Content creation – what it is

Creating valuable content that stands out among a sea of information is challenging these days. It’s worth remembering that content isn’t just articles and text material. It is also graphics, videos, podcasts, infographics or animations. Each of these formats offers unique opportunities to communicate and engage your audience. Today, we will show you what creating content for websites should look like. From this article you will learn:

• Why is it important to create valuable content?
• How do you create a content creation strategy?
• What does the content creation process look like?
• How to analyse the effectiveness of the content created?

Content creation – the importance

Creating valuable content is the key to marketing success. They influence aspects such as:

• Building brand image – quality content helps to build a positive brand image and brand identity – as a company can present itself as an expert in its industry and, through this, build a trusting relationship with its customers.
• Engagement and connection with audiences – valuable content engages audiences by providing them with entertainment or valuable information with which to solve their problems. This, in turn, creates an emotional connection that can contribute to customer loyalty in the future.
• First page ranking in Google – the quality of content is one of the key factors that are taken into account when ranking websites (among others in Google search). High-quality content can therefore help to improve the visibility of a website in search results, resulting in increased traffic.
• Generating leads and sales – when audiences see value in the content you provide them with, then they are more likely to provide their contact details or make a purchase more often. Valuable content therefore attracts potential customers and converts them into viable buyers.
• Competitive advantage – valuable content demonstrates that the brand is paying attention to the needs of its audience and delivers a quality that makes it stand out from the competition.

Content creation strategy

A content creation strategy is a plan for identifying, creating, distributing and analysing content that takes into account specific business or communication objectives and helps to achieve them. When devising a content creation strategy, consider elements such as:

Objectives

Defining objectives is a fundamental step in the process of creating a content marketing strategy. It gives direction and meaning to all the activities involved in creating and distributing content. Make sure that the objectives of the content you create are consistent with your company’s mission and values. By being clear about what you want to achieve in the long term, you will be able to define how content can contribute to your intentions.

When defining the objectives of the content you create, consider the needs and preferences of your audience first and foremost. If you want to build a relationship with your customers, focus on content that provides added value and solves their problems.

Use free tools such as the similar questions section in the search results, which presents real search engine user queries with answers. Get inspired!

Include both short-term goals (e.g. increasing social media engagement) and long-term goals (e.g. building authority in the industry) in your copywriting strategy. Remember to keep your goals ambitious but realistic. If you set your expectations too high, you can quickly become discouraged. The SMART method (according to which goals are to be clearly defined, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) will be helpful in defining goals.

Buyer persona

A buyer persona is a profile of your ideal customer that details their demographic characteristics, behaviours, needs, goals and challenges.

Understanding who your buyer persona is will allow you to tailor the tone, style and type of content you create to them. For example, younger audiences may prefer a more informal tone and video content, while professionals will be interested in more expert, industry-specific articles. Defining your buyer persona will also provide you with valuable insights into where your audience is looking for information (e.g. social media, forums, blogs). This, in turn, will help you choose the right channels to distribute and promote your content.

Bear in mind that, depending on your offering and the market you operate in, there may be different buyer personae. For this reason, it is a good idea to develop several different profiles and create content that suits the needs of each group.

The customer journey

When building a content creation strategy, it is very important to build on the Customer Journey. This concept assumes that customers go through different stages – from their first contact with a brand to purchase and possible repeat transactions. Aligning your content creation strategy with the different stages of the Customer Journey is the key to engaging and guiding customers through the entire purchase process. How do you do this? Take into account:

• Awareness – this is the moment when a potential customer first interacts with your brand or product. At the awareness stage, it is therefore worth providing informative and educational content to help build brand awareness. For example, you could use blog posts, articles, social media posts or videos.
• Consideration – once a potential customer knows how their problem can be solved, they start looking for options. At this stage, you can therefore provide them with content to help them compare different solutions – such as guides, e-books, webinars or reviews.
• Decision – this is the moment when the potential customer is ready to make a purchase decision. The key here is content that will convince them to choose your offer. This can include case studies, customer reviews, product demonstrations or special offers.
• Loyalty – once a purchase has been made, it is vital to continue the relationship with the customer and build their loyalty. You can achieve this by providing added value, e.g. with newsletters, after-sales support, loyalty programmes or unique content that is only available to regular customers.
• Recommendation (advocacy) – satisfied customers can recommend your services to others and become brand ambassadors. Encourage them to share their opinions and experiences and create content that they will want to share – such as competition posts.

