It’s often a hard task in this Information Age to catch the eye of your target audience. If you are fortunate enough to accomplish that much, you have achieved something. But what then? Does your content draw your target audience in and catch their interest? Or do they look at it for several seconds, lay it down and go on to next available source of information? Is your web content SEO compatible? Is your keyword word/phrase density the right mix that lets your target audience find your web page without being redundant in the body of the text? Is the next click of their mouse to another page on your site or back in the search engine window? All of these are legitimate concerns for anyone in the business of doing business. The written word is wondrous thing, but it is absolutely useless if the target audience doesn’t read it! The most articulate piece ever written is not effective if it is cumbersome, inaccurate and difficult to find or presented too late. But there is a simple solution: Capture your target audience and don’t let them go until you are through with them! Sounds pretty straightforward and simple enough, right? And it is simple. But never allow yourself to fall into thinking that simple means easy. Picking up a shovel and digging a hole is simple, but seldom easy. The way to capture your target audience is by presenting them with content that they want to read. To achieve that end, your content must meet four criteria: Be competent Be concise Be accurate Be on time
Be competent: Content must be well organized, informative and technically correct if it to hold the interest of your target audience. Sentences should come together to form paragraphs that flow into each other as the pages are filled. Content format must match the media being used to convey it; i.e. Internet content should meet density standards for keywords and be SEO compatible, resumes and cover letters should follow accepted formats, etc. Be concise: Filling your content with unnecessary text can be, and often is, a ‘drop-dead deal breaker’ for many in your target audience. Most readers simply don’t have the time and patience to wade through the muck for a tidbit of content. Be accurate: No information is better than incorrect information. If you hope to win the confidence of your target audience, then you must be accurate in your presentation of the material. The whole thrust of your efforts is to win the trust of your target audience and to be trusted you must be trustworthy.
Be on time: There is not much need to submit your proposal the day after bidding closes or your article after the copy has gone to bed. One thing you can be sure of; the two people less understanding than a college professor about late papers, are employers and customers. There are several options you can pursue to implement this solution. You write the content yourself, assuming you have the skills and time to do it. It could be delegated to an in-house subordinate that may or may not have the wherewithal to produce what you are looking for to reach your target audience. Or you can outsource it to a competent provider that you are guaranteed will produce what you are after. If you decide to outsource your project, then I hope you will place me in consideration for the job. I will work closely with you to provide you with content that is competent, concise, accurate and delivered on time. My success comes from your satisfaction with my services and your success comes from capturing that all too elusive target audience. I look forward to working with you in the future. Warren Lawson
Note: Keyword density is 1.9%