Good content, at least in marketing terms, is often more dependent on word placement than subject matter.
An advertisement or website can have great information, appealing graphics and even interactive features that make using them easier and more fun to read and use, but if they don’t have the right words to attract the right people, they are just a waste of time and money.
To ensure that content is both meaningful and profitable, you must consider search engine optimization (SEO) techniques that boost organic search results.
But how can you identify the keywords and the techniques that will bring you the biggest bang for your buck?
The answer is simple: good market research. Whether you do some digging yourself or hire a reputable SEO firm to do it for you, here are the two biggest benefits of using market research to generate content:
#1. Market Research Identifies the Right Words
It’s easy to believe that you can uncover the most popular search terms and keywords or phrases to drive users to your ads and site yourself.
There are many free content analytics tools, after all, that promise to provide detailed data on how the public is searching for information: do they use “flower shop” or “florist” or “urgent care centers” or “clinics?”
But such free services can never be customized, and isn’t that the point of search engine optimization? You need to move past superficial statistics so that you can discern the precise ways in which your consumers (past, current and potential) reference your company and your products.
Specificity makes all the difference when building an SEO plan than can truly enhance and promote content, nurture engagement and generate sales.
#2. Market Research Gives Meaning to the Words
Primary research doesn’t just reveal the ways people search for and talk about your company, it also helps reveal why they act and think the way they do.
Talking directly with consumers via focus groups and interviews can lay bare why they use certain terms instead of others, allowing you to tailor your content (landing pages, blog posts, ads, etc.) in a way that reflects and capitalizes on those preferences.
This is extremely useful knowledge, especially when people might know what they want and need but don’t know your company specifically; if you understand their motives, you can develop content that appeals to them even when they aren’t looking specifically for you.
Creating meaningful content means you have a better chance of attracting people to your site, a better chance of people “liking” it and a better chance of them sharing it with others. And more shares mean higher and better rankings and, hopefully, more sales.
Wrap up
Take the time to do some research so your content can hit home with the people who really matter!