It is 2017 and it is the year of content. Long-form content is ruling the internet. In this monopoly, finding the right stories and connections is most important for those trying to capitalize on the trend. Marketing has taken a new liking to content. Content marketing has become one of the strongest ways to reach out to a fresh audience with commendable buying power.
Just purchasing content or mass-producing it is not enough. If you have a website, you need to invest in developing good quality content. You need to do your research to find out what people like, what they want and what are the future scopes for your blogs. Making a website that supports blogs is the first step towards constructive content marketing. However, almost all modern day website designs and CMS platforms have built-in blog features.
To design a powerful website that supports content marketing, you need to do your share of research. You can definitely approach a marketing analytics company or a website design company for this. You will need thorough A/B testing through collection of analytics data and collect your competitor data too. This will all determine your website design pricing.
You should remember a couple of key points to design a website that facilitates and supports all forms of content marketing strategies.
#1. Your shoppers are emotionally charged
Research on thousands of shoppers worldwide shows that most shopping decisions are emotional. It is likely that your shoppers purchase emotionally and then try to rationalize the purchase with the help of logic. Emotion should be at the top of your content priority list. Try to invoke common emotions in people and build a humanizing element with the help of your content.
Research also shows that the more a person connects with your content emotionally, the more he is likely to make a purchase from your website. Always remember to include emotional elements in your blog. Include something that most people, especially your target audience, can relate to.
#2. Direct your content
You cannot write a blog piece that reaches out to everyone from all walks of life. We aren’t saying it’s impossible. We are saying, it is a waste of your time and money. The moment you disperse your target group, the impact of your message gets diluted. Content marketing needs to be able to generate live leads. It is a form of inbound marketing that elicits a response from a target group.
Now, unless you find this target group for your brand or product, you won’t be able to execute a blog or content that reaches out to them or makes an impact. For example – if you want to reach out to the baby boomers, you cannot write about teenage problems or a Kim K debacle. It would make no sense to them. You need to know your audience to please your audience. Conduct regular surveys, follow Google Analytics results and interact with people on Facebook and Twitter. Finally, monitor your brand’s social activity to spot the more common reader personas.
#3. Focus on good design
A good design may have many definitions. To us, good design of a website does not distract the audience from the CTA. It cradles the flow and gradually guides the audience towards the final action. A good website design incorporates elements of marketing and human behavior to elicit positive reader actions.
The Halo Effect is a proven psychological pattern that has a massive impact on digital marketing. This means to introduce a common recurring element in your design that will appeal to the subconscious of the reader or user. Stick to neutral backgrounds. White and transparent are the traditionally safe backgrounds that work for all kinds of posts. Create neat designs with clear elements. This will remove all kinds of distractions from your content.
A good designer is aware of these implications. He should be able to guide you towards a simple design that works for the brand and the audience.
#4. Typography
When you are banking on content to make you rich, you should pay considerable attention to typography. Generally, websites pick between two types of fonts – Serif and Sans Serif. Serif fonts have little elements on ornation with semi-circular details. The Sans Serifs or without the Serifs are plane Janes compared to Serifs. If you plan on publishing long form content, we will suggest you go with San Serif fonts. They are much simpler and they make your content look much less cluttered.
Font size is just as important. Many say that 16 is the “happy font”. However, put yourself in your reader’s shoes. Would you like a screen filled with giant texts and almost no negative space staring at you? Or, would you prefer something more understated? Maybe a size 14 Sans Serif font. A good combination that works for almost all content marketers is Serif for the body texts and Sans Serif for the headers and subheads.
#5. Visual impact
This is a tricky part of any good UX. If you are new at this, we suggest you consult an expert who can help you see the nuances of visual appearance.
Here are a few of the most common features that are present in blogs –
- Include short paragraphs only
- Alight the text in a single column
- Highlight important points
- Use lists, numbering, images and infographics
- Use social sharing icons with each significant, shareable content
- Create a flow in the content
Get rid of the pop-ups that disrupt content flow. Make the more important menu options in larger fonts. Your text should be adaptable to responsive website designs. Images need compression and menus need minimization when your user switches from a desktop view to a mobile friendly view.
Website design has a significant role to play in any form of marketing. However, content is the integral part of a website that defines its very purpose and existence. Therefore, your website design should be able to nourish your content and blog. It should not be a distraction or disruption for your readers.
