Attract Customers Like a Flower Beckons Bees
How to Capture Readers with Well-Written Marketing Content
You want to attract new customers to your business. Before you can do that, you need to make them curious enough to ask more questions about your merchandise. How do you do that?
According to John Jantsch, content marketing has to have three characteristics to get and nurture the interest of prospective customers. Here are the three qualities that copywriting content needs:
1. Entertainment Value
Everyone loves it when they read intriguing and fun articles. Business content has to have that quality to attract attention. You have to be engaging in the way you write to be successful in generating awareness from your target audience. If you write long winded sentences with unrelated paragraphs, viewers will not finish reading your content.
First of all, business marketing content doesn’t have to be long. In fact, it needs to be short yet concise enough to ensure that your readers’ attention will not wander in the middle of the article. Web readers have notoriously low attention spans. If they have to scroll down the page more than three times, they might open another tab and get lost in whatever they’re browsing next.
Need to write unavoidably long articles? Break up the content with subheadings. These subheadings would act like signposts to help your readers realize where they are while reading your piece. It is also better to write only about the main topic. Subtopics that need to be discussed longer can be hashed about in a new article.
Use simple words instead of complicated ones. It is all right to utilize ‘dictionary words’ from time to time, especially when the occasion calls for it. But using them in almost every sentence will just alienate your readers, especially if they have to consult the thesaurus every so often. Web content requires articles that can be read fast. If readers need to find a dictionary to understand what you are trying to convey, then you have to look for simpler words to get your message across.
Strike up a conversational tone. Writing as if you’re talking to your audience; it would make them feel as if you’re just in front of them speaking. This is better for customer engagement than writing in a formal manner like those we see in official documents. Instead of writing about industry news all the time, why not ask their feedback about your business? Or better yet, ask which products they want your store to carry? This would not only generate business ideas but also help customers have a hand in making you grow. It will also strengthen your existing customer relationships.
A call-to-action statement is also important. This should appear as your last statement or somewhere in the middle of your business marketing copy. Once you’ve captured the interest of your audience, sentences like “Come and like our Facebook page,” or “Call us for more information,” will be more effective.
2. Strategy
To get customers to call or visit your store, you need to create content that would tell them you have the products they need. This means you have to find out what benefits your products and services can bring to your customers. This approach works for any type of merchandise. Selling chocolate? Describe the delicious sensation of chocolate melting in your mouth. Cars? Make your customers visualize the convenience of owning their own ride and going to places they want to visit. Insurance? Emphasize the peace of mind your customers could have if they know that their personal properties are properly insured against loss or damage.
But what about specialty-niche businesses like portable toilet rentals or business-to-business solutions like excavating services? How do you market them? Think why you are offering these products or services in the first place. Why do your clients need such products? List all the characteristics your merchandise has and how you can turn these into benefits. To further illustrate, here’s an example about an ice cream shop:
See the differences? Features are shorter and don’t really mean anything because other ice cream shops are sure to offer the same features. Entice your customers through creative explanations on how they can benefit from your own products and services. Well-written content like this can entice them to come to your store and sample the delights you offer.
3. ‘Shareable’ Quality
What are the characteristics of shareable quality?
- The article has to have a catchy title. Posts usually appear only with the title and a snippet of your article below it. Create a title that would immediately capture the attention of your readers. A boring and long title can turn them off and look for other things that would entertain them more.
- The content should be well-written. Words have to flow well into understandable statements that convey a message, which either agree with or shake up existing conventions.
- Your article has to be either funny or informative. People love humorous content and articles where they can quickly learn something without spending too much time and effort.
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