Writing and motherhood are not mutually exclusive. And make money writing online is a reliable option. With a little creativity and effort, you will be able to make a decent or even substantial income while working from home and looking after your baby. In many ways, it’s easier to work from home after your baby is born rather than go to an office because you get to spend as much time as you need with your child.
The good news is that there are several ways to make money writing as a new mum but it will take some time, effort, and discipline to pull it off. One of the biggest hurdles for new mums who want to earn through writing is that they don’t know how to find writing jobs online.
Best Ways to Make Money Writing Online as a New Mom
1. Use job boards
As a new mom, you will need plenty of flexibility in your writing tasks so that you have enough time to take care of your little one. This is why a job board is a great place for you to start looking for freelance writing gigs. Even if you have no training, you will be able to find ads that don’t require experience and still pay a decent amount for good content.
The huge advantage of job boards is that there’s plenty to choose from and you can apply to numerous projects and make money writing online. ProBlogger is one of the most popular free job boards but it can be competitive. On the other hand, Contena is a paid job board but it has plenty of additional features such as the option to sort by category or niche and will spear you the effort of searching on several job boards. Another huge advantage of using this job board is that you can set the criteria (such as category or rate) for alerts to come to your inbox daily.
2. Contact Websites That Pay for Articles
Writing articles for websites is a great option if you’re completely new to this world and don’t even have your own blog. There are plenty of websites that pay well for quality content, even if you don’t have experience in that field.
These sites generally fall into one of 2 categories – sites that pay on a revenue-sharing basis and sites that pay upfront. Revenue sharing seems lucrative where you get paid for every view or ad click from your article, but this often amounts to a very small fee. On the other hand, websites that remunerate up front are typically reputable sites that pay a fixed fee, so you don’t have to wait for months for your article to generate income.
WOW! is a good place to start as it is a global magazine that supports and offers opportunities to budding female freelance writers. On average, they pay $50 – $75 per article but in-depth pieces with a higher word count and extensive research can get you as much as $150.
3. Scout for Paid Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is still typically unpaid as writers trade their content for the added exposure. However, there are still plenty of paid blogs that offer fair rates for quality content. If you’re just starting out, you might find it difficult to find ways to get paid to blog.
The first step is to create your own blog – it’s a pretty simple process. You can then approach paid blogs that offer content in areas where you have expertise or interest. For example, as a new mom, you might be interested in learning more and sharing info on motherhood and parenting. If that’s the case, you can opt for family blogs that pay for guest posts.
Blogs such as Alaska Parent pay anywhere from $40 to $200 per article depending on the length and complexity of the piece. Before you pitch your blog idea, check if the blog offers an author page/byline as this will help to increase your exposure.
Sometimes the simplest methods offer surprisingly good results! There’s a lot of mixed opinions about pitching directly to potential clients as some writers have had positive results while others have been discouraged by the lack of response.
Pitching directly to clients is known as cold pitching and it is undoubtedly easy and fast. All you have to do is send out an email inquiring if the client has any content requirements and why you are suitable for the job. Don’t expect your inbox to be flooded with responses but if you create an effective pitch, you’re likely to land at least a couple of new clients.
Ideally, a cold pitch should contain the company’s name as this is more likely to grab the attention of the person who receives your mail. You should also state the purpose of your pitch in a concise manner and then introduce yourself and outline how you can help. If you have experience or extensive knowledge in a particular field, look for websites that focus on those areas as they will value your expertise and are more likely to respond. You can also pitch to consumer magazines as many of these publications pay pretty well for articles.
5. Create Sponsored Content
For those who have been blogging for a while and have a strong online presence, sponsored blogs are a good way to go and make money writing online. Sponsored content is written in the same style and tone and the only difference is that a brand has paid to have it produced.
When creating your content, keep in mind that you need to respect your community and maintain the integrity of your brand while simultaneously pleasing the client. You can pitch to brands for sponsored content along with a media kit with the statistics of your blog and all your social media accounts. If you have a substantial audience, you can get as much as $250 for a dedicated sponsored blog post and approximately $300 if you include social shares. Many “mommy bloggers” have turned their blogging into a full-time job as it allows them to follow a flexible schedule and spend more time with their families.
Even if you’re a new mum with no experience in writing, you can start your own blog and use it to generate income.
