Content Marketing Archives

6 Tips to Write Content for the ‘About Us’ Page

by Mangal Karnad | Jul 30, 2020 | Marketing Ideas, Content Marketing

Having worked with multiple clients, we have realised that the “About Us” page is one of the most visited pages on a website. It provides credibility to the website by giving details about who you are, what you do and why someone should buy your product or services.

However, ensure to write the content with an intent to inform and minimise the use of jargon. The visitor will then be compelled to come back for more useful information.

Check out the six tips to write an informative about us page:

KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid

Avoid using flowery language, hyperbole, or corporate jargon. Use simple yet powerful language to provide information describing your business. Simplicity ensures the highest level of user acceptance.

Four essential tips to write an excellent ‘about us’ page:

Build trust
Tell your story, who are you?
Talk about your purpose, succinctly
Showcase your uniqueness, vividly
What products and services do you sell?

Adopt the inverted pyramid style of writing popular among journalists. Lead the reader through the most critical information at the top of the page, and write the less important information later.

Make it scannable

The summary is a critical part of the About page; supplement your content with impactful visuals.

Provide the purpose of the organisation supported by a brief narrative about the company’s journey.
The leadership team that backs the organisation: provide their Photos and bios of your leadership team.
Provide a visual representation of your offerings.
Provide a few testimonials from your customers.

What is the Personality (Archetype) of your company

Readers will understand who you are by the language, tone and style of your content. Identify your company’s archetype by listing words that describe your organisation and its characteristics. Determine the content, tone, and style based on this archetype.

Use multimedia to enhance your story

Web content is essential, enhancing it with photos, videos and infographics will make it more impactful. Website visitors spend more time on web pages with visuals and videos.

Where ever possible, include photos of the leadership team and products or short video interviews clients or influencers.

6. Update Periodically

As your business evolves, this page needs to be updated. Review your content periodically with relevant updates. Additions and deletions to the leadership team need to reflect on the About us page.

One of the errors is not to have an about us page. I recently came across a suave business owner who thanked me specifically for pointing out the missing about page. People get into business with individuals they trust. Showcasing the leadership and their purpose aligns most people and nudges them to commit.

WordPress for SMEs

by Harshitha K | Sep 9, 2019 | Marketing, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing

Small/medium businesses gain visibility through their online presence; be it websites, social media or emails. However, building a website that relays all the necessary company information to the target market is paramount. A website can be set up to take orders for the products/services displayed or in general, to imprint the organisation among the target audience. But for small/medium enterprises, setting up a website isn’t necessarily cost-effective.

Owners of small companies shrug at the thought of setting up a fully functional website, and the reasons are many. It’s not as simple as hiring a web developer/ coder.

The introduction of WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS) revolutionised website building and how the world viewed website building.

What makes WordPress so peculiar that nearly 34% of the websites in the world are developed using it?

And how does it help and impact small/medium enterprises?

01

Cost-effective, for the win.

WordPress stands out because it cuts down the costs of website building significantly as it gives a user-friendly interface, allowing users to tailor-make websites without embedding a code or hiring a web developer. It helps the business establish a name and brand for itself, to make its presence felt without expending lavishly.

02

Free plugins that can perform multiple functions.

Numerous free plugins and themes are available on WordPress that make custom-designing a website extremely convenient. Users can download plugins and themes that fit the agenda/style of their company and proceed with building the website. Almost every aspect of a website can be meddled with to make it according to your preference. From the placement to the size of each element, you are at liberty to modify aspects as you like.

03

Ease-of-use, through and through.

In comparison with other Content Management Systems, WordPress comes out as the absolute winner due to the balance it has struck between robust functionality and ease-of-use. The features in WordPress are easy to manoeuvre and control. Users, even with least knowledge about web developing, can create a website that can go up and running.

WordPress is no doubt, an impeccable platform that makes website building easier than ever. Although customisable, WordPress can get a bit tricky if you intend to add specific features. Such situations demand help from a programmer to tailor-make those particular features. To get the result, it will cost you a few more bucks. If you are determined to make the changes yourself, you will need to get a good understanding of HTML or CSS.

WordPress is a game-changing platform despite its few shortcomings. Small and medium businesses can benefit massively by using WordPress and create personalised websites that best speak their company’s purpose.

How to write an appealing boilerplate

by Harshitha K | Aug 22, 2019 | Content Marketing, Marketing, Public relations

Reporters are on the lookout for a piece of information that acts as a bird’s eye view of the company. It is necessary to keep the information to the point and refrain from including less important information. However, while you’re engaged in the process, it can be hard to narrow down the vast amount of company information to a short piece of content. A boilerplate contains only those facts and pieces of information that are vital to describe the company precisely.