Remember that the customer journey is not always based on all of the stages listed above. Moreover, not every consumer goes through all these stages in the same order. For this reason, it is very important to regularly monitor customer behaviour and flexibly adapt your content creation strategy to meet their changing needs.

Content audit

A content audit is the process of assessing and analysing all the content that your brand has produced and shared across different communication channels. Among other things, it allows you to understand which content is effective and which needs to be improved or removed. In addition, a content audit enables you to:

• Identify content gaps – analysing existing content helps to identify those areas where content is lacking or content that is underdeveloped.
• Assessing content performance – the audit allows you to verify that your content is generating engagement, traffic and conversions. It will help you understand which content is most effective and why.
• SEO optimisation – a content audit will provide you with an understanding of how the content you create affects search results. You can identify which keywords are most effective and which content needs to be optimised for SEO.
• Identifying outdated content – markets, trends and technologies are constantly changing. An audit, on the other hand, will allow you to identify content that is already outdated or obsolete.
• Gaining clues for future content – by analysing what works and what doesn’t, you will gain valuable information that you can use when planning and creating new content. You will understand which formats, topics and channels are most effective.

The right format

Choosing the right format is an important part of your content creation strategy. This is because different formats appeal to different audiences and are effective in their own specific contexts. Examples of content formats you can use include:

• blog posts – by writing text for a company blog, you can effectively communicate information, educate and build your authority in a particular industry,
• video – this format is most popular with younger audiences,
• infographics – a visual representation of data or information – makes complex issues easier to understand,
• podcasts – this format allows audiences to read content even while doing other activities, such as driving,
• e-books – due to their length, they allow recipients to explore an issue in depth,
• social media posts – their main advantage is that they can be easily shared and commented on, thus increasing audience engagement,
• newsletters – regular emails sent to subscribers – usually contain the latest information, advice or offers.

Creators

If you want to provide your audience with high-quality content, tailored to their needs and expectations, consider outsourcing the creation of such material to experts in the field. Experts will know how to convey information and interest your target audience. By entrusting the task to experts, you will save both your time and resources. Specialists will include:

• Copywriters – people who specialise in writing texts. You can commission them to create blog posts, articles, advertising texts or content for websites.
• Graphic designers – you can entrust them to create infographics, advertising materials or visual elements for your website.
• Video producers – they will be the right choice in the context of producing advertising videos, tutorials and other video content.
• SEO specialists – experts in optimising your website for search engines. They will help you create content, optimised for SEO, so that your website is more visible in search results.

Promotion

Even the most valuable content won’t achieve the desired results if it’s not promoted properly – then it simply won’t reach the right audience. Here are some channels and techniques you can use to promote your content:

• social media – sharing and promoting content on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn increases its reach and and engages your audience,
• email marketing – newsletters and email campaigns are an effective way to reach a clearly defined target audience that is genuinely interested in the content you create (only those who have given their prior consent receive the material),
• search engine optimisation (SEO) – content optimised for search engines is more visible in organic search results, thus reaching a wider audience,
• paid advertising – paid advertising campaigns, such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads, increase the reach of created content and allow you to reach a precisely selected target group,
• influencer marketing – by working with influencers you can reach a wide audience (their followers) and gain their engagement and trust,
• content syndication – posting content to sites or channels not owned by your organisation will help you to increase your reach and brand recognition.

