What Is Content Writing and Why Do You Need It?


Despite what the content production practices of many companies and organizations suggest, content writing is so much more than pumping out blog posts and articles. When quality and quantity are present, content writing provides both existing and potential customers with immense value in the form of unique, reliable, and easy-to-understand solutions to common problems or up-to-date info on certain industry trends. This, in turn, boosts web traffic, lead generation, and brand reputation.

What Is Content Writing?

The technical definition is that “content writing is the process of planning, writing, and editing web content” in various formats, including blog posts, articles, email newsletters, video scripts and descriptions, and web page copy. This is usually done with specific digital marketing goals in mind.

Beyond the technical, content writing is a powerful way of telling your story, an invaluable opportunity to evoke intense emotions in your customers, emotions they’ll eventually start associating with your brand, and a huge step towards building a loyal online community.

Why Should You Invest in Content Writing?

The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced a simple but increasingly important truth ─ having an online presence in the 21st century is an absolute must. Both websites and social media accounts have proven to be extremely useful in reaching out and communicating with target audiences

as well as gaining control over how a brand is perceived. But how is that done, exactly? Via content writing, of course.

Incorporating content writing into your marketing strategy will allow you to reap many benefits. Here are some of the key ones:

  • Generate new leads. High-quality and engaging content can attract new visitors to your website. Some of these visitors will look around and realize you are worth their time and attention, which could result in them starting to follow your social media accounts, subscribing to your weekly/monthly newsletter, and reaching out using your contact form. These leads could soon turn into your clients!
  • Boost your search engine rankings. Well-researched and excellently written SEO content signals to Google and other search engines that your site is a relevant source of information for a particular target audience. Optimized yet reader-friendly content, as well as concise and compelling headlines and meta descriptions that are relevant to the main content will help you earn a coveted spot on the top search engine results pages (SERPs), which will increase your brand’s visibility and recognition.
  • Increase conversion rates. Regular, gripping, and informative content can also boost your conversion rates, i.e. turn your leads into paying customers. This is, in fact, the ultimate goal of content writing. As more visitors decide to do business with you, your conversion rates will grow, too.
  • Stay competitive. According to Semrush’s 2020 content marketing research, 84% of the 1,500 companies, non-profits, marketing agencies, and other organizations they studied have a content marketing strategy, and 89% of them rely on organic search as their main distribution channel. This shows that not being present in today’s digital world practically means giving up a huge chunk of your potential customer base and therefore, revenue. Even if none of your competitors have a significant online presence, you should still invest in content writing as a way to build brand awareness and shorten the gap between you and your clients. If people can find you online, chances are they’ll deem you trustworthy. Businesses and organizations ‘hiding’ from the digital stage will most likely be crushed by their competition.
  • Find your company’s voice. Last but definitely not least, content writing can help you create a unique voice for your business or organization. This is yet another factor that will set you apart from your competition and makes you hard to forget.

How Can You Start Your Content Writing Journey?

As you can see, content writing isn’t mindlessly producing and distributing content online. Creating great content requires a lot of research, planning, and high-quality writing, which is why it shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Although you can technically come up with a content strategy and develop a content roadmap yourself, hiring or outsourcing professionals to do the job for you (under your direct supervision, of course) is a much smarter option. Here’s why:

  • Professional content writers are creative wordsmiths. Professional content writers aren’t just “well-spoken folks”. These are individuals who are constantly sharpening their writing skills by practicing and reading a wide variety of online and printed publications, including blogs, articles, (e)books, essays, newspapers, and magazines. Experienced content writers have an exceptional way with words. They are trained to turn the most boring or complex topics into an entertaining, insightful, and easy read by choosing the right angle and structure. They also know that versatility in content writing is key as different subjects call for different writing styles and tones. So, no—not everyone can be a successful content writer.
  • Professional content writers are SEO-savvy. Experienced content writers are able to strike a perfect balance between keyword density and readability. Grabbing the attention of your target demographics while meeting Google’s strict requirements and algorithms for SERPs placement is a sign of excellent talent and skill. To get there, professional content writers spend countless hours researching, brainstorming, planning, and executing content ideas. Not to mention that they’ve been trained to do it all well.
  • Professional content writers have the time you might not. Hiring or outsourcing a skilled content writer will free up time you can spend on figuring out ways to improve the desirability of your product or service and manage your day-to-day operations. You can’t steer the ship and mop the decks at the same time. And even if you can for a short while, in the long run, something will have to give. This only confirms the importance and necessity of delegating content production to a seasoned content writer or content writing team.

How Fast Can You Expect to See Results From Content Writing?

The short answer is: not fast. But you don’t want the short answer because it oversimplifies things. The reality is that you may need to wait at least six months before you register an increase in your website traffic, email subscriptions, brand recognition, and other key content marketing metrics, but that doesn’t mean that content writing doesn’t work. It simply means it takes time to arrive at the desired results. If you happen to remember the fable, the tortoise wins the race.

What’s important to keep in mind here is that the success of your content writing efforts will depend greatly on your business model, the industry you’re a part of, and your goals and strategies. Producing outstanding content on a regular basis is what will help you reap the benefits of content writing in the long run. Speaking of which…

The Future Is Digital and in It, Content Is King

This might sound like a snippet from one of Elon Musk’s tweets, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Cryptocurrencies, online shopping, and, of course, digital communication are all proof that we are transferring a large chunk of our lives into the Internet realm. But content writing isn’t just an obvious way of keeping up with the times; it’s a golden opportunity to reach potential customers from all around the world and grow your business.

More than 25 years ago, Bill Gates predicted that content will reign supreme, saying “Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting. … Those who succeed will propel the Internet forward as a marketplace of ideas, experiences, and products—a marketplace of content.” Studies show that the man knew exactly what he was talking about. Google loves content, and so do people.

If you are ready to seize this exciting growth opportunity and stop letting your competitors answer your customers’ online queries, get your unique content plan started today!


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