In this blog post, we’ll dive into the general strategy you need to create blog content that attracts the right audience and helps you sell your services or products effectively. Understanding your target audience and creating content tailored to their needs is crucial for success. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Develop a Silo Structure
Before you start creating content, you need to establish a silo structure. This involves identifying broad topics relevant to your business. Begin by brainstorming 10 broad ideas for content writing that apply to your services or products. Then, narrow it down to three to five core topics, known as silos.
Within each silo, brainstorm three to five more specific subtopics. For example, if one of your silos is “Productivity,” potential subtopics could include “Time Management,” “Workflow Optimization,” and “Productivity Tools.”
Step 2: Define Your Offerings
Clearly outline what you’re offering to your clients or customers. What are your products or services? Who is your target audience? What problems do you solve, and what outcomes can they expect from working with you? Having a solid understanding of your offerings will help you create content that resonates with your audience.
Step 3: Conduct Competitor Research
Competitor research is crucial for understanding the landscape and identifying gaps in the market. There are three types of competitors to consider:
- Competitors your customers are aware of and mention to you.
- Search engine competitors who rank well for relevant keywords but may not offer the same services as you.
- Direct competitors who offer similar products or services and actively target the same audience as you.
Analyze what your competitors are doing well and where they may be falling short. This will help you differentiate your content and offerings.
Step 4: Refine Your Topics
After conducting competitor research, revisit and refine your broad topics and subtopics. Select three main silos to focus on initially, and identify five to seven more specific keywords or subtopics within each silo. These will form the basis of your content strategy.
Step 5: Generate Content Ideas
With your long-tail keywords and subtopics identified, you can start generating content ideas. Search for your keywords and analyze the top-ranking pages. Look at the titles and topics covered, and use these as inspiration to create similar but unique content tailored to your audience.
Once you have a title or concept in mind, you can begin outlining and writing your blog post or article.
Putting It All Together
By following this five-step strategy, you’ll have a solid foundation for creating SEO-friendly content that attracts your ideal audience and supports your business goals. Remember, consistency and quality are key when it comes to content marketing.
Founder, Managing Partner of Jazzy Marketing.
My first foray into the web was back in 2001 when we needed to get a website build for a telecom venture I was working for. I was given the project of getting our website built with e-commerce integration for calling cards – a huge market at the time. Well, that was the spark that got me interested in website development and I have not looked back since.