Content Marketing – Shane Barker https://shanebarker.com Fri, 15 Dec 2023 17:10:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 https://shanebarker.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/cropped-favicon-32x32-1.png Content Marketing – Shane Barker https://shanebarker.com 32 32 13 of the Best AI Content Generators to Create Optimized Content https://shanebarker.com/blog/ai-content-generators/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/ai-content-generators/#respond Fri, 15 Dec 2023 17:09:56 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=80685 Sprinkle some tech magic on your website with their machine-learning mojo. Say goodbye to content struggles and say hello to SEO-friendly awesomeness—all with a dash of AI fun.

Let’s make your digital journey a breeze with these fantastic AI content generators.

How AI Content Generators Are Transforming Content Creation

In 2023, 12% of businesses used AI to generate content. It is projected that by 2027, 80% will be using AI to create content. In fact, bloggers who do make use of AI for content generation, see a 33% increase in their productivity. 

AI's role in a marketer's or content creator’s content strategy goes beyond automation. It not only streamlines content creation but also sparks creativity with its advanced algorithms, machine learning, and natural language processing. With its ability to analyze vast datasets, spot trends, and understanding of user behavior, it greatly contributes to crafting content that truly connects with target audiences.

On that note, you can easily use AI to create various content types, such as blog, email, newsletter, social media, and product descriptions.

How Can AI Content Generators Save Time and Resources?

In a fast-paced digital landscape, time and resources are invaluable commodities. AI content generators emerge as game-changers, offering solutions to the perennial challenge of balancing the need for quality content with efficiency.

Here are ways that AI content generators can help you save time and resources:

  • Efficient workflow automation: AI content generators streamline the content creation process, automating repetitive tasks and allowing for the rapid generation of high-quality content.
  • Accelerated content production: By harnessing the power of advanced algorithms, AI tools help creators produce substantial volumes of content in a fraction of the time. 
  • Resource optimization: AI content generators liberate human creators from mundane tasks, allowing them to allocate more time and focus to the strategic aspects of content creation.
  • Consistent quality output: AI tools maintain a consistent level of quality across content production, ensuring that each piece aligns with brand standards and resonates with target audiences.
  • Scalability for content demands: Growing content demand is now easier to scale with little or no compromise to quality.

A Sneak Peek into the Top 13 AI Content Generators

Now that we’ve discussed why AI content generators are and will be a huge part of content generation in the future, here are the 13 best AI content generators on the web.

1. Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant (SWA)

Semrush's SEO Writing Assistant, accessible only through its App Center, is a powerful tool boasting 76 functionalities. It’s the perfect AI assistant for any content marketer and creator.

semrush ai writing assistant tools dashboard

You can craft almost all forms of content for any need: emails, blogs, CTAs, web content, social media posts, ads, video scripts, product descriptions, and job descriptions just to name a few. Remarkably, it also operates seamlessly in over 25 languages.

semrush ai writing assistant languages

For swift article generation, utilize SWA by inputting a headline, subheads, and target keywords. It swiftly assembles a comprehensive article in under 15 seconds, complete with an SEO score and improvement suggestions.

There is also a plagiarism checker for each generated text. 

semrush ai writing assistant plagiarism checker

SWA doesn't stop there. After your initial draft, use its features to enhance subheads, and titles, or even undergo a complete article rewrite – all under 10 minutes. However while SWA is almost as perfect as a human writer, your final pass to the content is still necessary to catch any unnecessary phrases that misalign your content to your brand messaging.

Key Features

  • Versatile content creation: Access a comprehensive suite of 76 AI-generating tools for crafting diverse content types, from website copy to marketing materials.
  • Natural Language Processing: Leverage natural language processing to tailor content according to your specific tone of voice, audience, and creative preferences.
  • Plagiarism detection: Ensure originality with an integrated plagiarism detection tool, safeguarding your content against duplication.
  • Multilingual capabilities: Write in over 25 languages, catering to businesses operating in diverse markets.
  • Structured articles: Automatically structure your articles with headers, subheadings, and lists, enhancing visual appeal and readability.
  • Search engine optimization: Target relevant keywords for optimal SEO performance, improving visibility in search engines.
  • Team empowerment: Facilitate collaboration among team members of varying skill levels, enhancing productivity, efficiency, and consistency in content creation.

Pricing

  • Free plan (up to 1500 words a month)
  • Unlimited plan: $25/month

2. Surfer SEO

Surfer SEO, an advanced AI SEO tool lets you effortlessly research, compose, and optimize your articles for higher search rankings.

To begin, simply input your main keyword, specifying the type of article, brand tone, competitor targets, and the desired human touch in your content. It will generate a blog outline that is meticulously tailored to your preferences, offering a solid foundation for further customization.

