Content strategy is the new SEO (for more on Squarespace SEO strategy, check out my other blog)! This is the time to be focusing on your editorial strategy more than ever. Google’s recent updates have made it difficult to get noticed by search engines without unique and sharable content that proves thought leadership and authority within a niche or industry. But, this is of course, easier said than done.

Not every piece of content, no matter how amazing or original it is, is going to go viral. Google doesn’t reward you for the ‘one-hit wonders’; you are rewarded for consistently publishing good content that adds value to your readers. Once again, easier said than done.

So now you’ve got your content strategy and you’re wondering why it’s not working… Why aren’t my ideas making an impact and why aren’t I getting the traffic I deserve? I’ve put together these 10 easy-to-implement tips to help you turbocharge your content marketing strategy:

1) Text is boring – Switch it up!

Remember every post you write should be engaging and fun to read. Too much text and people might get bored and leave without a second thought. Spice up your writing with images, videos, and slideshare presentations embedded right in your post.

2) Be Creative with your titles

Think about it. The title of your blog post is the cover of your book. First impressions matter so don’t waste a great piece of content with a boring title. When you share your content on social networks, the title is all that people will see and you’ve got less than a few seconds to catch their attention. Examples of good titles include:  “10 Social Media Tactics That Might Surprise You” or “3 Sure-Fire Ways to Increase Your Blog Following” You want to make people curious – use strong adjectives to differentiate your post from ever other piece of content out there.

3) Provide information that interests your audience

Research, research, and more research. This is a critical step in the editorial planning process. Find out what your audience is talking about and what interests them. Sites like Quora or even yahoo answers will help you discover popular questions your readers are dying to know the answers to. You can also use the free Google Keyword tool to find the right way to phrase topics for maximum SEO benefits.  Write posts based on Google Trends or questions asked on Twitter. Or if you recently read a popular article in your field, write a response and link to your post by leaving a thoughtful comment on the original post.

4) Get to the point

Don’t ramble, add unnecessary words, etc.

Shorter sentences (often) = higher impact. Speaking formally to your audience will confuse them so it is usually better to be causal with your word choice.

5) Stand out from the crowd

Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean that you should write about a particular topic. Do your research to see if the topic you’re planning on writing about has been covered before. If it has, try approaching it from a different angle.

6) Let your personality show

People enjoy reading content that let’s them feel like they are getting to know the author. I’m not saying you have to share your life story, but try to add a bit of ‘you’ in every post you write. Try using a personal experience as an example; it helps people connect with your writing.

7) Share in the right places

One of the common misconceptions about social media is that you have to be on every single channel to have a measurable impact. Not true. Especially since this usually means that you are spread too thin and therefore you are not engaging enough where you should be. Try picking out a few channels where your audience is really active and focus on spreading your content and connecting with similar bloggers and influencers in your industry.

8) Be Consistent

One of the most difficult things about blogging, at least for me, is maintaining momentum. Writing a few great posts can cause a spike in traffic, but you won’t create loyal readers who return to your blog again and again. Keep your blog moving forward by posting great content on a regular basis… search engines will recognize this and so will your followers.

9) Make subscribing easy

If you aren’t building an email list for your blog… start now.

This gives you instant access to people who are genuinely interested in your content. if you ever need to promote a product or get the word about your new ebook… you’ve already got a targeted list of people you can reach out to.

Make it easy to subscribe by including a form in your sidebar or at the bottom of each post or both! You can use free tools like Mailchimp or shell out a little extra cash for Aweber to manage your email lists and send updates.

10) Don’t be distracting

You may think site design has nothing to do with your content strategy but if your blog is an eyesore… people will be too distracted to see the value in your content. Keep your site streamlined with a simple color palette and an accent color for call-to-action items.

Don’t smother your reader in advertisements; your blog should really let your content shine.

Now go right now and start writing killer content!

If you would like to add any content strategy tips, leave a comment below…