Many small business we work with know that creating content is necessary for marketing their business. Almost all of them have the same gripes– not enough time to create content or not knowing where to start.

Don’t waste your time (which we know is precious) creating content that isn’t read.

Here are some tips on creating content that is more engaging.

Write what you know

Although you may not be a “writer”, you are an expert in your field which makes your qualified to write about your industry. Stick to what you know and your content will come across as knowledgeable.

Make it relevant

Think about how your customers and prospects view your industry. You probably get questions from them every day– this is a great place to start! Each question you get is a possible content topic. You know your industry backwards and forwards, but your audience doesn’t, keep this in mind while writing.

Keep it clear and short

No one wants to read long articles. In fact, many people just skim the articles and read the headings and subheadings. Keep this in mind and split your content up using heading or numbered points. Put the most relevant information at the top to engage from the beginning.

For email content, paraphrase the blog or article to 2-3 sentences and link back to the original article. This keeps the email short and drives traffic back to your site.

Incorporate social

Make sharing easy. This is an important, easy way to grow your audience. Your blog should have easy to use social share buttons. Include social media links or icons in your emails as well, to link readers back to your social sites.

Creating content doesn’t have to be the big, scary, time-consuming thing that many people make it out to be. By keeping your content short, easy and writing about what you know you are simplifying the process for you and creating content that is more relevant and engaging to your readers.