It’s important to reminder yourself when you hit a road block that you have access to so much information which your target audience does not.
Using an example of a Travel Agency; you have information your readers don’t; you know the key areas to avoid when vacationing in Bahamas, the bars with the best margaritas in Mexico, and how to get tickets to sold-out shows in New York City. You don’t have to give away all of your trade secrets, however sharing valuable information with your target audience makes you a credible source. Your target audience is looking for answers to their questions and it might as well be you that provides those answers. Yes, they may not be ready to work with you when they’re searching, however if you keep delivering highly relevant content, they will continue following you and sharing your information with their friends and family.
Ideally, your readers will realize that you have more value to offer if they hire you. So here are some tried and true ways to building credibility and gaining engagement on your blogs, using the travel agency as the example.
Itemized lists are very compelling to readers: they let them know immediately what they will get and they are easy to scroll through. Instead of titling your blog “Packing Tips” try “10 Packing Tips”. Furthermore, try using adjectives to add interest “10 Packing Tips for your Next Flight.” Words like ‘easy’, ‘simple’, and ‘quick’ appeal to audiences over and over. Here are a few others:
1. List: Itemized lists are very compelling to readers: they let them know immediately what they will get and they are easy to scroll through. Instead of titling your blog “Packing Tips” try “10 Packing Tips”. Furthermore, try using adjectives to add interest “10 Time-Saving Packing Tips for your Next Flight.” Words like ‘easy’, ‘simple’, and ‘quick’ appeal to audiences over and over. Here are a few others:
- [#] [Adjective] Ways To ____
- [#] [Adjective] Questions To Ask Before _____
- [#] [Adjective] Secrets To ____
- How To: Audiences love to read straightforward tips; blog posts with simple to follow answers to common issues are not only popular blog posts but great examples for longer downloadable content, such as ebooks and checklists. An example of a title could be “How To Travel Abroad on Only $40 a Day.” Here are others:
- How To Completely Change ____
- How To Get More ____
- How To Resolve ____ in [#] Easy Steps
- Mini Case Study: People like to see the down and dirty details of how someone got from point A to point B such as “How a Family of Eight Made their Dream Vacation a Reality”. Try using a customer or client story, diving into specifics and including visuals where applicable.
- FAQ’s: Think about what keeps you on the phone the longest; what questions do you answer over and over? Maybe for a travel agency it’s ‘how are your fees established?’ – Write a blog about it. It can quickly become a huge driver of traffic and time saver for you.
- Checklist: Sometimes we just want something we can print off and check off. An example: ‘20 Places You Must Visit While In London’ or ‘Guide to Getting your Passport in Less Time’ . Try these as well:
- [#] Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make
- [#] Creative Ways to ____
- Series: If you notice you come up with a great article like “The Secrets To Saving Money For Travel Revealed” but you can’t stop writing, try breaking into a three part series – people will look forward to the next installment, and no matter when they stumble on it, they’ll be more likely to click on the other related articles in the series (thus staying on your site longer).
- Pros vs Cons: Using Comparisons “Pros and Cons of Traveling with Kids”
- ___ vs ___ : Which Do You Need?
- ___ vs ___ : Which Is Really Better?
- Why ___ beats ___
Remember it’s also important to pay attention to what already works by looking at your website’s analytics. If you need some help understanding your analytics, contact us for more information.
