Global Elix 
It is 2022 and content marketing is at an all-time high. Companies use blogging as part of their content marketing strategy.
Blogs are used to do multiple things such as provide information, solve customer problems, tutorials, etc., etc. However, with the sheer amount of content available on a vast variety of topics, it becomes difficult for marketers to keep their consumers hooked and interested.
This is where content engagement comes in. Let’s illustrate why content engagement is important with an example.
A user manual of a device shows you how to set it up, use it, and troubleshoot it when it gets an error. But guess what? Nobody reads user manuals, especially the manuals of electronic devices.
But the same information provided in a blog post or a video will be consumed much more eagerly. So, what’s the difference? The information being provided is the same, why is the response so different?
And the answer to that is content engagement. The blog post and video are more interesting and relatively fun to read, compared to the boring technical jargon-filled manual. Engaging content provides people with value and entertainment while being interesting from start to finish.
So, here are five tips to make your content more engaging in 2022.
5 Tips to Improve Content Engagement
1. Thoroughly Research
Before writing anything, you need to do some serious research first. When you have gathered a sufficient amount of data, you can then start writing the first draft.
However, research here does not only imply getting information about the subject; it also means researching your audience.
Depending on what kind of blogs you write and what topics you expound upon, you will attract people from a specific demographic.
Researching your audience means you have to find out things like their:
- Age group
- Interests
- Their requirement from your content
- …and other similar questions of this type
Once you can answer these questions, you will be able to write content that is interesting to your audience.
A good method to research your audience is to make a “buyer persona” which is also known as an “audience persona”. This persona is a fictional representation of your target audience. There can be more than one persona at a time.
When you have thoroughly researched both your topic and your audience, you will be able to write something that is informative and appealing to your readers.
2. Structure Your Content
Structuring your content is also necessary for content engagement. Making your content scannable is a good way to boost engagement. If a reader can quickly skim through your writing and find out that it indeed serves their purposes, they will go back and read it properly. On the other hand, unscannable content can scare people away, especially those who are pressed for time.
To make your content scannable, you need to structure it properly. Here are the things you need to include to properly structure your writing.
- Headings
- Subheadings
- Bullets
Adding headings, subheadings, and bullets to your work makes it much easier to understand
Some readers don’t look to read a whole post, they just look for a specific tip or sub-topic. Headings allow that topic to be discussed under its own section, while simultaneously making it easy to spot.
When there is no structure, it can create frustration amongst readers, who usually just leave to look for a better alternative.
3. Use Striking Imagery
There is no doubt that good-looking pictures are much more impactful than just words. You can use this fact to make your content more engaging. Simply put, you just need to add some relevant picture under each main heading or once after every 100 words or so.
However, it gets more complex than that when you actually sit down to do it. Do you use stock images? Or do you make new ones? If yes, then do you make them yourself, or do you ask someone else to do it for you?
These are the major hurdles you have to face when trying to add good images to your content. When using stock images, you have to be careful that they are not licensed or copyrighted. There are websites that provide copyright-free images, but finding enough unique images for your posts is a challenge.
If you accidentally use a picture that someone else had already used in their post, chances are you might get some flak for “copying”. When it comes to making your own, the problem worsens. Graphic designing is an entire profession altogether, at most you can use some free tools to throw together some good images. Commissioning is very expensive.
However, it is worth all the trouble. Pictures make your content more engaging, memorable, and shareable.
4. Cite Statistics
Nothing makes you look more authentic than when you can cite accurate statistics when talking about something. For example, a study showed that 78% of the people who took the survey in Indonesia are likely to engage with an advertisement placed around high-quality content. While only 42% of people were willing to do so in Germany.
Citing statistics gives your readers the feeling that they are reading something well researched and valuable. This feeling makes them want to read more of your post.
Citing stats is also a good way to make your content more shareable. People can refer your stuff to their friends and colleagues if you have provided some great statistics concerning your topic.
This creates a cycle of positive reinforcement where more and more people share your content and attract more people who will engage with it.
5. Use Content Optimization Tools
Content optimization tools consist of paraphrasers, duplication detectors, summarizers, and grammar checkers.
Using these tools writers can improve the quality of their content.
A Plagiarism detector can help you to detect and avoid plagiarism in your written Content. It helps you to improve your content readability, and when you have plagiarism free content it will help you to rank high on SERP
Duplication detectors can identify any parts of your content that have been plagiarized.
Summarizers can condense your content into a short paragraph or a few sentences that still provide you with the crux of the matter.
Grammar checkers detect and remove any spelling mistakes or other grammatical mistakes in your writing.
Relying on these tools is not a bad thing, and in fact, using them saves you a lot of trouble. Not to mention, these tools save you a lot of editing work.
Conclusion
You can write engaging content by following these tips and tricks. Researching your topic thoroughly and researching your audience will automatically tell you what you need to write and how to write it.
Structuring your content makes it much easier to scan. An easily scanned article is much more likely to be properly read and shared later on.
Using images that go well with your content makes it look good and interesting.
Citing statistics gives authenticity to your word and readers love to read authentic content.
Finally, using content optimization tools to improve your write-up can help you make your content more engaging.
