Why it's okay to fail

Having great marketing content has always been important. Now, with so many channels to feed and so much hunger for content, you’d be forgiven for thinking quantity has become more important than quality. But you’d be wrong.

Great content has never been more crucial. The immense volume of content available means that people won’t waste their time on content that isn’t enjoyable or valuable.

To get content marketing right, therefore, you need to have great content. This starts with understanding what makes great content. It goes beyond simply understanding your audience, although that remains crucial.

Here are the six characteristics that great content usually demonstrates:

1. Valuable

Content has to add value to the reader. That means you may need to give something away for free in that content. Whether it’s an idea, some information, or a starting point for your potential customers, they need to see the value in what you’re offering before they’ll read on.

2. Engaging

Dry, hard-to-digest content won’t get cut through. People don’t have time to wade through complex, dense tracts of information. They need to know what they need to know, fast. So, you need to make sure your content captures their attention and holds it until the end. That means you need to be entertaining as well as informative.

3. Manageable

People read content in ‘snacks’ or chunks when they’re waiting for a bus, catching a plane, or even in the supermarket checkout line. So, unless you know your audience wants it, you should save your long-form content for special occasions. Instead, break your content down into small, manageable chunks.

4. Authentic

People want to feel a connection to the brands they do business with. So, your content needs to be user friendly. Of course, the precise tone depends on your business and your audience. Make sure your tone matches your audience’s expectations and don’t try to be something you’re not.

5. Two-way

To really engage your audience, you need to know what they like and what makes them click on your content. That means opening a two-way conversation where you truly listen to their feedback and adjust your content accordingly. Track email open rates and do A/B testing to see what piques your audience’s interest, then give them more of what they like. 

6. Passionate

Great content should demonstrate your passion for the topic. Passion is infectious so, if you want your audience to care about the things you care about, you need to pull them in with language that demonstrates your passion and your expertise.

It’s worth remembering that your passion for and knowledge about a subject doesn’t necessarily mean you can create great content for that subject. If writing isn’t your passion, then it makes sense to work with a professional content writer to create content that meets all six criteria. A professional writer can help you distill your ideas into clear, easy-to-articulate messages and craft a piece of content that helps you achieve your marketing goals and your thought leadership goals.