Content recycling

Content recycling, also known as Content Repurposing, is the process by which existing content is transformed – it is updated or adapted to new formats and channels. Content recycling thus saves resources and maximises the value and reach of the content created.

By transforming existing content into different formats, you can reach new audiences that, for example, prefer different communication channels. By repeating key messages in different forms, you will reinforce your marketing message and make your brand more recognisable. However, remember to think carefully about content recycling and adapt the content modification process to the needs of your target audience.

The content creation process

The content creation process requires not only creative thinking, but also strategic planning and continuous analysis. It consists of the following stages:

SEO analysis

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) analysis aims to optimise the content for search engines – such as Google search. It therefore helps to increase the visibility of the content in the organic search results, which leads to the content created reaching more internet users. SEO analysis is based on elements such as:

• Keyword analysis – before you start writing texts, you should verify which keywords and phrases are most relevant to your target audience. Through keyword analysis, you will learn what your audience types into the search engine when they are looking for information on a particular topic.
• Competitor analysis – by analysing your competitors’ activities, you will learn which strategies are effective and what you should pay attention to when creating your own content.
• Content structure optimisation – a well-structured content structure, including headings, subheadings and lists, influences the readability of the content and its proper understanding by search engines (e.g. Google robots).
• Metadata optimisation – Meta tags, such as the page title and meta description, also have an impact on the position in search results – so make sure they are structured correctly.
• Optimise visual elements – the SEO quality of your content will also be improved by optimising images and other visual elements, including adding alt tags.
• Optimise for mobile devices – make sure your website is optimised for devices such as smartphones and tablets – responsive design is a very important element that affects the visibility of your website (and therefore the content you add to it).
• Internal and external linking – building the right link base helps search engines understand the context of your content and can increase the authority of your site.

Remember that SEO analysis is not a one-off activity, but an ongoing process. It requires constant monitoring of results, adjusting strategies and responding to changing search engine algorithms.

Concept

The next step in the content creation process is concept devising. Idea generation is about developing original and engaging ideas that will form the basis of future content. It is a creative process that should be flexible and allow freedom of thought. Here are some elements to consider when devising a concept:

• Understanding your audience – before you start creating content, you need to know who it will be aimed at. Consider who your audience is, what their needs, interests and problems are. Getting to know your target audience can give you lots of ideas and inspiration to use in the next stage of the content creation process.
• Research the market and trends – it can also be inspiring to keep up to date with current industry and market trends. It’s useful to know about what’s popular at any given time – this will help you create content and keep it relevant and appealing to your audience.
• Brainstorming – this involves collecting and sharing ideas (in this case, ideas about what content might look like and what topics it might cover). Brainstorming allows you to develop ideas, discover new perspectives and then create valuable content that stands out from the competition.
• Mind map – this is a graphical representation of related ideas and concepts. It can help you understand how different ideas can link together and form a coherent whole.
• Evaluate and select ideas – once you have collected a variety of ideas, evaluate them for their value and alignment with your brand objectives. Choose the ones that are best and likely to engage your audience the most.
• Content plan – based on the selected ideas, create a content plan that outlines what topics will be covered, in what format and when they will be published.

Writing/creating

At this point, concepts and ideas are transformed into tangible material that will aim to engage your audience. Here are some tips to help you achieve the results you want:

• Target your message to your audience – create content as if you were speaking directly to the person it is aimed at. Adapt the style, language and tone to the needs and preferences of your target audience.
• Emphasise why your content is important – emphasise the benefits that the content you create can bring to your audience. Show them that it is worth taking the time to read your material.
• Create something unique – the internet is rife with repetitive content. Try to create something original that sets you apart from the competition. This could be an original perspective on a topic, sharing individual experiences or an unusual application of your knowledge.
• Focus on one topic – don’t cover too many topics at once. Instead, build on one main idea and develop it. This will help you create a clear and consistent message.
• Be true to your beliefs – every brand and creator should have their own distinctive voice that stands out in the content they create. This will help build recognition and valuable relationships with your audience.
• Use clear and concise messaging – avoid complex language and long, convoluted sentences. Your content should be accessible and understandable. Construct texts in such a way that they are clear and enjoyable to read.

