5 Ways to Skyrocket Clicks on Your Content Marketing

Are you investing in great content but finding that your click-through rate (CTR) or engagement stats are underwhelming? You’re not alone.

By the end of this guide, you’ll be armed with 5 content marketing best practices used by top content marketers around the world that will drive clicks and skyrocket conversions on your content!

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Scarcity Principle

The law of supply and demand states that a low supply and high demand for a product will typically increase its price. Why are we giving you this Economics 101 lesson? In general people want more of things that there are less of.

When using the scarcity principle in content marketing you can offer exclusive access to limited products and/or services to those that, for example, sign-up to your email newsletter. Words and phrases like “Act fast and save 20%”, “Reveal Your Exclusive Offer!” and “Limited Availability!” are great for creating a sense of urgency and prompting people to take action.

Another, subtler way of leveraging the scarcity principle is to tell people about the unique benefits of your product in a way that clearly defines what they actually stand to lose if they fail to take the offer.

Are you making these common content marketing mistakes? Click here to find out!

Curiosity Gap

While the curiosity gap may sound convoluted, it’s a relatively simple concept. It is a theory and practice popularized by Buzzfeed, Upworthy, and similar sites that leverage the reader’s curiosity to drive them to click-through by using an irresistible and captivating headline on the focus content piece.

You may be wondering to yourself how that is different to the short-sighted, practice of clickbait? The difference is that instead of duping consumers, the message that they click-through to is actually related.

The curiosity gap is achieved by balancing information with intrigue i.e. not enough information to discourage further investigation but enough to inform someone whether the content is likely to be interesting in the first place. The curiosity gap has many applications, from your social channels to your email marketing.

This article provides great insight into how the curiosity gap was used to drive a 927% increase in clicks on a pricing page.

Create Content that Allows your Audience to Self-Identify

One of the major tenets of content marketing is that you need to understand your audience in order to create content that really resonates with them! At THP, we help our customers create content that allows their target audience to self-identify.

This can be achieved by finding your content core. One of the biggest mistakes that content marketers make is to talk endlessly about themselves and their product, rather than what their audience cares about. At the center of the core is “what you do” surrounded by a larger breadth of topics that can be defined as “what your audience cares about”.

Creating content that tackles what your audience cares about is content marketing at its finest and allows your audience to self-identify as you begin to tackle their problems, speak their language, and provide insights into their day-to-day lives.

Click here to check out top content marketing trends for food and beverage brands.

Surprise

Another way that your content can be engaging and drive more clicks is by leveraging the “unexpected”. One way to surprise is through placement. Appear in unexpected – but relevant – places. Think outside of the box! It can be a clever way to get your product – and content – in front of an audience in a way that stands out from the crowd.

If you’re a speciality coffee brand, your goal is to have people drinking your coffee. If you want your content to surface in unexpected places, think about what your content is actually competing against. For example, it could be coffee houses or chains. You could present your content in online blogs your target audience already engages with that review new restaurants and coffee shops. The options are endless!

Ask Questions

One of the best ways to improve engagement and drive more clicks is by asking a question. A lot of sites like the aforementioned Buzzfeed and Upworthy use questions in their headlines to drive clicks. Consider the following examples:

• Read how influencer marketing has changed in 2018.
• How is influencer marketing changing in 2018?

A question is an invitation to participate in a conversation and humans inherently have FOMO (fear of missing out)! Questions immediately draw readers in and ignite the switch from passive to active reading. And it goes without saying that it has to be content that your target audience cares about – to click, they need to want to know the answer.

Creating content is an important tenet of digital marketing; it acts as an excellent opportunity to tell a story and communicate the personality and value proposition of your business. Adding stronger titles, asking questions of your readers and getting creative with your placements simply provides your audience with more incentive to interact with your brand. Cut through the noise with these content marketing best practices and ultimately ensure your audience loves your brand as much as you do!

When your audience is perpetually bombarded with content, how do you cut through the clutter and drive conversions? As the number one service provider in North America, we can help you stay ahead of the curve! Find out why over 680 marketers choose THP for their content marketing needs. Our 100% on-demand model means you only buy what you need, when you need it. No retainers. No restrictive long term contracts.