Generally included at the end of a press release, a boilerplate should consist of not more than 3-4 sentences. It allows the reader to gain knowledge about the company that is not just concise, but also meaningful and adequate. The idea behind a boilerplate is to keep information comprehensive and not cluttered.

An ideal boilerplate or simply put, an “About us” statement should integrate relevant information that the media reporters and the consumer audiences can refer. If you are aiming to write a wholesome boilerplate, you should include the following details:

01

When was the company founded?

Information about the time when the company was established, helps the readers know how long the company has been in existence. Journalists often describe a company based on the number of years of experience the company has in the market.

02

Where is it located?

When the location of the company is specified, audiences looking for a service provider within their locality will be interested. It is easier to work with a company that is within the confines of city/place than looking farther away.

03

Is it a publicly held/ privately held/ start-up organization?

The nature of an organization helps the journalists convey the type of work that the company t. Additionally, specifying what sector it belongs to will help the audiences estimate the feasibility of being associated with such a company.

04

What are the core products and services offered?

The most crucial element of a boilerplate is the catalogue of products and services offered. The readers can analyze the products and then select one that is most relevant to them.

05

Who is the target audience?

Stating the stakeholders that the company caters to will give clarity to the reader and thereby help them draw any conclusions.

06

Has the company been awarded?

Achievements entitled to a company, if mentioned, might prove to be useful when journalists elucidate more on the company to the readers. It gives an instant facelift to the company and helps the client decide in favour of the company.

07

What is the Unique Selling Proposition(USP)?

The crux of an ideal boilerplate is the USP or the Unique Selling Proposition, which determines whether or not the reader finds your company appealing enough to consider working with. The USP must state what makes the company different from the others in the market.

Finding the right mix of facts that constitute a boilerplate needs to be remembered. The arrangement and order of these elements are also crucial that they impact the entire look of the boilerplate.

Even though boilerplates are typically used in press releases, they make a good fit for a company’s sales pitch, brochure and also on a website’s “About Us” section.

Here are some examples of well-written boilerplates that you could use as a reference:

NETFLIX:

Netflix is the world’s leading internet entertainment service with 139 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

Refer: https://www.netflixinvestor.com/ir-overview/profile/default.aspx

NIKE:

NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world’s leading designer, marketer, and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned NIKE, Inc. subsidiary brands include Converse, which designs, markets and distributes athletic lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Hurley, which designs, markets and distributes surf and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, NIKE, Inc.’s earnings releases and other financial information are available on the Internet at http://investors.NIKE.com. Individuals can also visit http://news.NIKE.com and follow @NIKE

Here’s a boilerplate for our agency, Fablesquare:

Fablesquare is a full-service marketing agency based in Bangalore, India. Incorporated in October 2016, Fablesqaure caters to the marketing requirements of both B2B and B2C businesses. Fablesqaure provides end-to-end marketing services such as Branding, Digital Marketing, Website design, Content marketing, Influencer marketing, and Public relations. Since its inception, Fablesqaure has worked with 80+ clients and has successfully completed over 175 projects.

For more information, visit https://www.fablesquare.com/.

WHICH IS BETTER – SEO OR CONTENT MARKETING?

by Mangal Karnad | Aug 5, 2019 | Content Marketing, SEO

I think you would agree with me when I say:

You want your website to be a High ranking Search Engine Optimized (SEO) website with loads of traffic coming in.

Let me tell you what SEO and Content Marketing are

SEO is short for search engine optimisation. It is the process of improving the Content on a website to make sure people can easily find it via search. The fact is, an SEO friendly website is at the top of the page (high ranking) of the search result (SERP) unless there is a promoted result (which is an ad) at the top.

Content Marketing is the creation of relevant content and making it available to the target audience, so as to inform and engage them.

01

How are SEO and Content Marketing interlinked?
Create value for the reader:

There are some misconceptions about SEO. SEO is no more about keyword stuffing. Ranking a website was relatively easy in the past; the practice was to look for keywords which had the highest search volume and use them in the website content liberally. While stuffing keywords tricked the search engines, the content became unnatural and less enjoyable to read.

Now, the focus has shifted to creating informative and meaningful content around the keyword.

02

Establish Subject Matter Expertise with Content Marketing:

Moreover, this is where content marketing comes into play. Content Marketing – is the creation and sharing of information (Content) in the form of blogs, infographics, case studies, infographics and videos that educate the prospects. The Content is placed on the website and strategically shared on various platforms as people consume content from different platforms.

Content marketing not only helps you build your brand’s awareness but also helps in establishing your subject matter expertise.

03

Leverage content for better SEO:

Creating useful, informative Content consistently will help improve SEO. Using relevant keywords in the right context will also enhance user experience and make them visit the website directly and often. Direct website visits are one of the critical aspects of Search Engine Optimisation.