Surfer SEO Content Editor

When it comes to editing, Surfer's Content Editor not only optimizes your content for search engines by seamlessly integrating secondary and related keywords, it also provides a detailed content score.

surfer seo seo content score

Key Features

  • Content editor: Surfer SEO's flagship feature provides real-time feedback on your content, optimizing it for search engines.
  • Keyword research tool: Find relevant keywords for your content with data on search volume, keyword difficulty, and related keywords.
  • Grow flow: Track progress over time with metrics such as organic traffic and keyword rankings, identifying areas for SEO improvement.
  • Content audit: Identifies and addresses SEO issues on your website.

Pricing

  • Essential AI: $139/month
  • Advanced AI: $279/month
  • Max AI: $499/month
  • Enterprise: Contact their sales team for a custom quote

3. OpenAI's ChatGPT

OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, which has swiftly risen to prominence as a leading human-like AI text generator. It has a remarkable feature that is able to emulate human interactions across contexts based on the prompts you add to it.

OpenAI ChatGPT Main Dashboard

Use it to generate compelling content for different formats, including ad copies, copywriting, and blog posts. Remarkably, it also extends its capabilities to code generation, showcasing its versatility.

openai chatgpt coding example

The free version may already suffice for your basic content needs. But if you’re unaware how to properly prompt the tool, its Plus subscription offers prompt examples to help you initiate text creation faster along with access to 70 plug-ins to enhance its functionality. 

One notable feature of the paid subscription is the Code Interpreter which allows users to utilize Python and facilitates the seamless upload and download of files. Your $20 investment per month for ChatGPT Plus subscription gives you access to additional features and functionalities that will surely boost your content creation process.

Key Features

  • Natural language generation: ChatGPT crafts text akin to human writing—creative, informative, and engaging, making it your go-to for diverse content needs.
  • Automatic summarization: Condense lengthy text effortlessly. ChatGPT summarizes documents into concise snippets.
  • Natural Language Understanding (NLU): ChatGPT tackles tasks like answering questions, language translation, and crafting creative text in various formats.
  • Dialogue generation: ChatGPT brings dialogues to life. It can generate content with engaging conversation that you can use for telescripts, sales scripts, customer service, and even for entertainment.
  • Data manipulation: Uniquely ask Chat GPT to turn your content data to tables, add indexes, or decode JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) effortlessly. 

Pricing

  • Free to use (GPT 3.5)
  • Plus plan: $20/month (GPT 4)

4. AI Social Content Generator by Semrush

The AI Social Content Generator, part of the Semrush App Center, is a specialized tool for crafting engaging social media content. Tailored to meet the requirements of single-image posts, memes, videos, and carousels, it caters to the diverse needs of social media marketing.

AI Social Content Generator main dashboard and themes

To get started, establish your unique “brand page.” Simply upload your logo, set your preferred tone of voice, and select font preferences to ensure that your posts align seamlessly with your brand identity.

Now, let's delve into the tool's functionality. Define the basic theme of your post, and witness the tool swiftly generate an initial draft. If it doesn't quite hit the mark, a simple thumbs up or down prompts the tool to generate alternative options.

AI Social Content Generator social post generation example

The customization feature plays a pivotal role, giving you the flexibility to edit text, media, or seamlessly incorporate your own images. It has templates for videos and carousels, presenting you a spectrum of assets to choose from.

ai social content generator templates

While the abundance of options may initially seem overwhelming, it's precisely this level of customization that adds versatility to the AI Social Content Generator.

Although it doesn't directly publish content to social media networks, the AI Social Content Generator equips you with ready-to-use content to publish directly on any suitable platform.

Key Features

  • Content idea generation: Input keywords to spark relevant content ideas for your brand, industry, or target audience.
  • Trend alignment: Explore current topics, emerging trends, and hashtags to keep your content in sync with ongoing conversations and interests.
  • Brand consistency: Manage brand style with preferred tone, colors, fonts, and logo for cohesive social media branding.
  • Content customization: Tailor your content to be audience-centric based on demographics, interests, and online behavior for specific audience segments.
  • Platform optimization: Optimize content for each social media platform's unique features and audience preferences.
  • Performance tracker: Monitor social media content performance, including engagement, reach, and audience demographics.

Pricing

  • Free plan (up to 200 social posts)
  • Add-on plan: $20/month ( +100 more posts)

5. Jasper

Jasper is a powerful AI content generator driven by GPT technology. It creates humanized text for diverse marketing assets such as copywriting, social posts, long-form blogs, and even translation.

Tailoring content to your specific needs is effortless. Simply choose from a selection of templates, input details like your desired tone and voice, and start generating text immediately.

Jasper AI main dashboard and template selection

Its extensive features include access to 50+ templates such as the Text Summarizer, Paragraph Generator, Creative Story, and Quora Answers, enabling you to craft content in the most effective formats.

