Creating valuable content for professional service firms
Content marketing has been around for a long time when you think about it. From email marketing and newsletters to white papers, we have used our content to communicate our messages and ideas for many years. However, the way that successful companies now approach their content marketing is very different indeed to what they did in the past.
You cannot have failed to notice the rise in the popularity of social media, and the impact it has had on communications in the world today. Bloggers, micro-bloggers, and social media posters all offer varying levels of expertise in a wide range of areas that only a few years ago, was just not seen anywhere else.
Tech-savvy individuals have paved the way for instant communication, and professional service firms are only just catching up with them. Traditional businesses such a lawyers and accountants are slowly switching on to how important social media activities can be for them when done in the right way.
Creating good quality content is quite a labour-intensive task, and the creative abilities of those who write it is just as important as their knowledge of the law and accountancy. Many traditional lawyers and accountants are quite resistant to adding in a dose of social media engagement into their daily activities.
It is a great shame that so many professionals are so short sighted about the huge benefits that are available to them at their fingertips. Writing a piece of content may seem like a lengthy chore, but if that content is of high quality, it will be read and appreciated by existing clients and new prospects respectively. It will also lead to a greater level of shareability, so that one piece of content that at first seemed such a chore to write could have the impact of ten more pieces of content just like it. When your client decides to share your content with their peers, there is a greater likelihood of it being shared further and further, again and again. This can generate a high volume of targeted traffic back to your website.
Here are some useful tips to give your content the best chance of being shared:
Consistency is key! To be views as an expert in your own industry, it is important to post regular, consistent posts that offer good value to your readership, and will encourage them to come back for more. Lawyers and accountants have their busy times of the year where they may need to focus more on their clients work than having to remember to write a blog post. But by formulating a calendar or schedule for your post writing, you will be able to keep better control of your postings, and be able to see with a single glance where you are in your current content journey.
You need to be efficient in your approach to creating your content. Yes, you will have your busy times when creating content may prove difficult. This is why it is always wise to write more content during your quiet times when you can write content in advance ready for when you know you will be tackling a hefty workload. Knowing what you are going to write about in advance is an efficient way of giving your writing focus. Take some time to work out and agree your goals and your structure.
Make your content relevant to your business. Your readers will be expecting you to deliver them the information they expect from you. Remember that your goal is to provide useful and helpful advice and guidance to your clients, so try your hardest to avoid writing every post with an obvious sales pitch included. If you can offer a solution to a common problem your clients may be experiencing, then there is more chance your content being shared across social media.
Again, you are using your content to inform and engage your readers. When your readers can relate to what you are writing about, their trust in you grows. You will be seen in a better light by your existing clients, and will be seen as an expert in your field by prospective new customers.
Think of the end user reading your posts. People switch off when presented with large blocks of text to wade through. Make your presentation easy on the eye by breaking up your post into easily readable chunks that they can read and absorb before moving on. Add in bullet points, sub-headings and numbered lists to make your post more visually interesting at first glance.
Conclusion
So if you want to educate as well as engage with your content, and become more useful and therefore essential to your clients, let us show you how we can help you to achieve your goals. Make a start today by contacting us.
Call us on 0203 773 9137 or email info@creativeharmony.co.uk Contact us today for an informal, no obligation, chat to see how we can help you.
