UPDATED JULY 1, 2023
What is content?
Content is material that you create, publish and distribute to your target audience online.
The material can take a number of forms including:
- Text
- Video
- Photographs
- Graphics
- Audio.
But in my case, it’s blog articles.
The purpose of content is to give your audience some kind of value. That might be information, inspiration, education or entertainment.
A blog article can offer all or any of those things.
As a content strategist, I get involved at any or every stage where my clients need support. From strategy, planning and developing ideas to researching, optimising and writing the content itself. I’ll even find images, create diagrams and publish the content to your blog — if that’s what you need.
The value of good content
It’s simple: good content creates value. And it can stay on your website, working hard for your business, for as long as it’s relevant and interesting.
Unlike advertising, for example, which stops working the moment you stop paying for it.
Content is a form of advertising, but it doesn’t focus on selling.
Here’s a brief comparison of the two.
Content vs. advertising
Advertising is everywhere. It’s constant, it’s intrusive and people get sick of it.
It’s estimated that the average consumer is exposed to between 6,000 and 10,000 ads every day. If that sounds hard to believe, it’s probably because you’ve developed a sophisticated screening process that filters out most of the ads you actually see.
In 2020, more than a third of us were using ad blockers online. And as far back as 2010, 86% of us were skipping the ad breaks when watching recorded television.
That’s one of the differences between advertising and content.
While people might block or skip your adverts, bin your direct mail and unsubscribe from your email lists, they’re actively seeking out good content.
That’s because the principle aim of content isn’t selling. Good content will contain something valuable to them. For example, it might answer a burning question, explain how something works or resolve an issue they’ve been having.
The value of my content support
The content support I provide will give you real, tangible value for your business.
My support will help you:
- Get your new website to rank faster in the search engines
- Maintain the ranking of your existing website
- Attract and engage your target audience
- Build likeability and trust in your brand
- Create a growing resource of helpful information
- Position you as an authority in your field
- Nurture new customers and generate new leads.
This is the kind of content that’s created to deliver results.
Let’s look at what you’ll be getting from your investment.
My content support packages
I offer three different packages with three different levels of support. This section briefly outlines each one and what you’ll get.
In the following section I’ll show you what’s involved.
1. Write it Yourself
Who’s it for?
This package is for you if you want to write your own blog articles, but you need inspiration and you want the benefits of SEO without having to learn it.
What will I get?
With my Write it Yourself package you’ll get:
A minimum four-article content plan
Four fully-thought-out article ideas for your business. These will be based on research into what your audience is looking for and what they want to see from you.
An SEO outline for each article
Full SEO keyword research which will be used to create four article outlines with optimised titles, headings, meta descriptions and a list of accompanying keywords to include. This will give your article the best possible chance of ranking on Google.
Guidance on how to use your keywords
Each article outline will come with a guide on how to use the keywords provided.
My ‘Turn it up to 11’ Ebook
My exclusive ebook with 30 ideas for promoting and repurposing your articles.
What if I want more?
Four article ideas is just the minimum. You can have as many as you need, all upfront or on a rolling basis.
2. Plan it Yourself
Who’s it for?
This package is for you if you know exactly what you want to post about, but need someone to research, optimise and write the posts for you.
What will I get?
With my Plan it Yourself package you’ll get:
Four articles written exclusively for your blog
Four fully-researched and search-engine-optimised articles, based on your own ideas and input.
My ‘Turn it up to 11’ Ebook
My exclusive ebook with 30 ideas for promoting and repurposing your articles.
What if I want more?
Four articles is just the minimum. You can give me as many ideas as you need, either all upfront or on a rolling basis. You can also add image research, custom diagrams and publishing straight to your blog.
3. Done for You
Who’s it for?
This package is for you if you want to outsource your blog content creation to a professional. I’ll take care of planning, researching, optimising and writing your content.
What will I get?
With my Done for You package you’ll get:
A four-article content plan
Four fully-thought-out article ideas for your business. These will be based on research into what your audience is looking for and what they want to see from you.
Four articles written exclusively for your blog
Four fully-researched and search-engine-optimised articles, based on your own ideas and input.
Turn it up to 11 Ebook
My exclusive ebook with 30 ideas for promoting and repurposing your articles.
What if I want more?
Four articles is just the minimum. I can plan as many ideas as you need, either all upfront or on a rolling basis. For an additional fee, I also offer image research, custom diagrams and publishing straight to your blog.
What’s involved in my content support packages
In this section we’ll go through what’s involved in my content writing process, so you can see the value you’ll be getting.
Your strategy call
Included with all three packages.
The process starts with a phone call or video call to discuss your strategy. I’ll prepare for this by looking at your existing content — if you have any.
We’ll cover a few different points during the call, but specifically, we’ll talk about your:
- Business brand
- Products/services
- Target audience
- Content needs
- Aims and objectives
- Online presence.
We’ll look at the ways your content might work with your other marketing efforts and campaigns, like your social media and email marketing.
Research
All packages include some research, but different packages will need different kinds of research.
The research you need may include:
Customer and Voice of Customer research
- Who are your ideal customers?
- Are there new markets you could be targeting?
- What are they searching for online?
- What questions are they asking?
- What language are they using?
- What are they thinking and feeling and what do they want/need?
Industry research
- What’s going on in your industry?
- Are there changes, updates or advances in technology?
- Are there upcoming events or discussions?
Competitor research
- Who are your closest competitors?
- What kind of content are they producing?
- How good is their content and how well is it performing?
- How can we make your content different/better?
SEO keyword research
- What keywords are performing well in your sector?
- How can we use those keywords to create valuable content for your audience?
