Publishing great editorial is something we’re really proud of at Life In…Magazines. We regularly receive emails, text and WhatsApp messages, social media DMs and calls relating to the content we’ve published and it’s something that really captures people’s imagination.
You might have heard of the expression ‘Content Is King’. But what does that mean exactly? Just like we do in Life In Orpington and Life In Bromley magazines, you’ve got to capture the attention of your potential clients. And if you’re not offering something of value – a USP if you like – then your potential clients will shop elsewhere.
Our USPS are that we include social media promotion for all our advertisers and, if they advertise for at least three months, they are also encouraged to contribute editorial to the magazine to further increase their brand awareness.
But with all the ‘noise’ out there – how do you compete with your competitors and make your content more engaging? Well, SEO Agency, Novus Digital, has some great advice on how to make content more engaging. Here’s what they say.
Be authentic
It’s near impossible to be 100% unique and original today. If you have a good idea, chances are there are people out there who’re already talking about it. But guess what? That’s okay.
The idea here is to stand out. Even if you cover a topic that’s been covered exhaustively, add your own unique spin to it! Your content should be made so it has ‘you’ written all over it, it should characterise your personality as a brand. Doing so will earn you a loyal following as people begin to recognise ‘you’ and your brand’s voice.
Know your audience
When you know and understand your audience, you can produce content that’ll drive them to your page. We get so tied up in optimising our content for search engines and for our business that we forget that it has to be audience-centric. Make sure to create content that prioritises your target audience, ensuring that they get valuable and helpful information out of what you’ve got to say.
Make your audience think
Having your own unique voice is one thing, but being able to create an interesting train is a valuable skill. Could you use your content to induce thought-provoking scenarios in your reader’s mind by asking questions with no definitive answer, or using abstract examples?
When doing so, ensure that you stay relevant in order to grab the attention of your audience by staying abreast with current events, and using pop culture references. These work like magic with content engagement. Using such a strategy will spark discussions around your content, which is more likely to keep people coming back and engaging time and time again.
Add more visuals and then some more
Everybody likes a good picture or infographic, and visual elements are integral to a piece of content’s success. A collection of good images or infographics placed across your content not only improves overall readability but also improves the aesthetic appeal of your webpage.
Another visual element that’ll work wonders for your engagement is videos, these could be product demonstrations, discussions, ‘How-To’ videos or even interviews. Incorporate videos in your posts, your website, social media platforms and email newsletters. You won’t regret it. (Oh and now is a good time to mention that our parent company, Luna Creative Media, offers videography services if for business)
Perfect your headlines & intros
Your content needs to be clicked to be consumed, this is where a catchy headline is crucial to reel your reader in. Your headline is the face of your content as it’s the first thing people see on your website, social media platforms and on search results, meaning you need to craft titles that are clickable and appealing.
But reeling your audience in is simply not enough. If you want to increase the content engagement you’ve got to keep your readers hooked with a good introduction. Research suggests that almost 55% of audiences spend barely 15 seconds on an article. If you can hook your audience right off the bat with engaging an engaging headline and introduction their chance of remaining interested will increase substantially.
Hopefully by adopting a mix of these strategies, you’ll be ahead of the game when it comes to making yourself visible.
Speaking of being more visible, we were recently awarded ‘Community Media Company Of The Year – London 2022’ from Prestige Awards. We had to submit various forms of evidence to be considered for the awards (including proof of original testimonials and such like), but it was worth it to be able to add the tag ‘award-winning’ to our repertoire.
Next month, we’ll be taking a closer look at business awards – and why you should consider them as part of your marketing campaign.
Make sure you don’t miss the latest issues – and if you can’t get your mitts on the hard copy, there’s always the digital issue to rely on – sign up here!
“Life is like a camera. Just focus on what’s important. Capture the good times and develop from the negatives. And if things don’t turn out, take another shot.”
Dorothy Spring