Jasper AI templates page

One notable feature is the ability to fine-tune content further. For instance, within blog post templates, you can specify key points and calls to action, ensuring a personalized touch. Jasper's adaptability extends to brand voice, allowing you to train the AI to emulate your unique tone and style consistently.

Jasper AI language options

You can integrate Jasper with Chrome and Edge Extensions, enhancing workflow efficiency and facilitating rapid content platforms like WordPress.

The AI chat feature enables you to ask questions, brainstorm ideas, or provide prompts, adding an interactive element to your content creation process.

jasper ai chatbot

Key Features

  • Long-form content creation: Generate long-form content, including blog posts, articles, and website copy with ease and efficiency.
  • Multilingual content creation: Generate content in over 30+ languages, expanding your reach to a global audience.
  • Content templates: Access a library of pre-built templates and formats to streamline content creation and maintain consistency.
  • Tone of voice and style management: Instill your brand's unique tone and style into all generated content.
  • Grammar and plagiarism checker: Ensure your content is grammatically correct and free from plagiarism with integrated checking tools.
  • SEO optimization: Optimize your content for search engines to improve visibility and organic traffic.
  • Content management system integration: Integrate Jasper with your existing content management system for streamlined workflows.

Pricing

  • Creator plan: $39/month
  • Teams: $99/month
  • Business: Contact their sales team for a quote

6. Copy.ai

Copy.ai stands out as a powerful AI writing tool, offering a comprehensive suite of over 100 writing templates and supporting 25+ languages.

CopyAI templates options

Whether you're crafting blog posts, refining product descriptions, or honing ad copy, Copy.ai becomes your go-to tool for generating high-quality content. As a digital marketing expert, I appreciate the efficiency it brings to content creation, especially during moments of writer's block.

Copy.ai doesn't just stop at offering templates; it also has a workflow mode that allows you to generate content at a much larger scale. These include cold outbound emails, webinar promos, and long-form blog content.

copyai workflows example

It also provides valuable in-app tips, weekly demos, blog posts, and FAQs, creating a supportive environment and knowledge base resource as you familiarize yourself with this AI assistant. 

Copy.ai ‘s user-friendly approach extends to its pricing model, offering a perpetually free plan with a 7-day free trial for the Pro plan. The freemium option, with a 2,000-word limit renewing monthly at no cost, provides a risk-free entry into the world of AI content generation. 

Key Features

  • 90+ copywriting tools: Copy.ai provides a wide range of tools for creating different types of marketing copy, such as website copy, social media posts, blog posts, email marketing campaigns, and more.
  • AI Writing Assistant: Copy.ai's AI Writing Assistant helps you generate creative and engaging copy for your marketing needs. Simply provide it with a few details about your target audience, and it will do the rest.
  • Grammar and plagiarism checker: The built-in grammar and plagiarism checker ensures that your copy is error-free and original.
  • Chrome extension: Allows you to access its tools directly from your web Chrome browser. This makes it easy to generate copy while you're working on your website, social media posts, or other online content.
  • Workflows: Allows you to create automated workflows for generating copy. This can help you save time, improving your efficiency.
  • Content templates: Copy.ai also provides a library of content templates and recipes to help you get started quickly and easily.

Pricing

  • Free plan
  • Pro plan: $49/month
  • Team plan: $249/month
  • Growth plan: $1333/month
  • Scale plan: $4000/month

7. Describely

Describely is an advanced AI-driven product content platform powered by GPT-3 technology. It helps brands quickly and seamlessly create product content, without the hassle of boring spreadsheets and documents.

Describely home page

Upon signing up, Describely introduces a seamless project setup, allowing you to extract content directly from relevant websites by providing essential details such as the website URL, importing a CSV, or using text to describe and rewrite product descriptions.

The interface itself is reminiscent of ChatGPT’s.

Describely  main dashboard

Describely stands out with its Workflow Que Collaboration that enales team collaboration, task assigning, feedback gathering, and approval streamlining. The platform also offers bulk content and product description generation, ensuring scalability for extensive content demands.

describely content generation page

One of the key advantages is Describely's seamless integration with SEO optimization tools, ensuring your generated content is primed for search engine ranking. 

With a 7-day free trial, you can try all its features without adding your credit card details.

Key Features

  • AI-powered writing assistant: Leverages AI to generate unique and engaging content by providing relevant details about the product and desired writing style.
  • Easy-to-use interface and commands: With an intuitive interface, Describely ensures accessibility regardless of your level, providing you nuanced control over the content generation process.
  • Bulk output: Describely can create bulk product descriptions for your site. Simply input your website’s URL, or import a CSV.
  • Support for multiple languages: Describely generates content in multiple languages, making it valuable for international businesses and content creators targeting diverse audiences.

Pricing

  • Free plan (1 user, 25 generations/month)
  • Core plan: $9/month
  • Enterprise plan: Contact their sales team for a custom quote

8. Writesonic

Writesonic, an AI writing tool, is a versatile solution for a plethora of different content needs. Leveraging GPT, Writesonic assists in generating articles and stories, paraphrasing, summarizing, expanding text, and even providing blog topic ideas.