However, before you consider this option, keep in mind that it can take months or even years of hard work and consistent effort before you start to make money writing online and earn a decent amount from your blog. Furthermore, even after you’ve built a strong platform with hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors, you will need to continue to add new content or your blog will eventually die off.
When starting your blog, figure out your niche first and then select a platform – a self-hosted WordPress installation on a custom domain would be eventually your best bet. Make sure to install Google Analytics and use Google’s webmaster tools to help you track and improve your efforts.
You can then monetize your blog through various methods such as sponsored content, ads and affiliate marketing – either through private partnerships or through ad networks such as Amazon Associates.
Tips for Balancing Motherhood with Freelance Writing
1. Create your own working space
You don’t need to create a fancy home office in order to work from home, all you need to do is create your own working space. This will help to minimize distractions and will put you in the right mind setup to get your work done. Make sure that your table is free of clutter and keep your baby monitor nearby so that you are not tempted to check on your sleeping infant every five minutes.
Don’t try to take on too much work from the start, instead opt for smaller writing gigs even if they don’t pay as much. This will give you the chance to slowly adjust to your new routine so that you don’t feel like you’re rushing through your day. You can always take on more work once you are comfortable with your daily schedule and you’re sure you can handle the additional workload.
3. Create a daily schedule
It’s not easy to create a daily schedule when you have a baby, but it’s not impossible. You don’t have to follow a rigid schedule, but you can create a flexible one that allows you to maximize the time you have while your baby is sleeping.
New-born babies and infants sleep for approximately 8 hours during the day but that does not mean you will be able to work for 8 hours. Your baby will probably keep you up at night which means that you will need at least a couple of power naps during the day to meet your sleep requirements. Create a daily schedule of your regular household tasks and then figure out the best time slots for you to spend on writing.
Writing requires time, focus and quiet which is not easy to come by when you’re a new mom.
According to the experts at What To Expect, an additional caregiver such as a babysitter or family member will allow you to enjoy an uninterrupted block of quiet, focused time so that you can concentrate on writing and finally make money writing.
Invited Guest Writer
Anita Fernandes has been writing extensively on health and wellness for over a decade. She has expertise in nutrition, fitness, public health, and weight loss and has contributed content to a variety of leading digital health publishers. Anita has a unique perspective on healthy living and lifestyle, as she has battled and overcome eating disorders and obesity. She shares her experiences to help others overcome physical and mental health problems that can sometimes seem insurmountable.
Are you interested in getting the most attention you possibly can from users on Instagram? Want to know how to use Instagram ads to achieve awesome business results? How can you use some of the advanced advertising options Instagram has to offer? How can you get as much as you can from Insta by putting in as little effort and resources? And finally, how much do Instagram ads cost?
In the last couple of years, advertising on Instagram has become one of the hottest topics in the marketing world. It’s no wonder: the number of active monthly users on Instagram averages 1.3 billion in 2022, and the numbers have been steadily rising ever since!
But, the data that’s even more interesting is that around two-thirds of Instagram users use it on a daily basis. From a business perspective, this means that you can access a very large customer base every day, which is something you can utilize to increase your brand awareness, profitability, and overall success.
If you are still in doubt, here are some more Instagram statistics:
To help you achieve the best results with your Instagram ads, we’re presenting you with 10 strategies that will get you the maximum return on investment (ROI) and consequently reduce your cost for Instagram ads. Thanks to the tactics outlined below, you will learn how to properly make use of the possibilities offered by Instagram and how to achieve the best possible results with minimum investment.
1. Switch to a Business Account
Instagram has two basic modes of operating an account: a private or a business account. Unlike a private account, which is used by the majority of the platform’s users, Instagram also offers another option for managing an Instagram page for businesses.
When you switch to a business account (if you haven’t already), you will receive very detailed statistics that allow you to track the progress and growth of your Instagram profile.
Also, you will get access to Instagram ads with various calls to action.
A business account can be easily set up in Account Settings, and you can go back to a private account at any point.
Paid Instagram ads offer various opportunities, but the cornerstone is still the photo ad.
Photographs and images are the foundation pillar of Instagram and, as such, they are great customer bait.
Firstly, it’s important to produce high-quality photos that will truly capture the quintessence of your brand and promote your image. It’s important to fit the pieces into the larger puzzle of your overall content, while at the same time using them to present your products or services.