04

Create relevant and informative Content:

Write interesting Content and internally link your website. Internal links are links that provide more information on the topic form another page in the same site. When visitors dwell, spending more time reading and browsing multiple pages, the bounce rate is bound to reduce. If enough people spend time reading, Google will make it easier to find by up ranking that piece of content.

05

Backlinks establish authority:

Backlinks are incoming links to a webpage. When your content is authoritative, and readers benefit from it, they refer to your site with a backlink.

06

Make your Business Discoverable:

While Good SEO practices help your content to be found by consumers who search for it, great content helps improve your SEO results. These two are a marketer’s compelling tools.

SEO is all about ranking high on search indexes. Creating fresh and valuable content frequently will help improve SEO ranking. SEO and content marketing work hand and glove, and are both essential to make your website (and hence the business) discoverable.

Why is Email Marketing important for building Brand Awareness?

by Mangal Karnad | May 14, 2018 | Marketing, Content Marketing

In its essence, Email Marketing is the use of emails to promote products or services. The intention is not just to convert leads into customers, but to also enhance the relationship with potential or existing customers.Now the challenge is, how to rank organically high in the SERPs?

Why Email Marketing?

01

Cost Effective

Compared to traditional marketing approach where printing and labour can be an expensive affair, Email marketing allows a business to reach out to consumers for a comparatively negligible cost.

By sending out emails to the right target audience, the business is likely to see an increase in the ROI (Return on Investment). The key here is to build your own email list after doing a careful study on choosing the right audience. But beware, unsolicited emails are a turn off for most of us. So, buying a random list of email ids and sending out emails is not advisable and chances of interfering in the receiver’s personal space are high.

02

Call to Action

A business can incorporate a ‘Call to Action’ in the email in the form of a click-through which helps the consumer to inquire, subscribe, get routed to the website, provide feedback, or make a direct purchase. This way an email can be used to not only promote the brand but can also be used as a platform to entertain queries and even drive sales.

03

Accessibility

With a mobile device in almost every pocket, it is easy to get notified of new emails instantly. Although social media posts is a marketing trend, according to recent study consumers are more likely to check an email than a social media post.

04

Measurability

While working on a campaign strategy, it’s quite essential to keep track of the response rate. This will help gauge which areas need attention and which areas are favouring the business. An Email Marketing software can help you keep a track on the number of email recipients who have opened the mail, signed-up/ unsubscribed, clicked on links in the mail etc. Accordingly, the business can change bring about changes in the strategies that’ll help build a rapport between the brand and consumers.

05

Newsletters – to keep consumers informed

Newsletters are an excellent means for a business to ‘educate’ the consumers about its various products/ services. It is an opportunity for the business to showcase its expertise on some matter related to their products and services.

For example, through articles that help consumers make the right choices while making a purchase, or how as a business your products cater to the consumer’s needs by emphasising on the quality of the materials used. This would prompt the reader to know more and probably even subscribe to the newsletter. In this gradual process of building trust with the subscriber, the brand gets etched in the consumer’s mind.

Do I really need a Website? – Part 1

by Dhanya J | May 1, 2018 | Branding, Content Marketing, Design, Marketing

website

/wɛbsʌɪt/

noun

a set of related web pages located under a single domain name.

A question which haunts any small businesses is “Do I really need a website?”.

In simple words possible, Yes! You do!

The reason is also extremely simple. In one word, No, two words to be precise.

01

Digital Footprint

It may sound preposterous. It really isn’t. The whole idea of anything ranging from posting a personal photograph to updating your current location on social media is all about Digital footprint.

Having a website helps a business greatly.

02

Visibility

It is a beacon where customers can queue in front of your door. It not only provides you with visibility but also sales and a way for you to advertise your expertise. A clean, beautiful website with necessary content surely puts you ahead in the game.

03

Credibility

Small businesses face problems with credibility. A customer is always aware of this fact and before placing for service or product, he/she will have a look at your website. And what would they think if you had no/mediocre website? You guessed it right. They walk right past you. This has a huge impact on sales.

04

Engagement and Retention

Customers are always on the lookout for engaging content. Blogs are a way to achieve that. Websites with blogs are always appreciated. Blogging is also a way of increasing traffic to your website and it is one of the most sought-after marketing tools.

According to Hubspot, 53% of marketers use blogging as a top inbound marketing priority. Another statistic to blow your mind away, according to Hostingfacts, There are now 3.74 billion Internet users in the world as of March 2017.

So, in short, your business is available to this huge number. With proper plans and marketing strategy, you can tap into the plethora of prospects.

05

Why

The question now really is “Why don’t I own a website?”. Think about it, in this time and age, where there is tons of competition, getting ahead is what counts. Smaller things in a business which were not a priority, makes a huge difference now. Companies are finding out ways to entice customers. Websites are one way to create a buzz and remember “First Impression is Key”.