Writesonic main dashboard

Writesonic aims to deliver engaging SEO content tailored precisely to your brand. The pricing starts with a “Free Forever” plan, ideal for solo entrepreneurs. You can generate up to 10K words per month with this plan.

AI Article Writer is a key feature of this tool, which you can train for your brand's voice. It will help you create personalized content that also ranks in the SERPs.

Creating content is as simple as entering a keyword or search term, and then adding reference article URLs, before hitting the next button.

writesonic ai article writer 5 setup

From there, you can add your article’s title and other information such as tone, voicing, keywords, quality, and more.

Writesonic AI article writer 5 setup 2

The Chatsonic feature supports all of your marketing goals, for instance, generating social media captions, ad copies, landing pages, and email marketing. Writesonic also offers free email marketing templates that you can use to jumpstart your campaigns.

Writesonic also has a content outline creator, with a built-in keyword finder. After finding keywords you’d like to use, simply click “generate” and watch the tool make your brief in seconds.

Writesonic AI article writer keyword finder
writesonic ai content outline creator

Writesonic also boasts social media content generation, headline generation, product descriptions writing, as well as ad writing.

Key Features

  • AI content generation: Generates a variety of content including social content, blog posts, copywriting, and even product descriptions.
  • SEO and keyword targeting: Incorporates SEO optimization and keyword targeting for higher search engine ranking.
  • Multilingual content: Supports content generation in over 25 languages for global outreach and cross-border marketing.
  • Paraphrasing: Rephrase existing text to maintain clarity while enhancing originality.
  • Text expander: Expands and lengthens short pieces of content to create more comprehensive pieces.
  • Article summarizer: Condenses lengthy articles into concise summaries.

Pricing

  • Free plan (10,000 words a month)
  • Freelancer: $20/month
  • Small team: starts from $19/month (starts from 10,000 words a month)
  • Enterprise: $500+/month

9. Kafkai

Kafkai uses AI technology to craft SEO-friendly content for websites, blogs, and social media. It works in three different modes:

  1. Niche-specific writing with a plethora of niches such as travel, spirituality, or fashion.
  2. Advanced niche-specific writing that delves deep into subject matter, for example writing a blog offering dating advice, or automotive repair instructions.
  3. General writing such as short blog content, or copywriting.

It helps you create content for 39 industries and works well as a WordPress plugin.

Kafkai choose a niche

Kafkai starts at just $1 per month and has cool features like a bulk content generator, 14 language settings, and a template library that you can command the tool to use. Once you’ve picked a topic, prompt the tool how many articles you want, and see its AI content generator in action.

When your articles are ready, Kafkai sends you a browser notification.

kafkai article generation example

Key Features

  • Bulk content generator: Kafkai leverages AI-powered capabilities using natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) algorithms.
  • Long-form and short-form content creator: Produces long-form content in various formats like blog posts, articles, and website copy, as well as short-form content like social media captions, product descriptions, and marketing copy.
  • SEO optimization: Incorporates SEO optimization and keyword targeting for content to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs).
  • Easy-to-use interface: Kafkai's intuitive and straightforward user interface ensures easy navigation for users of all levels.

Pricing

  • Preview: $1/month
  • Hobbyist: $9/month
  • Writer: $29/month
  • Blogger: $49/month
  • Professional: $129/month

10. GrowthBar

GrowthBar originated as an SEO Chrome extension in 2020 and swiftly evolved into a comprehensive writing tool within a mere three years.

Similar to other AI writers, it has ideas and blog generators to streamline your workflows for various content types, including email newsletters, press releases, product descriptions, and sales emails.

GrowthBar main dashboard

What sets GrowthBar apart is its distinctive blog outline tool. This particular feature proves impactful as it assists in constructing an outline that focuses on keywords and headlines. The strategic placement of the right keywords, be it in the title, headlines, or subheads, is crucial for search engine crawlers to efficiently discover and rank your content.

GrowthBar article outline and writer

As you craft your draft with headlines, draw inspiration from top-ranking articles related to your keyword. View these resources only as inspirations rather than direct templates that you can copy to avoid plagiarism.

Before submitting the draft for AI to complete, you have the flexibility to edit each line. Keep in mind that AI performs optimally when you present it with a well-structured prompt, and the blog outline sets the stage for an effective prompt.

In contrast to Semrush's SEO Writing Assistant, GrowthBar's article creator interface displays the text on the left and an SEO score on the right. While it assesses the draft for SEO suitability before publishing, it deviates from the Writing Assistant by not providing suggested improvements.

