Nowadays, information is power.
People use social media to connect with others and companies use it to interact with actual and potential customers.
The era of traditional marketing is over and content marketing has become all about writing good quality content, that your target buyers can use and enjoy. So, the catch is to know how to write an article in order to make it look good and read well.
Considering the fact that everyone can write and post an article on a blog or site, we could all be considered writers. But quantity doesn’t necessarily mean quality. In order to write a successful article, there are still things to be taken into account, so that it can benefit readers and help you rank well in search engines. To these ends, you need to follow a few basic steps.
1.Who is your target reader?
First of all, decide on your target reader and keep them in mind during the whole research and writing process. Who are you writing for? How can you help them? How does your article answer your target buyer’s questions?
Once you know the answers to the questions above, narrow your focus down to one core issue. Expand on it as much as possible, without sounding redundant. You want your target reader to be able to take action after reading your post, so make it as actionable as possible.
2. Keep your focus close and your resources even closer
Use only trustworthy sites and books with good ranking and reviews. After this first step is completed, brainstorming is the best thing to do; just write down the first words you remember from what you’ve just read. Trust your instinct, what you remember first is what interests you the most.
3. Stick to your keywords
After setting the keywords, organize your ideas in a structured and coherent way. Keep in mind that what is pompous and hardly understandable for you, will be likewise for your reader. Don’t try to overachieve from the SEO standpoint. A clear and structured text is the key to remembering information with ease; and you surely want your clients to remember you. Use the same keyword just as many times as needed, so that the text maintains a natural flow. An article on ways to decorate a garden won’t be more convincing if its topic will be stated extensively throughout the content.
4. What’s your style?
Don’t forget about style. It’s important to understand that writing an article also involves a personal touch. Personalised content offers as much information about your company as a drawing does to a psychologist; it helps your potential customer get a better idea on how you approach a deal or a project. You can create your own style by simply following your favorite bloggers or content writers. They will unconsciously influence the topics you choose, how you organize ideas and what writing techniques you use.
Don’t sweat it in the beginning. Style will be acquired with time and with consistent effort. For now, keep things simple. An article that’s easily readable will stay with your reader longer than one that’s packed with metaphors.
After a few drafts you will have a final version of the article. A good trick is to let the article “rest” for a day or two. Then, re-read it from head to bottom, as if you are the ideal customer and do the last modifications, if needed.
A possible example of writing style is writing for your business, as shown in this article.
5. Check grammar and spelling
The last step on your “how to write an article” checklist is to look for grammar and spelling mistakes.
There are cases when a simple grammar error can change the meaning of your sentence. Here are some amusing examples, highly spread on social media:
- “Let’s eat grandma” (Punctuation saves lives)
- “Love still exist” (Grammar not)
- “Your welcome” (my welcome?)
Bad grammar is bad for you and your business. Many times, creative ideas are lost to sloppy punctuation and spelling. An article could be the first way of getting a client’s attention, and what impression would you give if your article was full of clumsy errors or twisted sentences? It would be great if you remembered to not eat grandma. 😀
To summarise, knowing how to write an article is not really at arms’ length. It requires time and dedication, but rewards will be numerous if you don’t give up easily. Blog articles nowadays can be a great way to communicate about your business in a non-intrusive manner, that could work as a customer magnet when done well. As Louis L’Amour said: “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
