Sharing is the key
There is a reason why people choose to press that Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google+ button on a webpage. And no, it is not because the buttons are cute (even though they really are); it is rather the content. It seems that a certain type of content gets liked, tweeted, commented on, blogged about, and republished over and over again, creating quite a buzz. A very interesting aspect is that you can interweave content creation with the Purple Cow concept. Being remarkable refers not only to developing exceptional products and services, but also to creating unique, interesting, high-quality content, which delivers true value to readers.
However, making something go viral is a daring dream…but a daring dream that can become reality. Here is how:
Write compelling copy
How to write compelling content? By presenting information in an interesting, funny, even moving way. When you write, think that you write a letter to your best friend. This will make your content resonate with most of your readers.
Keep it short and interesting
Be friendly, but do not be rude; offer detailed information, but do not bore your audience. As well, create catchy titles and subtitles, and present information in a scannable format by using bulleted lists, subtitles, short paragraphs, and highlighted keywords. What to write about? If you are a web designer, for example, you can write about what to consider when creating a new website, how to analyse a site in order to boost return on investment (ROI), etc. Delivering instructional content, such as tutorials and how-tos, or information regarding the latest trends relating to your industry sector is a sure-fire way of capturing visitors’ attention, making them click “that” button.
Pay attention to the ideal length for blog posts
According to industry experts, blog posts should not exceed 1,600 words (seven minutes of reading). A line of text should be about 12 words, while a paragraph should include around 4 lines. Additional guidelines are: Facebook posts should range between 100 and 140 characters and Tweets should include between 120 and 130 characters.
Choose the right format
Since most people skip long, blocky paragraphs, you should use sub-headers and bulleted lists to make content more readable.
Opt for an easy tone
An easy tone will always attract readers and engage visitors. What does it mean to use an easy tone? It simply means to be courteous yet informal, to be direct yet avoid jargon.
Be smart
A strategy the best writers adopt nowadays is posting content of contrarian nature. For instance, you could write a post on the reasons why people should NOT build their own websites.
Find successful websites
Check websites and blogs that rank high in search results. See what they are doing and create a similar strategy, relevant to your niche.
Build links
Although content is a component of link building, you should never write content for the sole purpose of building links. When writing content, include relevant links towards other pages or your website (backlinks or inbound links) and other sites (external links or outbound links). However, you should never force link building; link only to relevant pages or sites so that your site’s visitors will move around in a logical, structural manner. Additionally, make sure that you write content that people will love to share and link to. This will help you build links naturally, which will optimise your search engine ranking and increase traffic to your site.
Make it better
Update your blog with fresh, relevant, accurate information regularly. For this, you can check high-authority sources and use your blog to provide valuable information, such as market analyses, trends, predictions, etc.
Make content available on mobile devices
According to a study conducted earlier this year, the number of Internet users using their mobile devices to go online has doubled since 2009. And guess what? This number will continue to rise. Thus, making your content mobile friendly is important to grab more market share.
Listen to your readers
Since your readers decide on your blog’s “viral worthiness”, you should listen to them. Reading their comments and asking for their feedback can help you improve your content marketing strategy, with a positive impact on your inbound marketing plan.