GrowthBar Content Score and On-Page SEO

Key Features

  • Generate articles quickly: Powered by AI, GrowthBar can create long-form and short-form content in seconds.
  • Unearth high-volume, low-competition keywords: Identifies lucrative keywords that competitors haven't targeted yet.
  • Evaluate keyword difficulty: Assesses the challenge of ranking for specific keywords, prioritizing your SEO efforts effectively.
  • Generate long-tail keyword suggestions: Discovers long-tail keywords to attract targeted traffic to your website.
  • Monitor on-page SEO performance: Keeps tabs on your website's SEO health, identifying areas for improvement.
  • Optimize for Google's Core Web Vitals: Ensures your website aligns with Google's performance standards for improved search rankings.

Pricing

  • Standard plan: $79/month
  • Pro plan: $139/month
  • Agency plan: $249/month

11. Wordtune

Wordtune AI, a leading AI content generator, is widely recognized for its impressive paraphrasing and rewriting capabilities. This advanced AI rewording tool excels in optimizing content while preserving the core context, making it an indispensable resource for a diverse range of users.

Wordtune content expander example

For students, researchers and business owners, Wordtune AI emerges as a vital ally for effective writing. Whether crafting essays, research papers, market research, this AI content generator not only facilitates the improvement of text quality but also helps in maintaining context integrity.

wordtune content expander example

When writing for your business, its adept ability to rephrase content ensures that the final output is not only well-articulated but is also plagiarism-free.

The user-friendly interface of Wordtune AI makes it easy to navigate, enabling you to easily add it to your arsenal of writing tools.

Key Features

  • Sentence rewriting: Transforms sentences into clearer, more concise, and impactful expressions.
  • Tone adjustment: Modifies the tone of your writing to match your desired style, whether formal, casual, or creative.
  • Active voice conversion: Converts passive voice sentences to active voice for stronger and more direct writing.
  • Real-time feedback and suggestions: Lets you receive immediate feedback and suggestions as you write.
  • Intuitive interface: Navigate the tool effortlessly with a user-friendly interface.

Pricing

  • Free plan
  • Plus plan: $24.99/month
  • Unlimited plan: $35.50/month
  • Business plan: Contact their sales team for a quote

12. Rytr

Rytr stands out as an innovative AI content generator, streamlining content creation in just three steps. Users can choose their specific use case, provide additional context, and let Rytr generate killer content effortlessly.

Rytr content outline example

Powered by GPT-3, Rytr's AI writing capabilities extend to creating blog ideas, social media ads, business pitches, emails, landing pages, and more.

rytr content outline example

Some of its key features include over 40 templates or use cases, content creation in over 30 languages, and the ability to select from 20+ tones of voice to convey the right emotion.

Key Features

  • Content creation: Generates diverse content formats like blog posts, articles, social media posts, and product descriptions. 
  • AI writing assistant: Enhances creativity and engagement, providing suggestions, sentence rephrasing, and overall style improvement.
  • Content improvement and rephrasing: Elevates your content quality by rephrasing sentences, correcting grammar errors, and ensuring concise and impactful writing. 
  • Content optimization: Optimizes content for search engines and social media by incorporating relevant keywords and phrases.
  • Multiple languages support: Generates content in over 25 languages, catering to a global audience and diverse linguistic needs.
  • Language-specific content templates: Lets you access a library of content templates in multiple languages, providing a starting point for your writing projects.
  • Real-time collaboration: Allows multiple users to work simultaneously on the same project, facilitating teamwork.

Pricing

  • Free plan
  • Saver plan: $9/month
  • Unlimited plan: $29/month

13. Unbounce’s Smart Copy

Unbounce stands out as an excellent option for crafting impactful landing pages, pop ups, and sticky bars. A noteworthy feature that sets Unbounce apart is its AI copywriting tool, Smart Copy, designed to streamline content creation.

Smart Copy setup page

With over 45 templates, Smart Copy offers you a swift start to generating ad copy, emails, taglines, and more, making it a versatile AI content generator.

Smart Copy template selection

One key element of Smart Copy is its Writer tool, a page that practically writes itself. With minimal inputs, you can effortlessly generate sentences, paragraphs, and even whole stories in seconds.

smart copy listicle example

Additionally, it empowers you to write content in specific styles or tones, summarize text or articles, and even translate content from one language to another. The Chrome Extension further enhances usability by allowing you to highlight a copy on any page and seamlessly rewrite, summarize, or expand it.

Key Features

  • AI content generation: Generates original and engaging content for your diverse social media platforms and marketing needs.
  • Content automation and templates: Lets you streamline content creation using automated tools and pre-built templates.
  • Brand consistency and personalization: Helps you tailor your content style to specific audience segments, maintaining consistent branding across all your content.
  • Content optimization and analytics: Optimizes your content for engagement and reach by leveraging data-driven insights.
  • Multilingual content support: Extend your global reach through content creation, plagiarism checking, and language-specific templates.

