(Trial blog post for Wexler LLC)

In a culture that has admittedly become more visual—led and influenced more predominantly by images and graphics—is there any room left for utilization of good content writing?

The answer: yes. In fact, it reigns supreme over everything else, and everything else functions only to better serve and support the sovereign ruler known as content.

Strong content is the heart and soul of marketing and presentation today. Directing focus on creating great content is definitely a choice, but a critical one. You can rush through the body of your website and scribble a few haikus down so you can focus more on design, or you can sit back, do some critical thinking and the proper research so that you can create the best experience you can provide for your audience.

Let’s say you’ve discovered a decanter at an antique shop. You purchase it. You are ecstatic: your first decanter! The craftsmanship and geometrics that radiate from its crevices elicits a fast forward nostalgia of having it nearby while entertaining guests; to a moment where you allude your guests to the glassware, and ask if they would like some…

And you realize the true dilemma. Your very own, glistening decanter is there, ready to capture and guide the eye with nothing to offer. Should you fill it with the cheapest and most foul of bourbon, or should you apply the extra effort, do some research and be ready to treat your guests to the more finer of single malts? The quality of content that you provide will determine the satisfaction of your audience and the likelihood of their return.

Since the dawn of the new millennium, the world has gone through significant changes. Like the fashion styles that come and go with each decade, the guidelines and practices to how we conduct and market business and present ourselves has evolved as new ideas and incredible advancements in new technologies—the internet, social media, wireless communication and constant connectivity—are more openly available and embraced in both personal and professional conduct.

A result of these evolutions is today’s digital world becoming overpopulated with advertisements, leaving businesses struggling to promote their message through all the clutter.

But it has also led to the demise of the hard sell and dry press release.

According to a 2011 survey conducted by the Custom Content Council, 70% of consumers prefer to research and gather information through articles instead of corporate advertisements. This has led businesses and organizations to shift to spreading their message and strengthen their digital presence and presentation through developing strong, constant and consistent content, gently balanced between prose and multimedia.

Strong content is the backbone that sets a website and its host apart from the masses; design can only serve as a secondary role of support. After conducting the right market research and identifying the website’s persona, composing strong content creates a greater opportunity to build a greater, more diverse audience. This content marketing strategy truly wins the hearts, minds and wallets of the customer, and adding tags to the content such as hyperlinks and keywords only further boosts SEO ranking, traffic and leads of the company’s website. The strength and balance of the site’s content, measured with the consumer hits and sales it generates, gives the product its own personality and style.

Strong content marketing also serves as a public relations tool. The digital age has given businesses greater opportunity to take the initiative, reach out to potential customers and investors all over the world and make a first impression simultaneously. With this in mind, focusing on strong content development has proven to be a consumer-friendly game changer. According to a survey conducted by TMG Custom Media and Marketing (now known as Manifest), 61% of consumers said they feel better about a company that delivers custom content on a consistent basis, creating consumer ease and even develop a more personal experience. They also discovered that 90% of consumers find custom content useful.

What does this all mean?

It means that, at the end of the day, investing the time, funds and energy into creating strong content is one of the wisest and greatest investments you can possibly make. Creating strong content has a proven track record of success when properly researched, thought out and utilized, creating a great first impression and personal experience for anyone around the world, and a greater likelihood of viewers returning to drink from your decanter.

 

Work Cited:

Edge, Charles. “The Importance Of Having A Good Content Strategy For Small Businesses”

Kucheriavy, Andrew. “Why Content is the Most Important Thing on Your Website”

Ratcliff, Christopher. “The Importance of Quality Content”

Secrist, Greg. “3 Reasons Why Good Content Is Important”

Textbroker.com. “Why Content Marketing?”