104 Reasons Content Matters: Reason #4: Content is a Chance to Impress Readers with Your Expertise

In this series, I talk about why having quality content matters even in a world that is overly saturated with information, maybe especially in a world that is overly saturated with information. With so much free information, just a Google search away, how do you stand out from your competition? The answer—valuable, original content.

Reason #4: Content is a Chance to Impress Readers with Your Expertise

So, we’ve talked about how content starts conversations and builds relationships. Now, let’s get into the real meat and potatoes (as we midwesterners like to say). What does your content say? And more importantly, what does your content say about you?

I haven’t really talked about what type of content I have in mind when I pound on the table and say “Content matters! Damn it!” That’s an intentional omission because whether you’re writing blog posts, industry articles, ad copy, website copy, or descriptions of before and after photos for boob jobs (true story)… the WORDS are the THING.

Visuals are important, of course.

And it’s important to consider where your ideal customer likes to get her information, so you can be in front of her.

  • If she’s on Instagram, then you should figure out how to reach her there.
  • If she usually buys services and products like yours on the recommendation of friends, then you better get your talking points down when you talk to her friends.

Then, just like when you offer someone a cup of coffee, you have to figure out how they take their content.

  • Some like video.
  • Some like longer, more in depth articles.
  • Others like to skim for tips and bullet-points.
  • Maybe there’s an inside joke or industry reference that will grab them.

Whenever I was teaching a class and felt my students’ attention sliding away, I always made a self-deprecating joke to bring them back. There’s nothing funnier to a group of college students than a professor acknowledging the absurdity of her own awkward nerdom.

It felt cheap sometimes. But grabbing that low-hanging fruit is necessary to hold the attention of people you want to reach. Hey, when something works, it works. So, embrace the awkward nerdom about what you do!

What’s most important, though, is to think carefully about the impression you want to make. I say that visuals are important because we do judge books (and people and everything else) by their covers. We make snap judgments based on split-second impressions. So, visuals that attract potential clients get your foot in the door.

But just because you can make an impression, doesn’t mean you can hold that impression.

So, you have to demonstrate your expertise. The more creative ways you can think of to convey what it is that you do better than anyone else, the better.

Maybe it seems obvious that you want to convey your expertise in every piece of content you create. Maybe you think that’s what you’re doing. But it always pays to do this better, especially if prospects seem at all confused about what you do.

  • When you’re close to your work, it’s easy to forget that not everyone is steeped in the jargon of your industry.
  • You can get lost in features, when what you need is to explain your expertise in terms of benefits for your clients.

You’ll never go wrong if you explain what you do in conversational, yet impressive language that speaks to the needs of your audience. And that, my friends, is the power of great content!

Are you using your content to impress readers with your expertise? Are you impressed with my expertise yet? ;) Contact me to schedule a discovery session and let’s figure out the right words to impress your clients.