Pricing

  • Free plan (40 credits a month)
  • Essential plan: $19/month
  • Unlimited plan: $49/month

Choosing the Right AI Content Generator for Your Needs

In conclusion, selecting the ideal AI content generator is important for efficient and effective content creation.

Whether you need diverse templates to help jumpstart your writing project or a tool to help write everything for you, these AI content generators will cater to those needs seamlessly. As you navigate the options available, prioritize a tool that aligns with your specific requirements.

Have you used any of these AI content generator tools recently? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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The 10 Best AI Writing Tools to Power Up Your Content https://shanebarker.com/blog/ai-writing-tools/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/ai-writing-tools/#respond Fri, 01 Dec 2023 17:11:49 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=80238 What is an AI Content Writing Tool?

At its core, it's a sophisticated software that leverages artificial intelligence to assist you in creating high-quality written content. These tools are designed to streamline the writing process, offering a range of features that make content generation more efficient and effective. 

Whether you're a writer, marketer, or student, AI content writing tools can help you produce well-crafted, engaging, and error-free text, ultimately saving you time and enhancing the overall quality of your work.

What Should You Look for in an AI Writing Tool?

When considering these AI writing tools, focus on five key aspects:

  • Accuracy: Ensure the tool generates content that is precise and error-free.
  • User-friendly interface: Opt for a tool that is easy to navigate and use.
  • Versatility: Choose a tool that caters to various writing needs and proficiency level, from essays to marketing content.
  • Integration capabilities: Check if it can seamlessly integrate with your existing tools or platforms.
  • Cost-effectiveness: Balance the tool's features with your budget, aiming for the best value for your investment.

List of Best 10 AI Writing Tools

Let's dive into the list of the 10 best AI writing tools, each with its unique strengths and capabilities.

1. GPT-4 by OpenAI

GPT-4 is the first tool on the list, and probably the most well-known AI writing tool. It has dominated headlines for the past year for its AI-powered feature set.

As with the previous iterations, GPT-4 boasts advanced natural language processing (NLP) capabilities, excelling in sentiment analysis, translation, and text summarization.

One of its standout features is its multimodal capability. GPT-4 possesses the unique ability to comprehend and process both text and images. 

This versatility enables GPT-4 to excel in various tasks that elude traditional language models. It can effortlessly generate image captions, transform images into text, and even respond to queries about images.

GPT-4 Recipe Example

It also integrates reinforcement learning, allowing it to learn from user interactions and continually enhance its performance.

It excels in complex problem solving, tackling multi-step, intricate challenges that confuses other systems. This feature renders GPT-4 invaluable for researchers and businesses dealing with intricate problems.

GPT-4 mathematical equation example

Key Features

  • Multimodal capability: GPT-4 possesses a remarkable ability to comprehend and process both text and images. From crafting image captions to translating visual content into text and providing answers about images, GPT-4's versatility knows no bounds.
  • Reinforcement learning integration: What truly sets GPT-4 apart is its capacity to learn from interactions, steadily enhancing its performance over time. This adaptability elevates it to a new level, surpassing its predecessors in terms of power and usefulness.
  • Complex Problem Solving: Excels in tackling intricate challenges that demand multiple steps and reasoning.
  • Advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities: It delivers exceptional performance on tasks like sentiment analysis, translation, and text summarization.
  • Code Generation: Programmers and software developers find immense value in GPT-4, which can generate code in multiple programming languages.
  • Long-form content generation: GPT-4 is a reliable ally for writers and businesses aiming to create intricate, long-form content. These include blog posts, articles, and engaging stories.
  • Natural Language Conversations: GPT-4 excels in engaging users in authentic, human-like conversations. This makes it an invaluable tool for chatbots and conversational AI applications, especially in the realm of customer service.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Can be used for a wide range of tasks, from creative writing to code generation to customer service.
  • Produces high-quality output that is often indistinguishable from human-written text.
  • Is constantly being improved by OpenAI.

Cons

  • It is still under development and certain beta features can malfunction.
  • Requires a large amount of data to train.
  • Responses can take longer than usual.

Pricing

To gain access to GPT-4 you need a Plus subscription. The Plus subscription costs $20 a month.

2. Semrush

Semrush is a powerful and versatile all-in-one SEO tool, that has plenty of AI writing features. For writers and content creators, Semrush offers a range of invaluable tools and features to enhance their content strategy and writing process.

Semrush is a writer's trusted ally when it comes to SEO. It provides in-depth insights into keyword optimization, suggesting relevant keywords and phrases to boost content's search engine ranking.

Semrush Keyword Overview

It also offers writers a comprehensive understanding of keyword trends and search volume, helping them choose the most relevant keywords to target in their content.

Using this tool will help you manage your content. You can create content calendars, target specific audience segments, and leverage data-driven insights to ensure your content resonates with the intended readership.

