dark. After all, it’s a completely different playing field compared to more traditional methods of marketing, so it can be difficult for many to grasp the benefits of content writing, let alone what it all means.
As a relatively new arm of digital marketing, there’s certainly no rulebook for content marketing, which can make it seem like you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall – but your pasta-throwing days are over.
In this guide for absolute beginners, we’ll explain what content writing for business is, the core advantages of content writing, and how you can get the most out of it for your business – including those all-important SEO considerations.
Ready to go? Then let’s dive right in.
What is content writing?
If you've ever wondered what is online writing and its benefits, then it all starts with understanding the process of content writing.
Put simply, content writing is the act of writing the words which populate your company’s website. Generally speaking, content is crafted by either a copywriter or a dedicated content writer, and it’s used in all sorts of places.
Here are just a few uses of content writing:
- static website pages
- blog posts
- product descriptions
- email campaigns
In essence, content writing is designed to deliver the message of your business, whether that be an explanation of your history on an ‘About Us’ page or the latest news in a fresh blog post. Unlike “traditional” copywriting in the advertising space, content writing isn’t always about selling a product, it can also be focused on informing visitors and raising brand awareness. But no matter what type of content writing you employ, it all comes down to quality – let’s find out why.
4 benefits of content writing for business
If your business has ever built a website, sent an email, published a blog post or listed a product, you’ve produced written content. Therefore it's fairly clear that businesses need content so they can do the basic job of selling. But the benefits of content writing for businesses go beyond that.
Let’s go into a little more depth about each of the benefits of high-quality content writing for your business:
1. You’ll boost your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
For as long as digital marketing has been around, so too has SEO – and it’s not always been a smooth ride. Many people see SEO as something tricky and elusive, requiring endless funds being poured into expensive agencies to get results, but nothing could be further from the truth.
By employing a quality SEO copywriter to write your web content, you can quickly and easily see a boost to your search rankings. From the back-end elements like page titles and meta-descriptions to the on-page SEO like optimising your static content, SEO content writing is truly effective – and it doesn’t have to break the bank.
2. Good content boosts sales and leads
Whether you’re a service-based business or an ecommerce site, your goal is the same: to gain conversions. A conversion for you might be a prospect requesting more info about your business, or a direct sale of your product, but whatever the case, content writing is a key part of the process.
With great content writing on your website, you’ll be able to convince visitors that your business is worth their time and money. By focusing on the unique solutions you offer, and by showcasing them in a compelling way with your content writing, you can see your conversions skyrocket.
3. You’ll define your brand’s voice
Whether you know it or not, every business has a voice. And if you’ve put no time or resources into your content writing, there’s a good chance that yours is fairly inconsistent.
One of the best things about deploying great content writing is that it gives your business a voice in the world. This could be via regular blog posts, or even something as simple as your social media updates, but whatever the case, your company’s tone of voice will offer a sense of consistency to your brand and make customers engage more readily with you.
4. Regular content gives visitors a reason to come back
Retention and customer churn can be a big challenge for many businesses, with customers purchasing just once and never again – even if there’s a larger product range. It’s not practical to expect customers to want to give you repeat business if they don’t have a reason to, and it’s here that great content writing can help you.
With consistent content creation that offers genuinely useful, informative and maybe even entertaining content (hey, why not?), published via channels like your company blog and social media profiles, you position yourself as a trusted and indispensable voice among the competition. This is what gives power to a successful content marketing campaign, inspiring customer loyalty and driving repeat business.
How to recognise good content writing (and bad)
The benefits of copywriting only really stack up when that content is good. You’ll no doubt have heard the phrase “content is king”, but how true can this be when everybody and their dog is writing content? This is a core challenge faced by any content marketer, but the reality is that quality content is what wins out.
But what does quality mean? Well, it’s true that the term’s use can be somewhat subjective, but you can usually discern good content writing from bad content writing in a few ways. Ask yourself these questions about any piece of content (including - or crucially - your own):
- Is the content engaging and fun to read?
- Does the content address your core question or query?
- Do the words flow naturally or does it feel like keywords have been artificially stuffed in?
- Does the content make you want to take action or engage with the business?
It’s these sorts of questions which will help you identify the best quality content and its benefits.
Bad content writing, on the other hand, is littered with poor grammar, spelling mistakes and awkward sentence structures. It also often lacks a clear and concise message or fails to deliver the intended purpose. The writing may be overly wordy, contain irrelevant information, or be presented in a confusing or disorganised manner.
It's not just about the technical aspects either. Pay attention to the tone and style of the writing. If it is overly promotional, sensational, or misleading, it may be considered bad content writing.
As you now know, a good piece of writing should engage the reader, convey information clearly and effectively, and inspire a positive response.
Benefits of content writing services
If you're looking for content writing for your business, then there are a number of benefits to using content writing services rather than trying to craft the copy yourself:
- written to a professional standard using tried and tested copywriting techniques
- tailored to your business need, brand and audience
- saves time and resources by outsourcing the researching, writing and editing of content
- improves the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) of a website by incorporating relevant keywords and phrases into the content
- increases the visibility and ranking of the website in search engine results, driving more traffic to the site
- builds trust with the audience and establish the client as an authority in their field
- increases brand recognition, customer loyalty and higher conversion rates
✏️Sound good? Then it’s time to get started with a content writing agency like Copify. Enquire today to find out how we can help your business grow.
Main image credit: Desola Lanre-Ologun