How To Know If You Are Providing Quality Content

If you’re involved in regularly creating content to attract and engage an audience but find that few if any are chomping at the bit, your content may be lacking in quality.

Quality content is content that is attractive, readable, and valuable to its audience. The more an audience is attracted to, engaged in, and finds value with content from a particular source, the more likely they will return to that source to satisfy their needs and wants. To understand more fully the importance of these attributes let’s look at some guidelines that can assist you in enhancing the quality of your content.

• Attractiveness. You must be able to entice your readers to start reading. Consider the verbiage you are using in your titles and subject lines. Certain words and phrases such as what, how, where, and why are more apt to grab someone’s attention. Another suggestion is to provide numbers when providing tips or guidelines. For example, five things no one will tell you about, seven ways to, ten mistakes to avoid when, or master these eight essential elements. Also, include images or videos as these are pleasing to the eye and can draw the reader to want to find out more.

• Readability is critical when beginning the body of your content because this is where real connection can truly begin. You have invited your readers in with your engaging introduction and now you must deliver by offering them the information that they are expecting to receive. If your readers are not responding, reconsider your wording, format, and tone. The following suggestions can help improve readability:

  1. Write in an active voice. Don’t use passive phrasing. For instance, all had a great time is preferred versus a great time was had by all.

  2. Write shorter sentences. It’s important to be brief and to the point as most people have a short attention span.

  3. Use simple terminology that an average reader can grasp or provide a clear definition. Spell out ACRONYMS. (i.e., Blue Cross Blue Shield vs. BCBS)

  4. Break up your text for easy reading. Use sub-headings, bullet points, hyperlinks, or white space that’s easier on the eyes.

  5. Write in the second person. When you address your audience as “you” it promotes a sense of friendliness and understanding which can help build a trusting relationship.

  6. Edit and proofread. Please make certain to check and correct any typos. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression!

• Value. Unless you can provide relevancy, authenticity, and freshness to your readers, it is a waste of time for both you and them. If you can help someone solve a problem or give them useful advice rather than bombard them with a sales pitch, they will remember and appreciate that over the long haul. In addition, your content should provide a unique perspective. You’re more likely to gain and maintain loyal followers if you have something to offer them that they cannot find elsewhere.

If you want to get more people to read your content, show them that you care about what you write and that you care about what they read. Make it attractive, readable, and valuable. Then once you start seeing a draw in audience engagement you know you have put forth quality content!

6 Tips for Successful Telemarketing

There are countless dos and don’ts to successful telemarketing. Although the goal is to sell your product and/or service, you must understand and respect that there is a process or journey towards that endeavor. The reality is that it is human nature to get turned off by a sales call. We have all been there, that is why it is important, as a telemarketer, to put yourself in the place of the recipient, and that means to give that person a reason to want to listen to you. Your other choice, if you can’t devote the time or it is not your forte, is to hire or outsource telemarketing specialists.

If you need a telemarketing service, look no further! Getting Ahead in Business specializes in providing individual contact to leaders in the industries that you are looking to target to increase your client base. We have dedicated and skilled sales staff that will learn your business inside and out, then work at reaching and influencing the decision makers that could soon be your customers.

For those of you who have the time and ambition to making your own calls, I have provided six important tips to follow for successful results. It takes time and practice as you learn to incorporate your own personal style but if you are consistent with the procedure, you will eventually see results.

1. Motivation: Do express yourself in a positive and enthusiastic fashion. Believe in your branding and you will get others to believe in it as well.

2. Preparation: Begin with an attention-grabbing introduction, continue on with an engaging middle, and close with a call to action. Be ready for objections with an arsenal of open-ended questions that compels the recipient to respond with thoughtful consideration.

3. Timing: Plan on calling the Decision-Maker at a time you expect the Gatekeeper to be absent, such as before 9am, lunchtime, or after 5 pm.

4. Communication: Be a good listener, speak with a clear and professional voice, and ask for the best time to follow up. It will gain you respect and an opportunity to build a trustful relationship.

5. Patience: A sale is usually not made instantly. Be patient and stay consistent with using the concepts. As you continue this, you will begin to build relationships and trust that will create a climate to draw new clients to your business.

Effective Copywriting-It's About "You", Not "Me"

There are so many reasons to write. It's such a vital form of human communication, always has

been and always will be. However, written communication can be easily overlooked or misunderstood if its purpose is not clear, and its message is misdirected. Take copywriting, for instance. Like any other genre of writing, it has its purpose which is different than writing, say, an essay, a report or a technical article.