Semrush's SEO Writing Assistant is a dedicated tool that will surely help you optimize your content for search engines. It also provides real-time recommendations for improving your content. These include features such as suggesting relevant keywords, highlighting readability issues, and offering guidance on content structure.

In addition to the aforementioned features, Semrush also offers another excellent AI writing tool called ContentShake. It enhances a writer's toolkit even further. 

ContentShake is a content generation platform that leverages AI to assist writers in generating high-quality, SEO-friendly content. It allows you to filter and create content and ideas according to the type of content you are creating. By seamlessly integrating Contentshake with Semrush, you can gain access to an even wider array of content creation tools.

Semrush ContentShake Writing Example

ContentShake isn’t included in any of Semrush’s main packages but can be acquired separately for $60 a month.

Key Features

  • Content optimization: Semrush excels in optimizing content for search engines, helping you enhance your online visibility and reach a wider audience.
  • Keyword research: One of Semrush's standout features is its ability to conduct in-depth keyword research, providing valuable insights to boost content's relevance and performance.
  • Competitor analysis: Semrush offers robust competitor analysis tools, allowing you to gain a competitive edge by understanding the strategies of your competitors.
  • Content marketing: Semrush facilitates content marketing efforts helping you to plan, create, and distribute content effectively for maximum impact.
  • Social media management: With its social media management capabilities, Semrush streamlines the process of managing and scheduling social media posts.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Comprehensive tool for digital marketing
  • Excellent for SEO and content optimization
  • Provides valuable insights through competitor analysis
  • Facilitates content marketing and social media management

Cons

  • Use of the tool can be overwhelming for beginners due to its extensive features
  • Pricing may be higher if you’re only looking for an AI writing assistant

Pricing

  • Pro plan: $129.95/month
  • Guru plan: $229.95/month (includes SEO writing assistant)
  • Business plan: $449.95/month (includes SEO writing assistant)

3. ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid stands out for its unique features tailored for writers and content creators. This all-encompassing writing assistant provides a suite of tools designed to refine content and elevate the writing process.

For writers focusing on SEO, ProWritingAid offers a set of unique AI-driven features. Its advanced algorithms delve into the intricacies of grammar, spelling, and style, ensuring that your content meets SEO standards and engages readers effectively.

The tool's real-time suggestions extend beyond traditional grammar checks. It delves into readability enhancement of your content, suggesting improvements in sentence structure and word choice. It can also suggest writing styles according to the context of the current passage you are writing.

As with these grammar and writing assistants, ProWritingAid also packs a comprehensive Word Explorer. That includes a thesaurus, synonyms, anagrams, and even examples from books and quotes.

ProWritingAid Word Explorer

The biggest difference between ProWritingAid versus a tool such as ChatGPT is that ProWritingAid doesn’t produce content by itself. Instead, it helps you analyze readability and grammar, and offers suggestions to better your content.

Key Features

  • Grammar and style check: ProWritingAid offers in-depth grammar checks and style suggestions to ensure your content is error-free and consistently engaging.
  • Readability analysis: It offers insights into how easy or challenging your content is to read, helping you adjust your writing style to your target audience.
  • Thesaurus and word explorer: It enhances your vocabulary. It includes a thesaurus and word explorer, enabling you to discover synonyms and explore new words to enrich your content.
  • Plagiarism checker: Originality is crucial in writing, and ProWritingAid offers a built-in plagiarism checker. This ensures your content is free from unintentional similarities to other works, preserving your writing's uniqueness.
  • Writing reports: It generates detailed writing reports that offer insights into your writing strengths and weaknesses. These reports help you identify areas for improvement and fine-tune their skills over time.
  • Consistency check: ProWritingAid checks for inconsistencies in spelling, hyphenation, and capitalization, ensuring your content adheres to a uniform style.
  • In-app Integration: It seamlessly integrates with popular word-processing software and web browsers.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • In-depth readability analysis
  • Plagiarism checker to safeguard content originality
  • Detailed writing reports for continuous improvement
  • User-friendly in-app integration with popular writing platforms

Cons

  • Advanced features may require a learning curve for some users.
  • Certain integrations may necessitate additional subscriptions.

Pricing

  • Free (500 word limit)
  • Premium: $10/month billed yearly
  • Premium Pro: $12/month billed yearly

4. Copy.ai

Copy.ai is a copywriter's best friend; its strength lies in its ability to generate creative and engaging copy for diverse purposes. Copy.ai will adapt to your content’s specific needs whether it's crafting persuasive marketing messages or generating attention-grabbing headlines.

Copy.ai also allows you to set parameters in the tool, which include creating a brand voice, keywords, tone, idea generation, and even a goal.

Copy.ai Blog Post Wizard

Copy.ai's user-friendly interface and intuitive design further contribute to the tool’s appeal. The platform ensures a smooth writing experience, allowing you to harness the power of AI without grappling with complex interfaces.