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One of the two aspects of ROI is reducing the number of resources you invest in your Instagram ads. In some of the previous paragraphs, we talked about the chances of increasing your returns, but it’s also worth it to pay attention to budgeting and reducing investment and Instagram ads costs.
One of the ways you can do this is to create a strong content strategy, streamline your posts and reduce the amount of time you and your marketing staff spend on creating, placing, and promoting ads on Instagram.
For example, instead of editing a photo by adding branded icons or your logo, you can have a ready-made template that you’ll use for each of your posts. You can also schedule your posts and ads in advance so that you’re always ahead of the game.
4. Create Video Ads
Video has become the most popular form of expression on the Internet, not only among private users but also among brands and advertisers. On Instagram, you will be able to post a video that’s up to 60 seconds long.
With video, you can show multiple features of your product or service in a very short time, which is why this mode of advertising is extremely popular on Instagram. To enhance the impact of your videos, use a video editor tool to add text, transitions, and other effects. This will make your content more engaging and visually appealing.
“There are conflicting slogans coming from the world of top marketers: content is king and video is king. Why not combine both? A great video on an Instagram ad coupled with a captivating caption is a recipe for success and skyrocketing ROI”, says Kelly Michaels, a social media manager at SupremeDissertations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXqV56NiKaE
Source: YouTube
5. Play Around with Carousel Instagram Ads
A couple of years ago, Instagram introduced the possibility of publishing a post that contains multiple photos and a video. This is also a possibility that can be used in Instagram advertising, so many marketers recommend trying and utilizing it in an optimal way.
This type of Instagram advertising is great when you want to present several product features within one post. You can even shuffle them in a particular way so that they make a logical storyline, similar to a video ad.
6. Target the Right Audience
Hitting a good ROI is all about finding the optimal way your social media ads work and scaling them with larger investments. One of the main factors that will decide whether your Instagram ads perform well is targeting the correct audience for your products or services.
Here are some of the tools you can use to help you find that perfect audience segment: Instagram Ads Manager (where you can track all the details of your campaigns on Instagram), RiteTag (for selecting correct hashtags that will increase the ROI of your ads), WowGrade (finding writers that will write captions that resonate perfectly with your target audience) or Grum (to schedule Instagram posts not from the phone, but from the web).
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7. Instagram Stories Ads
Instagram stories are really catapulting towards their zenith, as they have become even more popular than actually posting on the feed. Stories are posts that can be viewed only within a span of 24 hours after they are posted, and they disappear afterward.
“Instagram stories are currently one of the most cost-effective ways of social media advertising. The most interesting thing about them is that you can place any type of content there – from photos and text to video and gifs”, says Michelle Barber, marketer at SupremeDissertations.
Influencer was probably thenotion of the digital marketing world in 2022 and will surely continue to be the thing to watch out for in 2023.
Influencers, popular persons who have a big following on social media, have the task to present your product in the best possible way while fitting it all in with their own profile and brand.
Data shows that the smart choice of an influencer can bring highly successful business results. However, there are two things to be aware of:
● fake influencers: with the rise of the popularity of influencers, many profiles decided to have their piece of the cake by building a fake following through bots, AI, and other types of fake fans that Instagram doesn’t allow
● influencer briefs: if you want influencers to really follow what you have in mind for your product post, it’s smart to create an influencer brief, where you will present all the most important features of your company and brand
It’s not impossible to see some of your ads failing completely: that’s why you don’t go into Instagram advertising head first and invest thousands of dollars into an ad that you think will work, but you actually test, tweak and experiment first. Otherwise, your Instagram ads cost will go through the roof and the ROI will enter negative territory.
A/B testing or multivariate testing is a great way to increase the ROI for your Instagram ads without risking a lot of funds in the beginning. You simply start out by comparing two different ads with little tweaks (one or two features) and then compare results to see which one performs better. You can tweak the following things:
● caption: change the caption to see which version works better with your audience
● photo/visuals: try testing out different visuals to see which will give you a better ROI. You can also compare results from video vs. photo and try different branding options.
● target audience: play around with the audience you’re targeting on Instagram: gender, age, location, interests… A/B testing allows you to find your perfect audience.
● types of ads: test out different types of ads for ROI improvements: single photos, videos, carousels, photo+video ads, stories, etc.
10. Organize Sweepstakes and Giveaways
Everyone loves winning contests and getting free stuff, especially when entering doesn’t require that much time and effort.