Verification

Proofreading is the stage to check that the content created is comprehensible, coherent and error-free. At this point, you must evaluate the created text and make the necessary corrections. When revising, consider elements such as:

• Grammar and spelling – make sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors in the content. These can discourage your audience and negatively impact your brand image.
• Clarity and conciseness – verify that your content is clear and free of ambiguity. Remove unnecessary words and avoid repetition and complex language that may not be understood by your audience.
• Structure – pay attention to the overall structure of the text. Ensure you include headings and sub-headings and break up long content into smaller, easier to digest segments. Use bullets and highlighting to allow your audience to find and remember the information that is most important to them.
• Consistency of style – make sure your writing style is consistent. Consider tone, language, and font type and size.
• Facts and sources – verification also includes checking the veracity of the information included in the text. Make sure the data cited is accurate and the sources used are reliable.
• SEO optimisation – check that the text includes relevant keywords, Meta Tags or links. Also pay attention to the appropriate proximity of keywords (keyword proximity) and their density (keyword density).

It is good practice to ask someone else to read the content you have created. A fresh pair of eyes can help you find errors that have escaped your attention.

Updating

Updating your content allows you to adapt it to the changing needs of your audience and optimise it for organic search results. Here are some aspects to look out for:

• News – regularly check and update your content to ensure it is current and in line with current trends, industry changes or new information. Old content can lose value, so keep it refreshed and updated with new information.
• Optimise for SEO – when updating your content, you can also optimise it for search results. Verify keyword usage, add new internal and external links, update meta data and headings. You can also try to get your page into position zero, which is known as Direct Answers. This will increase the visibility of your content in search results.
• Errors and outdated information – verify your content for spelling, stylistic, grammatical and logical errors. Remove or update outdated information – this will build your credibility and authority in the industry.
• New sources and statistics – enrich your content with new, valuable data and statistics – this will provide your audience with additional information and show them that you are up to date.
• Feedback – if you receive feedback from your audience, use this to update your content. This is a great opportunity to improve your content and optimise it for your audience’s needs.

Publish

Publishing is about making your content available to your target audience. Identify and choose the right platforms or channels that best fit your brand and meet the needs of your audience. You can use, for example, your company blog, website, social media or newsletter. Create a publication strategy and schedule. This will help you maintain regularity and continuity in your content delivery. Review the content you have created one more time before publication and check that it is fully correct.

Promotion

Promotion involves activities to increase the visibility and reach of your content. It is through promotion that you can reach a larger audience, increase audience engagement and achieve your marketing objectives. You can use various channels and techniques, such as social media, email marketing, paid advertising, influencer marketing or content syndication. Remember to promote your content on the right platforms and tailor your promotional strategy to your target audience. This will maximise the effectiveness and results of your efforts.

Analysis of the effectiveness of the content created

Analysing the content created allows you to assess the effectiveness of your content marketing activities. Here are some parameters to pay particular attention to:

• Page Views – the number of page views is a basic metric that shows how many times your website has been visited by users,
• organic Traffic – the traffic your content generates without the use of paid advertising,
• rejection rate (Bounce Rate) – refers to the percentage of users who leave your site after opening it, without performing any interaction,
• conversion Rate – measures how many users perform a desired action, such as making a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter or downloading a piece of content,
• Engagement Rate – refers to the level of user engagement with your content; this includes comments, shares, likes or participation in discussions, among others,
• Audience Growth – the growth rate of subscribers following your brand on social media or visitors to your website,
• time On Page – the average time users spend on your website; this reflects the level of engagement and interest in your content,

Analysis of these elements will allow you to verify the effectiveness of your content, identify areas for improvement and adapt your content marketing strategies so that better results can be achieved.