Understanding the Nuts & Bolts of Content Marketing through the Lens of Maven Marketer Caleb Ulku

by Martin Gray Content Writer

The magic of well-written, engaging content never fails to inspire readers. Inspired readers share content, spread the word, and become interested in your brand. Good content is one of the first steps to customer loyalty.

On the other side of the screen, content marketing can be a complex puzzle, frustrating writers as they try to craft a masterpiece. Frustrated marketers make poorly written content that always seems to miss the mark. Poorly written and poorly optimized content are the first steps to a spammy brand name and low customer trust.

Fortunately, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for frustrated content marketers:

Caleb Ulku is a maven of marketing, the founder of leading digital marketing firm Ulku Logistics. With over a decade of experience in brand consultation and audience reach, Caleb provides useful digital marketing solutions for any marketer stuck in a rut.

This article will review the top tips recommended by Caleb to get your content to sell for you.

Leave the Math Behind

Math is not everyone’s cup of tea, and it is safe to assume math is not your user’s cup of tea when they want to learn more about your brand. We all know how much math-driven content can turn off most of your readers, yet many content marketing strategists still argue that percentages capture the audience’s attention.

Now, Caleb doesn’t recommend skipping the math entirely: “All you need to do is modify how you’re writing the content.”

Instead of writing “75% of all people claim our brand is trustworthy,” you can modify it to read “9 out of 10 customers trust our brand.”

Wasn’t that so much nicer to read?

The sentence still uses math, but it leaves a lot of the problem-solving behind, breaking it down to simpler numbers. 75% takes a moment to process, and it doesn’t mean much in practical application. 9 out of 10, however, that’s a tangible number that the reader can relate to.

Do the math problem for your readers and they will be more likely to convert.

Use Figures Not Proportions

When discussing your brand, proportions and percentages do not mean much to the reader. These numbers can be skewed easily, and they reflect vague calculations. Using a percentage to discuss a product’s likeability won’t translate clearly to the reader.

Figures are much easier to grasp. For example, instead of saying “75% of all users like this product,” it is more meaningful to the reader to see “5 million users like this product.”

Five million. Wow. A lot of people just like this. It must mean I would like it, too.

Forget the Lengthy Paragraphs

Lengthy paragraphs have finally met their end. Walls of text are out of fashion, as readers are typically on-the-go and only have a limited time to read the content your brand produces. Nobody has time to read a novel about your brand, even if you could write one.

That means, however, that they are spending that limited time reading what you have to say.

So, make it quick:

A crisp, concise sentence that conveys the correct meaning and addresses the reader’s concerns is the key to success. Don’t put your readers off by adding fluff and going into tangential topics along the way.

Use Bullets and Pointers

Written content can be messy, especially if you are trying to provide an ordered list. Utilize bullet lists, numbered lists, and pointers to provide information that you want the reader to remember.

These lists should be concise, conveying meaning in the shortest possible format. This ensures that the reader will read through the whole list, rather than skimming to the end and miss critical information.

Formulate Your Brand Story

A properly formulated brand can stand out in the crowd, showcasing its unique qualities in a sea of competitors. The concept of a brand story is to narrate your brand in a creative way while integrating the core principles of brand marketing.

For example, if you can sell the struggle of how your brand is reaching for the sky, you can attract investors. By narrating how your brand takes the reader’s hand and guides them through unknown waters, you can generate customer loyalty.

Focus on Website Content and Metas

Any business can benefit greatly by focusing on content on their website. This content includes meta titles and meta descriptions, which appear in the search engine results page before the user clicks through to read the content.

Your content should engage the reader and solve a problem or provide entertainment. Capture your reader's interests with well written, concise content that they can relate to.

A relevant, high-quality meta title and meta description will entice the reader to click through to your content, outshining the competitors and grabbing the attention of even their audience. Metas are an indirect ranking factor, in that it does not affect the page’s ranking solely, but the higher click-through rate generated by the optimization does directly affect ranking.

Craft Persuasive Punchlines

A well written, optimized piece of content is nothing without a call-to-action or punchline to drive the point home. The primary purpose of creating compelling content is to persuade your readers into taking a specific action, whether it is to purchase a product, sign up for a list, or call your office.

Punchlines, also known as Call-To-Actions or CTAs, should be thought provoking and direct the reader to take a single next step.

Focus on the Right Timing

Trending content and well-timed content can be the difference between a poorly performing website and overnight success. Your brand should always aim to provide the right information at exactly the right time to capture the reader interested and curate brand loyalty.

The Bottom Line

The takeaways from these tips are that you should always ensure your content is captivating and relevant to your audience, to solidify your brand voice and story, and aim to provide the right content to create the most brand loyalty with your customers.

Always aim to create content that is free from errors, integrates SEO best practices, and resonates with your audience. With these practical tips from successful marketing maven Caleb Ulku, your business can do wonders online.