By default, Instagram is an awesome platform for organizing prize raffles. Thanks to giveaways, you can attract a bunch of new users, and also increase brand awareness for those who already follow you.
Organizing a giveaway via Instagram is not complicated and will bring fruitful results, but there are some rules you need to comply with. You should also check your company’s national legislation related to prize contests and check out the requirements before posting.
Conclusion
Advertising on Instagram can be a tremendously successful way of increasing your brand awareness and attracting new audiences. However, you will get many more benefits from it if you pay attention to budgeting and optimization in order to increase your ROI.
Once you find the perfect formula, you can expect Instagram ads to become a very reliable source of income and your go-to marketing strategy!
There are over 1.5 billion websites on the world wide web today. To have an outstanding blog within the online universe, you absolutely need a simple, but efficient blog design. Check out the following blog design tips.
In unanimity, marketers agree that content is king. Still, if you don’t have a user-friendly interface and easy navigation menu on your blog, you are creating obstacles for your user to access the fantastic content that you created.
It’s the design that makes the content look attractive to readers. After all, what’s the point of having excellent text if it’s not well-presented and easy to read? A successful blog design does not rely only on the beauty of images and design, but also on a simple and intuitive browsing experience for the users.
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Just a quick head up here: all the info presented here applies to web design in general and to blogs in particular.
Here are the most important tips that we selected for you to use on your blog design, so you maximize the results of your content strategy, user experience and conversions.
Keep up!
Blog Design Tips: Don’t Get Lost in Too Many Colors and Fonts
There are some websites and blogs out there that love to vary in colors and fonts. However, such diversity can confuse the user and hinder the construction of a visual identity.
Your website or blog is an extension of your business. Therefore, the color palette chosen should correspond to the colors of the brand. Consistency is the key to building a recognizable brand, and when all your materials combine or complement each other, it facilitates your business perception.
If you are not familiar with the most common color meanings, here are some examples of feelings that the main shades may evoke:
Concerning colors, it is highly recommended to employ a palette with a maximum of 3 or 4 colors that are harmonious and complementary with each other and consistent with the company’s brand colors.
Check out the example below: this is a website of a brass gifts supplier. The brand identity has only 3 colors, which keeps it clean and straightforward. Also, the yellow helps direct the attention to the conversion touchpoints (we will explain in more detail soon).
Source: BrassGifts
By the way, some tools can suggest ready-made color palette variations for your blog according to the combination of the different styles. Such tools are Adobe Color or ColourCode.
The same goes for the fonts: maintaining the same standard will help maintain brand unity and cohesiveness. Use between 2 or 3 legible fonts to make your content and message easy to read and to conserve the main style from this point of view.
It’s a reliable idea to choose, for example, a font type for titles – H1, one for text, one for menus, and if necessary, one for the blog sidebar or promotional materials.
Anyway, concerning both colors and fonts, the best rule is to aim for simplicity. As always, remember less is more!
Your website design should prioritize the essentials: it needs to be light and easy to interpret. Thus, avoid a layout displaying many distractions, visual pollution, unnecessary elements, and animations.
You have a few seconds to capture the user’s attention, so the most recommended is to use a clean, elegant, direct, and objective layout. Keep your focus on the most important and relevant points of your business, with light pages, well-positioned elements, and smooth navigation.
Source: Youtube
Blog Design Tips: Speed Up Page Loading
As already mentioned, the design also has to do with the accessibility of the pages. And there is nothing more important than loading speed.
Slow pages cause frustration for visitors and web designers alike. It proves to be an annoying experience for everyone. But what causes pages to load slowly? It’s usually heavier images, scripts, and code that make a site longer to open.
To find out exactly what happens on your site or blog, do yourself a favor and use some tools that measure page weight and speed, like PageSpeed Insights.
This platform is useful because they point out exactly the slower pages and elements that can be improved.
One of the major points where design and usability come together is the famous call-to-action (CTA).
If you pay attention, you will see that every day we are impacted by different calls in different environments.
“Push”
“Open”
“Come in, Air Conditioning”
“Smile you are being filmed”
Or even the green light of a traffic light…
All these signals exist to indicate what we should do in that context or how to interact with a particular object.
The online world is no different!
Calls to action fulfill the function of guiding the user to perform in the desired direction, such as subscribing to a newsletter, downloading exclusive material, or adding to the cart. Therefore, they need to stand out in the layout to catch people’s attention.
