What is Quality Content?

You’ve heard the catch phrase “content is king”, but how do you determine what makes content valuable?

Determining Value

The term “value” can be vague if you aren’t sure who your audience is or more importantly, who you are to your audience. We have talked at length about how to get to know your target market, but getting to know them might not be enough to create the type of content they want to read and share with others. You need to know what they are hoping to get from you when they click that link. No matter what industry you’re in and who your audience is, there are some common themes to developing content that will grab their attention and keep them engaged. One concept is empathy. Go for a walk in their shoes. Conducting a survey can help you understand their perspective if you’re struggling to get outside of your own. Do some in-depth research by visiting their profiles and following them on their social networks. Pay close attention to what they “like” and “share” even if the content isn’t directly related to your industry.

“You have two audiences, the customers who buy your products and services, and the people who read your blog.”

A common mistake almost every content creator has made is to continuously talk about the product or service instead of what the audience wants to read about. There are the customers who know your brand and visit your site to purchase your products and services, and there are customers or potential customers who visit your site for information on a variety of topics related to your business. This is where being an expert in your field can sometimes trip you up when it comes to creating quality content. Your instinct is to provide details on what you offer because after all, your product or service is providing a solution to what they need, but expanding on other topics may be more valuable to your readers. Including information that is useful about areas that are indirectly related to your product or service demonstrates your willingness to be helpful overall and contributes to building brand loyalty. If you’re a coffee retailer for example, you may want to discuss how different coffee makers have varying brewing methods which can affect the flavor of your reader’s favorite cup of Joe.

Be Original and Cite Your Sources

As creative people, new ideas often spawn from our peers, but the more content you provide that is solely yours, the greater your following will be. Reading regurgitated information isn’t nearly as stimulating as reading something original. If you’re struggling creatively, you aren’t limited to flying solo when creating interesting new content. Enlisting the help of a fellow content creator to bounce ideas off of can get the fountain flowing again. Reach out to creative individuals who work outside of your genre. Sometimes talking with someone in a different field about an idea can be the spark you need for inspiration. Believe it or not, if you’re a writer who is creatively stuck, Reddit writing prompts can be a useful tool even though the topics aren’t likely to have anything to do with your next blog post. The objective is to get the ball rolling.

When someone else says it better than you and you absolutely must use their words, always give credit to the author of the quote or piece. The same is true for facts and statistics. Your statement is only as credible as the source you use as evidence to support it. Take the time to verify it before you include it in your content.

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Published On: Nov 13, 2015