5 ways of getting creative with professional content writing for SEO

A common misconception among writers in this age of digital is that creative content writing and SEO content writing just don’t go hand in hand. But we, somewhat controversially, believe they can co-exist! HOW?!

FIRST, LET’S GET SOME CLARITY ON THE BASICS.

• What is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Content Writing?
  Creating readable content for the web that ranks high on search engines, through the use of relevant keywords in the main body and the meta tags and title, multiple headers and bullet points within the article to break down the content, and interlinking them with other relevant articles and pages.
• What is Creative Content Writing?
  This is where imagination takes flight and originality, the front seat. This is where a story is narrated to the reader, engaging them with every line, a chuckle here, maybe a gasp there, keeping them hooked till the end, delighting them with a conclusion that leaves them wanting more.

Now you might be wondering, how does one merge these two seemingly different schools of thought into a single piece of writing? Well, here’s how.

KNOW YOUR KEYWORDS

One of the most common feedback website writers get is that their content does not have any of the keywords the client wants. This is a common problem when the blog is written by a separate team of content writers, only after which the SEO team kicks in for checking the SEO compatibility. Instead the SEO expert and content writer must work closely, right from the blog’s ideation to checking the keywords before its eventual publishing.

To elaborate, the team must first identify the keywords for a few months, as well as, the target audience. This is usually done by the SEO expert. Once done, these keywords are provided to the content writer and together the two can create a calendar of topics for anything from a month to 6 months! In case you don’t have an SEO executive and are operating as a solo writer, you can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest or Moz.

Enter the name of the industry or the topics you’re planning to write on, and the tool would suggest multiple keywords with their performance, relevance and ranking data too.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, SILLY!

Google cares for keywords. But the reader doesn’t look for SEO keywords, but for something that will keep them engaged, intrigued and delighted.

If the content is crisp and short and provides the reader with value as information or entertainment, the targeted audience is usually hooked. One of the best ways to do crisp writing online is through Listicles. Our minds have become trained to at least skim through an entire list, rarely leaving in the middle. And if something is interesting, we spend more time reading the copy, increasing the time spent on the website.

Moreover, overly complex, long sentences, peppered with repetitive words and phrases are a turn off not just for the reader, but Google too while ranking content for its search engine.

This is because search engines rank content that provide answers to the question asked by the viewer. The simpler and clearer the content is, the better chance it has to get ranked higher on the search window. Keep in mind, you are eventually writing for an actual person with an actual problem. The search engine is just the bridge between you and the reader.

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Why DESIGN is the hero of your digital marketing strategy

Social media is no longer a child’s play. With more people having access to high speed internet connected to devices with the latest technology, a mere text post will get lost in the sea of millions of pieces of content being put out online daily. And this is where your design intelligence makes your stand out from the herd.

THE IDEA BEHIND A DESIGN

There is no dearth of written marketing content trying to sell you things online on websites though blogs and articles, but what sets the social media apart is its fusion of visuals and text. And in order to garner the attention of a potential consumer, one must use these elements in balance to create an impeccable design that speaks to him/her.

By picking the right colour and font for your brand and using them consistently in your designs, you convey the mood, meaning and feeling of the brand, and thus targetting a specific set of audience. And when you fit all this together with your content in the right copy space, you are effectively delivering your message to the consumers.

SIZE MATTERS (A LOT!)

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make in order to save costs on design (BTW, a big NO NO!) is create one graphic image or poster for both Instagram and Facebook. But one needs to understand both platforms have different post sizes for both desktop and mobile. This is to provide the user with the best quality in visuals of the graphics.

If one doesn’t optimize their posts according to the social media platforms, the image or graphic will pixelate, thus killing the design and the entire message you wanted to convey. Given below are the sizes one should use while designing for Facebook and Instagram

Facebook Post: 940 X 788 px
Facebook cover: 820 X 312 px (desktop) & 640 X 360 px (for mobile)
Stories & IGTV: 1080 X 1920 px
Instagram Post: 1080 X 1080 px (Square), 1080 X 1350 px (Portrait) & 1080 X 608 px (landscape)

MORE VISUALS, FEWER TEXT

Visuals always have an upper hand over text when it comes to social media. It has been observed that more people respond to images and videos than written content. Hence it is advisable to involve more visuals in your social media marketing.

You will attract more eyeballs when the images are original and the videos have real people in it and not just graphics. Use text only if it is necessary to convey a specific message, like an address, phone number, website or slogan. But make sure your visuals always have space for your logo.

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How To Write Content For Your Social Media

Writing for social media can be a tricky business. As a brand or service provider, there could be a lot you want to tell your consumers, about your service/product, discounts, contests and latest offerings on a platform where they are most active. But if you end up writing everything on social media, then there remains no difference between a post and a blog. To help you improve your social media game, we’re going to break down writing for social media.

IDENTIFY THE PLATFORM YOU’RE WRITING FOR

Before you start writing for social media posts. It is necessary for you to identify and understand the platform that you be writing for. There are platforms like Instagram and Facebook, where it is casual and laid-back. You have the freedom to experiment with your posts’ size, language and its tone. While on Twitter, you have the strict limit of 140 characters, so the write up has to be on-point and catchy. Then there’s LinkedIn, dubbed as the professional social media. So it is understood that the language should be more sombre and subtle. Mixing these up could cause damage to the brand image.

AIDA (ATTENTION + INTEREST + DESIRE + ACTION)

Just like journalists follow the cardinal rule of 5W1H, copywriters must follow the rule of AIDA while writing for social media. Each post you write must catch the Attention of the reader/viewer, it should generate Interest in your brand/product, create Desire about the product/service that how it is the best thing for them, and push them to take Action on how to avail it. Here’s an example:

KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE

As we mentioned before, nobody has the time and interest to read an extensively written piece on social media. No matter how awesome your product or service is, long and tiring write ups drive customers away and scroll to next post. It is necessary that you keep it catchy, peppy and punchy. Such write ups make customers inquisitive and generate desire to know more about the product and service. It could drive walk ins or inquiries for your business. Here’s an example of it:

MAINTAIN A BRAND VOICE

Every brand has its own, unique voice, which relates and resonates with its customers. It is the tone of the message that decided whether the brand gets a positive or negative engagement for its post. When you write for a brand, it is necessary to study the demography of its customers. Their age group, the kind of culture they follow, the type of service they prefer, the language they communicate it. A restaurant or cafe whose diners are usually young, college educated people, the language is a bit more casual and hip, compared to that of a luxurious five-star hotel, who would like to keep it classy and professional. Sometimes, one even has to write in the local language, if the masses engaging with the brand speaks the native tongue more.

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