From opening a page (or looking at an ad) to the moment we decide to take action, we go through different steps (AIDA marketing model). Each of these steps requires proper care. Therefore, your site must be prepared to meet the specific objectives of each step:
● Attention: When we get the exclusive focus of a visitor and keep them browsing.
● Interest: Gaining attention, the visitor has the first impression of what they are looking at and decides to look for more information about the offer.
● Desire: At this time, a more detailed analysis of the offer is made, looking for its benefits and features to make sure it meets your needs.
● Action: Finally, with the decision made, the conversion action is performed.
Calls to Action are very useful tools mainly in the Attention and Interest steps (which last a few seconds) and in Action, which is often the very act of clicking on the CTA.
Ideally, CTAs should have colors that stand out from the background on which they are inserted. For example: on a blue banner, a yellow CTA button would stand out visually.
Besides the color, there is also the question of how to position the CTA on the screen. Depending on the size of the page and its content, a best practice is to repeat the CTAs so that they are always under the viewer’s eye.
Moreover, it is vital to have an action verb on your call to action. Look at the example below. This website is a private certifier, and the CTA is clear and always visible in the header.
Blog Design Tips: Privilege the User Experience
Organizing the information hierarchically is essential so that visitors can intuitively and fluidly “walk” through the content of your site.
When you go to a video site like Netflix, for example, you want to find a comedy movie. You intuitively click on the movie’s menu, then on the genre, and finally on comedy. After landing in the broad category (Comedy), Netflix will show you sub-categories, such as romantic comedy or international comedy. The same logic path is followed when you want to buy a Blu-ray of the same movie at a physical store, and you pursue a hierarchical order of information.
People will always look for logical patterns when looking for content, and your site needs to be optimized for it.
Consequently, create a map for your site. Create an organization chart and simulate the path that the visitor would take on your website from the moment they land and place yourself as a guide that will direct them so that they do not get lost on the way.
In the context of information architecture, taxonomy refers to the names we give to the group and describe the contents, as well as the language we use for this purpose.
Also, list the categories of posts. The idea is to create the minimum amount necessary to cover all matters in your niche market. Don’t create very specific sections, so that they don’t run out of content.
Let’s see an example. This is a website that sells activated nuts online and many other organic ingredients. Observe that there are different categories related to the products, and the info about the company and account are on a different menu.
Although information architecture is a broad subject, in practice, you will need to perform four basic tasks to organize better your blog or website:
● List and rank your website sections.
● Name each section.
● Create a website map.
Conclusion
Less is more! This is the quintessence of blog design tips: keep the colors, fonts, menu bars, and other visual elements as simple and consistent along with the website or blog as much as you can. Make sure that you give directions to your visitors. Make their time on your blog easy and enjoyable!
The world of content marketing is changing at a rapid pace. And it’s getting more challenging for businesses to keep up with the new trends and keep marketing strategy current.
If you want to succeed in 2020, you should get a clear understanding of what content you need to produce and where to distribute it, in short, to clearly understand the main content marketing trends in 2020. You should learn more about the expectations of modern users and develop a content strategy that will help you to meet those expectations.
In this article, we will consider the top six content marketing trends that will prevail in the coming year. Take a closer look at these trends and adapt your strategy accordingly.
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Modern users tend to choose video content over other types of visual and text content. And recent study reveals that 54% of consumers want to see more videos from brands and businesses they support.
So, if you want to attract your target audience, you should focus your efforts on video content production. Here are a few video content ideas for your business:
● How-to guides – Show your customers how to use, apply, wear, install, or clean your product. For instance, if you sell cosmetics, shoot the video “how to do cat-eye makeup using X eyeliner”.
● Video interviews – Discuss important topics with your employees, social media influencers, or experts in your niche. For instance, if you run a sustainable clothing company, ask an expert some questions regarding the usage of “vegan leather”.
● Explainer videos– Explain to your customers what your product is all about and present the technologies you use. Explainer videos are a must for every SaaS company.
● Unboxing videos – Show your prospective customers what your product looks like in real life and try to generate curiosity.
● Customer testimonials – Let your customers share their opinion about your products.
● Live videos – Stream your corporate events on social media.
● Behind the scenes videos – Let your customers take a look at what is going on in your company. Show how you produce, pack, shoot, or deliver your products.
