How to generate quality online content: tips and resources for digital marketing

A lot of online content may be bland and boring. It doesn't make readers care or stand out from the competition. Content quality matters, and Digital Marketers should aim for higher standards of content production. Why? High-quality content can attract, engage, and convert more customers than low-quality content.

One way to improve content quality is to address the reader's interests, needs, and questions, not just list facts and keywords. Asking yourself “So, what?” to every claim or statement is relevant to make sure it is valuable for the reader.

Another way to improve content quality is to think like a sceptical reader. A sceptical reader might doubt, lose interest, or click away from the content if it is not convincing or engaging. Look for points where the reader might be sceptical and address them in the content. Writing for the most sceptical reader can help win over everyone else.

Content quality matters more than ranking for a search query. Digital Marketers should audit their content, ask better questions, and plan and research content campaigns that are unique and compelling. This will create content that is likely to create a lasting impression on the reader.

In my LinkedIn post, you can download a content POV planning template I shared, so you can have a structure for creating better content.

Google Ads eliminates the ECPC and offers more advanced solutions for Shopping campaigns

If you were using Enhanced cost-per-click (ECPC) for your Shopping campaigns in Google Ads, you should know that Google said that this option will be discontinued in October 2023. ECPC was a way to optimize your bids for conversions, but it is no longer the best option available.

Google Ads now offers more advanced solutions. One example is Target ROAS experiments, and you also have available Performance Max campaigns, which are fully automated bidding strategies that use machine learning to adjust your bids in real time. These solutions can help you maximize your return on ad spend (ROAS) and reach more customers across Google's network.

And of course, if you want to calculate the appropriate ROAS goal for your Google Ads campaigns, you should know these business metrics:

Average order value: average amount that customers spend with you when they buy from you

Customer lifetime value: this metric focuses on repeat purchases

Cost of goods sold: How much does the (average order value) product or service cost us directly to deliver that product and service

Transaction fees: If you are charging people in foreign countries or you are charging in different currencies and have to be converted

Shipping costs: Depends on whether you are selling internationally, domestically, or if you are a service-based business

Sales tax, import duties, export duties: Depends again if you sell internationally or not

Average refund rates: % of refund rate during the average order value period, converted into the number

Break-even amount: The profit that's left after counting for all the costs is the amount that we can pay on advertising costs in order to acquire a customer for break-even

Once you have your profit margin number, you need to determine how many times that number must be multiplied to hit 100% profit. That is your ROAS percentage goal.

For example, if your profit margin is 20%, then you need to multiply it by 5 to get 100%. That would mean your ROAS goal is 500% or €5 in revenue for every €1 spent on ads.

How to adapt the social media strategy to the limitations of outreach

Nowadays, social networks should not be the primary traffic channels for our websites. This is because many social networks already have algorithms that limit the reach of posts with external links to retain users on the platform. Instead of looking for traffic, we should focus our strategy on building credibility, authority, and branding. This shift in focus is necessary to adapt to these reach limitations imposed by social media.

Selectively choosing which platforms to use to publish content is critical. The selection should be aligned with our target audience and the type of interaction we are looking for on the platform. Posting on too many platforms at the outset without a solid strategy will dilute efforts and contradict the principle of segmentation in marketing.

There are specific situations where driving traffic to a website, via social media, can be an interesting option. In these cases, paid advertising is effective. For example, we can use it to familiarize a cold audience with our brand and then implement retargeting campaigns for users who have taken specific actions in the funnel.

We cannot ignore the quality of content. We should research and use popular terms, topics, and keywords in our niche, on and off the platform, to create original content, interact with content from relevant accounts that reaches our target audience, and raise awareness of our products and services, transforming their features into tangible benefits for the user.