Marketing calendar research
I’ll look at my marketing calendar for:
- Relevant national/international days, weeks or months
- Relevant special events
- Industry events/happenings/anniversaries.
And I’ll look at the possibility of doing tie-ins or cross promotion.
Content ideas and angles
When I have all that information, I’ll start putting your content ideas together and finding the best angles for your audience.
Your content plan
Included with Write it Yourself and Done for You.
I’ll turn my research and ideas into a customised content plan for your business.
For each article, I’ll include an explanation of what information will be included, why I’m suggesting it and what I hope it will achieve for you.
I plan each article so the content will reach at least 1000 words. This is a good length for SEO and a manageable length for your audience.
You’ll have the chance to approve the plan and make sure you’re happy before any work commences.
Subject research
Included with all packages.
For any one article, I’ll use several sources of information. Depending on the subject, these might include other articles and studies, videos, picture references and infographics.
The credibility of the information I use is paramount. I only use material from reputable, verifiable sources and I always check the dates to make sure the information is still current.
SEO keyword research
Included with all packages.
Here, I build on the keyword research I did during my initial research, using the information from the subject research.
Articles need three different kinds of keywords.
Primary keywords
Your primary keywords are the ones we’re actively targeting. Ideally, they’ll have a high number of searches and low competition from other websites.
Secondary keywords
Secondary keywords are additional keywords that come up during the keyword research stage. They give search engines a more rounded view of what the article contains, so they can determine the relevance of the article for the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
When I have the primary and secondary keywords planned out, I’ll use them to create a format for your article.
Semantic keywords
Semantic keywords are naturally relevant to the subject matter and help to give context. These keywords will usually occur naturally during the writing process. But if I find any during my keyword research, I’ll make sure I include them.
Article writing
Included with Plan it Yourself and Done for You.
When all the research is done, I move to the writing stage. My aim is to pack each article with as much value as possible. To this end, I make every sentence count and I don’t waste words on waffle.
I’m a logician — personality type INTP-A, which means your articles will be put together logically in a way that reads well and makes good sense.
They’ll be written for the web, using short paragraphs, broken up with descriptive headings for easy reading and skimming.
There are a number of other things that will be included.
Summary of main keywords
If you need them, I can provide a summary of the primary and secondary SEO keywords I’ve used.
Formatting notes
Each article will be formatted, so you can see how it should look when it’s published.
All articles include headings. In most cases these are the title <h1>, the main headings <h2>, the sub-headings <h3> and the sub-sub headings <h4>.
Next to each heading, I’ll include the tag to show which number it should be.
Meta description
The above image shows the Google listing for a blog article I wrote. The meta description is the two lines of black text under the blue link. These descriptive lines help persuade your visitors to click.
Enticing excerpt
Above is an article listing from my main blog page. The excerpt is the body text above the ‘READ MORE’ button. This gives your visitors an insight into what each article is about and entices them to click on it.
Categories and tags
Not everyone who visits your blog will come straight from Google. Some will look at your blog while visiting your website.
If you need them, I can suggest categories and tags for your posts. This will help your website visitors to find articles that are of interest to them.
Editing your article
Included with Plan it Yourself and Done for You.
When your article is written, I sleep on it. This gives me some distance, so I can come back to it afresh and look at it objectively.
As I’m editing, I read it aloud to make sure it flows well and fix anything that doesn’t sound right.
I highlight the words and phrases I’ve used naturally that could be keywords and use my keyword research tool to find better alternatives. And I look for more places to insert the keywords we have, without cramming or stuffing.
When I’m happy, I’ll send it to you for approval.
Your article feedback
Included with Plan it Yourself and Done for You.
My blog packages include one round of complimentary revisions. At this point, you can request any revisions or additions to the content.
Before you come back to me, you might find it helpful to read my article:
How to give your copywriter constructive feedback >>
If several people need to provide feedback, it should be:
- Consolidated into one email — not one email from each person
- All provided at once, with no latecomers
- Clear and specific
- Agreed by everyone — because it’s impossible to please several people who all disagree with each other.
When the revisions have been made, it’s time to publish.
Publishing the article
If you like, I can publish your article direct to your blog and take care of all the formatting and presentation. This is an add-on, provided at an additional cost.
Otherwise, the finished article will be submitted as a Word document and I’ll give you the information you need so you can publish it yourself. This will include:
- Date for publishing, if relevant
- Heading tags (h1, h2, h3, h4)
- Working links
- Blog page excerpt
- Article categories and tags, if requested.
In addition, each article will need at least one image. You can take your own photographs or use stock images.
Need help with image research?
I’m an accomplished picture researcher and offer image research as an add-on service for an additional cost of £25 per image.
I’ll aim to find images that are either free to use, within your given budget, or available from your existing stock image provider (if you have one).
If the images are chargeable, I’ll provide the number references of the images and the website you can download them from. If there are multiple images that could work, I’ll include all the ones I find to give you a choice.
Ebook on amplifying your content
Included with all packages.
When the article is published on your website, you’ll need to promote it. My ‘Turn it up to 11’ ebook will show you how.
A copy of my ‘Turn it up to 11’ ebook is included with each package. It features 30 ways to promote and repurpose your blog articles, so you can get the most value possible.
Why work with me?
I’ve been creating blog content for more than 15 years. I’ve blogged for my last employer, for my own business and for my clients.
When I say blogging works, it’s because I’ve seen what it’s done for those businesses and how valuable it’s been for them in terms of generating leads and securing new business.
If you want to see what blogging could do for your business and would like an informal chat about your needs, it’s easy to get in touch.
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