● Or, you can include videos in your email marketing
Interactive Content – A Content Marketing Trend That Continues to Raise Interest
Nowadays users are overexposed to content. And this is a key reason why they are becoming picky content consumers.
If you want to get your brand noticed, you should start using interactive content. According to statistics, interactive content generates twice as many conversions and generates up to five times more page views than ordinary content.
So, if you have noticed that your articles or Instagram posts do not bring as much engagement as they did two years ago, take advantage of interactive content:
● Use funny quizzes to entertain your customers and draw their attention to your brand
● Collect customer feedback using online surveys. Use feedback to improve your products and services.
● Add an online calculator to your website to help your customers with calculations of shipping costs, installment payments, etc.
● Post interactive Stories (e.g., use polls and quizzes stickers) to engage your followers and encourage them to watch all of your Stories.
● Design a simple, engaging game for your website to make your customers stay on the page for longer periods of time.
“When it comes to interactive content, you should be as creative as possible. You should surprise your customers with brand new content they have never seen before,” says Helen McGraw, a content strategist at Studicus.
Do you want to see an example of unique interactive content? To engage the audience during the holiday season, Swatch created a series of interactive Instagram Stories – a funny game about a penguin in a hurry on a date. Swatch asked users to tap the Story to help the penguin jump and overcome obstacles on his way.
This funny game helped the company to boost social media engagement, increase brand awareness, drive more traffic to the website and increase sales. That’s a fantastic result, isn’t it?
If you want to maximize your marketing efforts in 2020, you can also try to turn your Instagram Stories into a funny game. It’s a brand-new way to engage the audience, and it seems it works really well.
Content Marketing Trends: Storytelling Still on an Ascending Path
Another important content marketing trend that we saw evolving in the past years is storytelling. Whether you’re writing a blog post, crafting a social media post, shooting a video, or designing a game, you should use narratives and storytelling. It will help you achieve the following results:
● Enhance your brand message
● Make your content stand out
● Get your customers emotionally attached to your brand
Do you consider yourself a bad storyteller? No worries. Living in a digital age, you can always get professional help online. If you want to incorporate storytelling in your content marketing strategy, feel free to use the following sites:
● Upwork – it’s an international freelance platform where you can hire an expert in storytelling. Here you can find a professional with experience in your niche.
● GrabMyEssay – it’s a writing service that employs highly-qualified storytellers. Visit this website to buy articles, eBooks, and social media posts.
● Fiverr – it’s another freelancer platform where you can find storytelling gurus. Some freelancers provide really great work but charge affordable rates.
● TrustMyPaper – It’s another writing service. Check it out if you want to outsource your storytelling without overpaying.
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Content Marketing Trends: Personalized Content
Digital era consumers demand personalized content. And it seems that personalization strategies are becoming fundamental for companies that want to compete effectively in the digital space.
If you still believe that “personalization” is just a trendy buzzword, take a look at the following statistics. A recent marketing study has shown that 42% of customers get annoyed when they get exposed to content that is not personalized. The vast majority of buyers expect that brands will engage with them on a personal level across all platforms, including social media, blogs, and email.
In 2020, content personalization is a must. To infuse personalization into your content marketing, you should do the following:
● When you’re writing emails, address the users by their first names. It will increase the open rate and boost your email marketing efforts.
Source: Email from paypal.com
● To optimize the work of your website, display content based on visitor behavior. For instance, if a shopper is looking through the cheap laptops, show him the article “How to choose an inexpensive laptop for students”. If a visitor is checking the pages of the most expensive gaming laptops, display the post “Top 10 gaming laptops that will make your friends jealous”.
● Use polls and quizzes to learn more about your customers and their preferences. Get an idea of how to personalize your content to boost engagement.
Top Performing Content Marketing Trend in 2020: Voice Search
To date, around 111.8 million people in the U.S. use a voice assistant at least once a month. This is equivalent to 39.4% of internet users and 33.8% of the total U.S. population. And it’s expected that voice-based shopping will jump to $40 billion in 2022.
So, if you want to reach users of Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Samsung’s Bixby, Google Assistant, and other voice assistants, you should adjust your content marketing strategy. Here are a few tips that you might find useful:
● Focus on long-tail keywords. Voice search is longer and more conversational, so short-tail keywords do not work here.
● Use more natural language and avoid rarely used words.
● Try to think like a customer. Imagine what questions you would ask to find products similar to yours.
