For businesses, content writing is an important part of the marketing strategy. If correctly performed, this can help build trust with customers, and increase engagement. At the same time, however, writing good content can be challenging because it requires much research and thought to create something that readers will want to read and share. For these reasons and more, many companies hire virtual content writing assistants (VAs) to help with their content creation projects, so they don’t have to spend as much time doing it themselves. Nevertheless, they still gain great results from their efforts. So how exactly can your VA help you write better blog posts? Here are some ideas.
Content writing should always focus on the reader
To help you establish this mindset, I’ll give you a few tips on how to make your content writing work for you:
Use the reader’s voice
When crafting your next piece of content, ask yourself what would be the best way to reach the readers.
- What is their biggest issue?
- What are they most interested in learning about?
- How can you make them feel that they are being spoken directly to by someone who understands them and knows exactly what they need at this moment? If all goes well, it should feel as though an expert is coming into their home every day and taking care of them through their difficult struggles.
That’s some powerful stuff! They’ll be grateful, for sure.
Ask yourself “What is the reader looking for?” & use their language
This goes hand-in-hand with speaking directly with the reader—make sure that everything written is in their language (not yours) or even better—their words (not yours). This will help create more of an empathetic connection between them and whoever is writing something up on behalf of your organization. That person must seem more trustworthy when presenting information later on down the line if needed/wanted.
Make your content relevant to your readers.
- Use keywords to target your audience.
Prove your point with data. - Customer testimonials and case studies are powerful content tools, but so are infographics, video, social media, email marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO)/ and search engine marketing (SEM).
Be original, and consistent. Moreover, be engaging
If you’re going to hire someone to write your content, don’t be afraid to ask them questions about their process and what they’ll be doing. You should have an idea of what you’re looking for before you hire a virtual assistant so that you can make sure that they do it the way that suits your needs best. If there is anything about this article or services that isn’t clear and does not make sense, don’t hesitate to ask them to be clear and concise.
Write to inform, not just to promote
When you write for a business, focus on the readers and what they might want to know. Tell stories and use a narrative arc, but be sure to use data and statistics to support your point. Use research to show that you are knowledgeable in your niche.
Tell stories and have a narrative arc to make more of an impact on the reader.
- Use the word ‘I’ in your content.
- Use active verbs to make them more engaging.
- Tell anecdotes and stories to make it more interesting.
Use metaphors and similes that are memorable, but not too obscure. - Add humour if appropriate—this is a good way to break up the monotony of reading long blocks of text in your articles or blog posts.
- Humour can even be used as a hook for making people interested in what you have to say.
Use data and statistics to support your point
Use data and statistics to support your point. This is an effective way of proving that the point you are making is correct. You will be more credible if you can show that there is evidence to back up what you say.
It’s important not only to use data and statistics but also to explain them clearly so that readers can follow your arguments easily, without getting lost in numbers or formulas.
If it’s difficult for people who don’t have much knowledge of the subject matter, how do they know whether they should believe what you’re saying? If there aren’t any figures or studies available, then either make some yourself or find other ways of supporting your arguments such as testimonials from other people or case studies from previous similar projects (if applicable).
Think – research!
Use research to show that you are knowledgeable on your niche topic, create trust with readers, and make it easier for readers to believe what you’re saying.
Research is an important part of most content writing, especially in the form of testimonials and case studies. These are external proof points that show your readers you have experience in your niche and can be trusted. You’re also able to use these quotes to support your claims and make them more credible.
When it comes to research, I like to focus on the following
Show how much you know about a particular topic. This will prove that you’re an expert on the subject matter. This makes it easier for readers to trust what you say about other topics as well—and ultimately, it helps build credibility with a wide variety of audiences who may be interested in reading your content.
Use trustworthy sources such as experts, industry leaders, or respected publications like Harvard Business Review or Forbes. This will help people who may not know much about this particular field understand why they should listen when someone says something; after all − if someone knows more than me then why shouldn’t I listen?
Ask questions!
- Ask questions in your content to drive engagement with the reader and help them to think more deeply about the topic you’re writing about
- Asking questions in your content is a great way of helping the reader to engage and think more deeply about your topic. This can also be a good way of driving engagement with your audience.
What is the purpose of asking questions?
You might be wondering what purpose there is in asking questions in content. However, there are several reasons why this is beneficial:
- Questions encourage readers to engage with you and your brand on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
- Questions can also lead people back to the site or blog post where they came from after they’ve read through all of it (however long that may take).
Keep it simple
Use simple language and avoid jargon if possible. This will make you sound smarter and help you connect better with your readers outside of your industry or niche.
It is not only important to use simple language, but it is also important to avoid jargon. Using jargon helps you connect better with your readers outside of your industry or niche. When writing for an audience within your niche or industry, it is easy to get caught up in words and phrases that can be confusing for that outside of this group. For example, if I’m writing about marketing strategies for personal trainers and fitness instructors who want to increase their visibility through blogging, I may write about “content marketing” or SEO. These are terms that most people outside of those industries will not understand when they read my blog posts or articles on other websites. This is because they have no context for them yet (and often won’t even care to have it).
This is why!
We can take these two examples above—both “content marketing” and SEO—and rewrite them as something more straightforward like: “how I created valuable content that helped me grow my business”. We have now removed any confusion in our readers who might not know what those phrases mean exactly, yet still want to learn more about our topic. In fact, it could even encourage them to research those subjects further. Unlike before, when they were lost by the first few lines alone, now they are interested in learning more once again. This is thanks largely to simplicity rather than complexity. Such makes a huge difference when trying to attract new visitors over time while keeping existing visitors engaged during various phases throughout their journey towards achieving goals related both personally and professionally.
Get personal
And talk about yourself in a way that connects with the reader so that they can relate to you and feel a connection. People are more inclined to work with others that they know, like, and trust: – Many people who write content for a living suffer from the same problem. They don’t talk about themselves in their writing. Don’t be that writer! You need to be open and honest with your readers. Tell them how you feel, mention your experiences, and state how you overcame challenges. When you do this, you will connect with readers on an emotional level. This makes it easier for them to trust you and take action about what you’re telling them.
Content marketing is powerful
Content marketing is powerful for businesses when correctly performed, therefore using a VA can really help
Plus, content marketing is a powerful way for businesses to build relationships with customers and to put their message out there. It’s also an effective way of building trust, credibility, and authority around your brand or product. However, if you are not performing content marketing correctly, this will not work for you. If your content is not being read or shared by people who matter (i.e., potential customers), then again, it will not work for you at all!
The closing remark
Content writing is a powerful tool for businesses, but only when it is properly written. The tips we’ve given you here will help you get started on the right track for creating compelling content that attracts your audience and makes them want to buy what you’re selling. It doesn’t matter if your content writing VA has written hundreds of articles or whether this is their first time ever doing anything like this—they can still benefit from these tips because these are universal truths about how people engage with each other online and in person every day.