Id33B5: Heidi Cohen's Practical Marketing Advice — New Blog Post

luni, 23 ianuarie 2012

Heidi Cohen's Practical Marketing Advice — New Blog Post

Heidi Cohen's Practical Marketing Advice — New Blog Post


21 Ways to Make Your Content Stand Out

Posted: 23 Jan 2012 02:00 AM PST

Pimp My Content

Everyone wants their content marketing to stand out from the crowd. What's a marketer to do to tart up their information to attract attention? Just because your subject is serious doesn't mean it can't use some makeup to look pretty and get noticed.

How do you take your plain Jane content and dress it up? Here are twenty-one tips to pimp your content.

  1. Add color to attract attention. Pique readers' interest with strategic use of color. This isn't a license to go overboard. More importantly, don't use a poor choice of colors that are either too loud or too subtle for your audience.
  2. Enhance your design Think in terms of overall look and feel. Use bullets, numbering and boxes like jewelry.
  3. Use fonts to accent your content. Selectively choose different fonts (but not too many) to add allure to your information like a pair of provocative fishnet stockings.
  4. Play with type size to cue readers in. Like eye makeup that enhances your eyes, use a bigger font or a drop cap to start a paragraph to get attention.  It's important to ensure that they're large enough to read but not overwhelming so they detract.
  5. Break up massive text blocks. Like a dress without a belt, content that's a wall of endless words without breaks is a big turnoff. Chop your content into smaller pieces so that it's not intimidating.
  6. Apply bolding to emphasize specific points or words. Think of bolding like lipstick for your content.
  7. Show enough information. Don't keep all of your content behind a barrier whether it's registration or fees. Like a dress that reveals some skin, you have to provide sufficient value for readers without expectation they'll take any action.
  8. Watch article length. Like a woman's skirt, your content should be long enough to cover the subject but short enough to be interesting.
  9. Add a photograph. Nothing works better for drawing readers in than photos and graphics – they’re eye-candy.
  10. Create an infographic. Infographics act like photographs on steroids. By combining data and graphics, they're like a magnet pulling people in.
  11. Include other forms of media. Mix up your offering by adding video, audio and presentations to keep your readers on their toes.
  12. Use a quote to start or end a post. Tarts up content by association with a well-known authority and gives it provenance.
  13. Link to related posts and/or content. Think of this information as an accessory to draw readers in.
  14. Add a signature like an ID badge. Like a diamond necklace that says Monique, put your John Hancock on your article. For readers, it's a personal touch.
  15. Use keyword phrases to attract searchers. Integrate keywords into your content so it's useful for humans and search engines. Don't stuff your content. Think less is more.
  16. Link to other sources to get their attention. Like making a pass at the prettiest girl in the room, linking to a major media entity or blog probably won't get you a response. Instead, focus on smaller and mid-size blogs who are looking to build their reputation.
  17. Let readers know more about you. Include an About page that draws readers in and gives them more information about your organization.
  18. Proofread your content. There's no excuse for misspellings and poor grammar. It's like wearing a pair of sexy high heels and not being able to walk down the street. Don't rely on spellcheckers. Get a copy editor to ensure that your content puts its best foot forward.
  19. Add social media proof. Get your target audience to comment and engage with your content. (Here help attracting massive comments.)
  20. Put on your social media jewels. Let your readers share your content with their social graph. To this end, have social sharing buttons that are appropriate to your audience.
  21. Wear your social bling with pride. Show your badges of honor such as awards and membership to attract attention.

To get prospects to consume your content, it's critical to gussy it up to get their attention and draw them in. Remember while you may have the best content in the world ,without pimping it out, it'll never garner the audience it should.

What do you do to pimp your content?

Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen


Here are some related articles that you may find of interest.

Photo source: http://www.kongregate.com/forums/2/topics/49039?page=1#posts-1084425

21 Ways to Make Your Content Stand Out – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on Heidi Cohen on January 23, 2012.

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