● Add questions and answers within your content. For instance, if you are writing an article about YouTube video downloaders, add the question “How to download YouTube videos for free?” and then provide a reply “To download YouTube videos you need to install the app X”.
Finally, let’s talk about user-generated content (UGC). In fact, if you want to get the most from your content marketing strategy, you shouldn’t try to produce all content by yourself. You should try to get more UGC instead.
A recent marketing survey reveals that 85% of consumers find visual UGC more influential than brand photos or videos. Also, the study shows that 48% of online shoppers see UGC as a great way to discover new products.
If you want to collect more user-generated content, do the following:
● Come up with a branded hashtag. Keep in mind that branded hashtags must be unique but do not necessarily need to match your brand name completely.
● Explain to your customers what tags and hashtags they should use in their posts. Put this information in the bio of your social media account.
● To generate even more content, offer your customers a reward. It can be a discount for the next purchase, or bonus points if you have a loyalty program.
Source: Email from DSW.com
Final thoughts
If you want to keep your business afloat in 2020, don’t ignore content marketing trends. Analyze the changes that are taking place in the market and update your content marketing strategy. Do your best to ensure that you deliver the content that your buyers expect from you.
Invited Guest Writer:
Angela Baker is a communication professional with more than five years of experience in digital marketing. Currently, she is working as a freelance writer at BestEssayEducation and editor at PickTheWriter.
We all know first impressions are important and you only have a couple of seconds at your disposal, whether you’re meeting someone new or showing them your website. As the hard core of modern marketing business, it’s vital that your website makes at least a good first, second, and third impression. It’s where your audience can analyze you and you get the chance to create a professional image for your business.
The photography used on your website, styled stock photography preferred, is one of the most important aspects, no matter your profession. While the visuals of your website might have been once something you could skip over, gone are those days.
Here are some reasons why photography and photos are the key to a professional-looking website:
Styled Photography Helps Reinforce Your Brand
Crafting your company’s brand identity is a huge part of building a business today. A business can’t afford to concentrate exclusively on the service it provides, they need to stand for something and have a set of ethics behind them. There are a number of ways to build a brand, and how you use photography and visuals is paramount.
Along with the work you do on your social media accounts, your brand identity will be defined on your website. This is where a user is most likely to go after seeing your business advertised or finding your social media. At this point it’s likely you’ve sparked some interest in the user, next they’ll be looking for a clearer picture of your brand.
High-quality imagery is the way to build that picture. In terms of brand building, imagery is about creating a stylized view of your business. Photography can tell your company’s history and modern-day story without making your visitors read pages of copy.
Source: Youtube
If you insert on your website the imagery of company events, award ceremonies and shots of staff working you’ll not only provide the visitors with a clearer picture of who you are, but confirm what you stand for and how the company operates. All these factors come together to create the image of a professional business.
Some of the fastest rising online businesses are Instagram influencers. Their entire brand is built on great photography, mostly flat lay photography and styled photography. The rise of the influencers highlights the power imagery has in making something look professional. It has radically transformed common, everyday people with smartphones into worldwide celebrities. Look to replicate this idea on your website to control the narrative around your brand.
Photography Makes Your Website Trustworthy
One question all business owners should ask themselves about their website is “does it make my business look trustworthy?” If you’re trying to convince visitors you’re worth working with or trusting with their money it helps to at least look like a professional.
Building trust is essential for any business, but it’s a huge factor in determining whether one succeeds online or not. High profile cases of data and personal information theft have made people more aware than ever of what can occur when they trust the wrong websites.
Most people have developed an internal vetting process they conduct when they land on a website for the first time. While trust seals and testimonials are a great way to convince people you’re legitimate, they will automatically put a lot on appearance when it comes to make a decision about whether or not to trust you.
This is where photography comes in.
Source: YouTube
If your website uses free stock photography present everywhere, it can make people question whether or not there is even a business behind the website for them to trust. At best you’ll be considered lazy, and at worst free stock photos make you look like you’re trying to cover something up.
Photography should reflect the trustworthiness of your business. While product photography is essential for your website, if there is no evidence of people working behind the scenes it can make you seem lifeless, unprofessional and even guilty. Lots of brands now invest in pulling back the curtain of their business to help build up a sense of trust.
The quality of visuals and photos goes a long way toward building a positive and trustful perception. If your product imagery is poorly shot it will make customers question if what they’re seeing is really what would turn up at their door. It should always look legitimate and reflect the product correctly. As more and more businesses find unique ways to present their products with photography, don’t take a step back by using blurry cut-outs.