Copywriting is essentially a commercial or a persuasive piece of text that is designed to speak to the consumer to compel them to purchase a product or service that will resolve a problem or pain point they are having. In order for it to be effective, it must be written in a language and perspective that will appeal to and be understood by the individual for whom it is directed towards. In other words, a good piece of copywriting is always written in the second person. Why? Because it's not about ME, meaning yourself; it's about YOU, the customer. It's about understanding the needs of your clientele and how your product or service will adequately meet those needs.

Although copywriting has been around since the dawn of print media, radio and TV, before the age of internet it was strictly undertaken by ad people from ad agencies who were schooled in the arts of effective copywriting. However, in today's digital marketing arena, it becomes ever important for anyone in business to make it their business to understand the copywriting process and how it is pertinent in obtaining new clientele, as well as retaining an existing customer base.

Of course, not every business owner, entrepreneur, manager, etc. has the talent, time or patience to write compelling copy. If this is you, you may decide to hire a Content Marketing Writer. Or you may decide that you rather take the Do It Yourself route. With the advent of blogging for marketing purposes and do it yourself website templates, many business owners are taking it upon themselves to create their own content to drive internet traffic. If you wish to become one of those billions of self-help digital marketers, here are some valuable tips to remember and use when creating your own marketing content:

THINK LIKE THE CUSTOMER: I'll be painfully honest. You'll have to lose the ego! Your copy should not be about how wonderful you or your company's offerings are. The truth is your product or service is far less important than its ability to fulfill your customer's needs. Always keep in mind that your potential, even your present clientele are always thinking, "What's in it for me?" Think of many instances when you were on the receiving line of a sales pitch. You're not going to part with your hard-earned money just because someone tells you to buy because their product is the greatest since sliced bread. Most likely you will buy from someone who can demonstrate their products have value to you in meeting your particular needs and wants.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: Ask yourself, who is your ideal customer? For instance, let's say

you are an insurance agent. Well, everyone needs some kind of insurance. Does that mean that

your ideal customer is everyone or anyone? Yes and No. Of course, many people are going to need insurance many times during their lives for different instances. However if you want to create an effective campaign you're going to need to concentrate on reaching a particular segment of the population with one particular service at a given time. Focusing on a demographic such as gender, age, ethnicity, family status, income, occupation or interests will allow you to tailor your message to a particular group who are most likely to buy a particular product at a given time.

BE COMPELLING: Because we are living in an age in which everyone is constantly bombarded with information, the average attention span of a human being has dramatically reduced. You literally have only seconds to grab someone's interest. Start with a question or catchy headline to draw your target audience in. Use simple language, personalize and get right to the point to you keep your audience engaged. Otherwise you'll lose them in a heartbeat by isolating them with industry jargon they don't understand or boring them to death by droning on with details that are not relevant to their needs.

GET YOUR READERS TO ACT: You can be as compelling as ever but if you do not tell the reader what you want them to do, you have wasted your words because they will be clueless and move on. You must always end your copy with a CALL TO ACTION, whether it be an invitation to subscribe to a newsletter, take advantage of an offer, attend an event you are hosting, or any instruction that will signal your potential customer to take the next step on the path to do business with you.

MAKE YOUR COPY ATTRACTIVE: Your lay out of text should be pleasing to the ever scrolling eye. Keeping mindful of people's limited attention span, make a habit of using any combination of the following: bold subtitles, bullet points, white space and imagery, especially imagery. The human eye loves to focus on colorful images that support the message. Keep in mind, though, not to overdo it. The text and visuals must be congruent so one doesn't cancel the other out. Less is more. Quality over quantity is always the rule of thumb.

BUILD AND MAINTAIN CREDIBILITY: It's a no-brainer that your goal in writing copy is to attract new business and retain the clientele you already serve. However you should always think in terms of the long haul by building a reputation for your brand that is steeped in value. People will start to follow and respect you if you regularly provide honest and useful information that will benefit them. Prospects may not buy from you now but they will think of you the next time they are in the market to use your business. For example, useful tips and advice are always appreciated, as long as the copy is relevant, authentic and intelligible. Don't make outrageous claims that you cannot support with evidence, always stay current with fresh topics, and make certain your copy is edited to perfection.

If you decide, instead, to hire a Content Marketing Writer this doesn't mean you're off the hook from having to be concerned whether you have quality content or not. With your new-found knowledge now of what constitutes an effective piece of copy you should be able to determine whether the product is worth paying for. My advice is to pay for a test assignment or ask for a sample of their previously published work before agreeing to the assignment. Whether you decide to write your own copy or not, the above guidelines are a good source from which to monitor your own or another's writing. Good luck!