Depending on what types of products you sell or services you offer, you can enhance your website by providing related articles. Articles entice readers to stay longer on your site, and give the impression that you are knowledgeable and willing to share what you know.
Articles can take several forms, three of which are company news, product/service-related public news, or product/service how-to’s. There are articles for sale on the Internet, or you can hire an article writer to write them for you. The more directly related to your company they are, the more you’ll want to hire someone, rather than buy an article. Following are some of the benefits of each type of article.
Company News
When a customer accesses your website and reads company news, they can see how the company started and how it’s progressing. They read about how management runs the company, what problems have been encountered and how they were resolved, the impact it’s had on its community, and who some of its staff are. All of this gives a potential customer a feeling of familiarity about your company that makes them want to contract its services or buy its products. This kind of article generates loyalty.
Product And Service-Related News
I once wrote an article for a gate manufacturer about an invasion of crazy ants from South America. Ant colonies were spreading all over the southern U.S., transplanting local ants, eating their food, and invading electronic devices to build their colonies. I tied it in with the manufacturer’s electronic gate mechanisms, urging people in the area to have their gates checked and the gears cleaned and oiled. This is a way of utilizing local news to market your products, and it is very effective.
Product or Service How-To’s
When a company sells services, it’s crucial to show how skilled its workers are. One way is to write do-it-yourself (DIY) articles for those who are mechanically inclined. One would think this would drive customers away, but it actually attracts more customers and better jobs. How? By showing how to do simple jobs, so that those who contract your services ask for work that is more complicated. That equates to more money for you, a higher estimation of your skills, and a greater number of customer referrals for jobs well done.
Products that lend themselves to how-to articles are those a customer would buy to carry out the project in your article. Home Depot and other hardware stores are good examples of companies who benefit from this type of article. For a yarn-selling website, a how-to article about knitting sweaters would be great, whereas a how-to about calibrating a humidor would work well for a cigar store.
Articles on a website increase interest for readers and encourage them to return. Articles draw prospects who would not normally have found your website, but will glance over your products and might decide to buy. All three article types are excellent marketing tools.