The value of trust cannot be understated online. The trust-building element of customer service is difficult to reflect with a website. You have limited options and chances to build trust, so make sure your visual presentation styled stock is both professional and reflective of what you do.
Styled Stock Photography Shows You Care About Your Products and Services
All businesses face a harsh competition online, but particularly retailers. You’re not just looking to get your business noticed, you’re trying to convince people you’re the top of the market for your product. While customers are looking for a bargain, they’re also willing to buy from the best if they think they’re purchasing from an expert and receiving a more knowledgeable level of customer service. They want the best value for their money.
Photography helps to build this sense of professionalism and shows a passion for your products and services. If you used free stock photos or poorly shot photos you won’t convince customers you are experts who actually work with those products every day and have taken the time to consider the best way to present them in a unique manner.
If your budget won’t stretch to a professional photographer and you’re useless with a camera, there are a number of brilliant editing tools suitable for beginners, so you have no excuse for poor website photography and visuals. Conversions are often driven by product photography alone, with few users reading any product copy, so it’s vital you invest in either taking or editing high quality photographs of your products.
This doesn’t just apply to product imagery. Imagery shows passion for your products and services. For freelancers, coaches and other solopreneurs high-quality images of themselves crafting their work are just as alluring and important at building a sense of professionalism. For the visitors of your website, top notch quality imagery creates a sense of high-quality service. There’s the belief that if you take the time to present yourself correctly, you must be worth shopping with.
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Styled Visuals Meet the Expectations Set by Social Media
Social media has managed to set the zeitgeist for the rest of online presentations. With everyone having access to a good camera and posting great images to carefully cultivated social media accounts, the idea of what we perceive as good quality photography has changed. There‘s no room for amateurs anymore. Everyone from major brands to random Instagram users are making it a priority.
Social media has transformed how businesses present themselves online. If anyone can have a delicately crafted social media account full of well-shot photography, then a business should too. Not only should they have it on their Instagram, but on their website, too.
A professional website needs to go above and beyond in this direction, offering an enhanced presence of your business on social media and guiding the peoples’ perceptions of what great enterprises look like. So, much of social media is visual, and by having a high-quality visual experience on your website you’re attracting them with their favorite feature. Count on what people enjoy and expect to see online.
Optimized Imagery Backs up Professional Operations
High-quality imagery doesn’t mean just well-shot photography, it means photos that fit into the configuration of your website. Throughout your website you’ll have backgrounds, banners, featured images and more, which all have their own specific size and place within the website.
Beyond your photography being optimized for Google, it should look professional by fitting into these boundaries in a way that builds the overall presentation. A photograph may capture what you do perfectly, but it’s worthless if you can’t get that across with poor placement.
Great web design is vital for making that first impression on a visitor, and imagery plays a huge role in web design. Professional businesses find out through research how users react to their websites and what draws them in.
A new user will notice if an image is poorly cropped, misused or squashed into a space it doesn’t fit in. If the resolution of your imagery is poor you will look like an unprofessional outfit. Every element of photography from building the set to uploading to your CMS is part of crafting a professional perception.
Striking Visuals and Styled Stock Photography Prevent the Page from Being Oversaturated with Text
If a visitor is greeted on your website by loads of text, they can become instantly bored and get a bad vibe about you. The story of your business, brand, and service should be able to be told through snappy headlines and excellent photography without a need for long descriptions.
People enjoy reading through visuals because they’re easy to digest. Let the overall presentation of your website tell visitors what you’re about, particularly via photography. A lot can be inferred about the business from a simple photograph, so take images that show what you do and did to get to this point, use top quality styled stock photos. It will resonate better with your audience and avoid overwhelming them.
Photography has developed so much in the past few decades that there’s no excuse for letting poor images sneak onto your website. If your website is struggling then take a look at the imagery, it will completely change the game and how professionals perceive you.
Invited Guest Writer: Kayleigh Alexandra
Kayleigh Alexandra is a writer for MicroStartups, a website dedicated to helping charities and microbusinesses. After years of working in the sustainability, marketing and creative industries, Kayleigh now loves to devote her time to supporting other businesses to grow and thrive. Visit her blog or follow her on Twitter @getmicrostarted for the latest news, tips and advice for startups and solopreneurs.
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