Key Features

  • Content generation: It generates a variety of content types, from blog post intros to social media captions. You can rely on its AI-driven capabilities to kickstart their content, saving time and creative effort.
  • Headline and tagline creation: Provides you with a tool to generate attention-grabbing, effective headlines that capture the essence of your content.
  • SEO metadata: It helps create meta titles and descriptions that optimizes your content for search engines, boosting its discoverability online.
  • Email campaigns: It can generate email copies that resonate with recipients and enhance engagement in email campaigns.
  • Content expansion: Expand your idea or topic with ease using Copy.ai’s content expansion tools that provide additional information and context. 
  • A/B testing copy: Create multiple versions of the same copy, making it easier for you to assess which version is the most effective.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Streamlined headline and tagline creation
  • SEO metadata support for enhanced discoverability
  • Email campaign copy assistance
  • Simplified A/B testing with multiple copy variations

Cons

  • You might need to go through multiple steps to get the content you want.
  • AI-generated content might not always be correct, so you’ll need to proofread and edit it.

Pricing

  • Free (2000 word limit)
  • Pro:  $49/month
  • Team: $249/month
  • Growth: $1333/month
  • Scale: $4000/month

5. ChatGPT (3.5)

ChatGPT 3.5 is OpenAI’s free version of the highly popular AI writing tool.This conversational AI model, based on GPT-3.5 architecture, stands out for its versatile applications in generating human-like text.

ChatGPT dashboard

ChatGPT works similarly to a search engine, in that it can collect information about any prompt you give it. The biggest difference is that it will provide an answer by compiling different sets of information and then creating a human-like response. And if you’re seeking a dynamic AI writing companion, ChatGPT offers a fluid and interactive platform that is completely free. 

Its conversational capabilities allow you to engage in a dialogue, making the writing process more intuitive. This unique feature is particularly beneficial for brainstorming content ideas, refining generated content, or even overcoming writer's block through interactive conversations.

If you’re not sure what the difference between 3.5 and 4 is, here’s a quick video explaining the differences.

One of ChatGPT's notable strengths is its adaptability across various writing styles and tones. Whether you're aiming for a formal tone, a casual voice, or anything in between, ChatGPT responds to your inputs with an understanding of context and tone, providing a tailored writing experience.

ChatGPT Custom Instructions example

The biggest issue, especially with ChatGPT 3.5 is that its content tends to be a bit outdated. This is because it can only provide information up to the year 2022 at the moment.

Key Features

  • Natural language understanding: ChatGPT 3.5 is highly proficient in understanding and processing human language. This makes it exceptionally adept at engaging in meaningful conversations with users, demonstrating human-like language comprehension.
  • Conversation continuity: It maintains context throughout a conversation. It can remember and reference previous messages, resulting in more coherent and engaging interactions.
  • User interaction learning: Continuously learns from user interactions, adapting and improving over time.
  • Multilingual support: ChatGPT 3.5 is proficient in multiple languages, allowing it to engage with a diverse global audience effectively.
  • Content generation: It can assist in crafting blog posts, articles, stories, and other long-form content, streamlining the writing process.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Versatile for various tasks, from creative writing to customer service
  • Offers high-quality responses that often mimic human-written text
  • Free to use

Cons

  • Like any evolving technology, ChatGPT 3.5 may have occasional limitations or errors.
  • ChatGPT 3.5 does not provide real-time feedback as you write.
  • Its content and relevance can be outdated, as its current iteration only provides information up to the year 2022.

Pricing

Free to use

6. QuillBot

QuillBot is a dynamic paraphrasing tool that combines advanced AI algorithms with user-friendly functionality, making it a go-to resource for writers seeking text optimization.

They’re also known for their creative, and funny advertisements, so if you wish to lighten up a deep thought in your content then this tool can help.

At the core of QuillBot's offerings is its robust paraphrasing capability. This allows you to transform and rephrase sentences while preserving the original meaning. This proves invaluable to you if you’re looking to add diversity to your content or address issues related to plagiarism.

Another notable feature of QuillBot is its flexibility in adjusting the level of paraphrasing. You can choose from various modes, ranging from fluency-focused to creative rephrasing, tailoring the output to meet specific stylistic preferences. This adaptability adds a layer of customization to the writing process.

QuillBot Paraphraser example

QuillBot's isn’t just used for paraphrasing though; it offers the option to reword sentences, change sentence structures, and optimize overall coherence. This helps you not only create plagiarism-free content, but also with grammar, sentence structure, and overall readability.

QuillBot Grammar Checker Example

Apart from those features, it also offers a citation generator, translator, and summarizer.

QuillBot also offers API, integrating with Microsoft Office applications, as well as Google Docs, and Google Chrome.

Key Features

  • Sentence rewriting: QuillBot is a proficient sentence rewriting tool. It can rephrase sentences to enhance clarity and readability, making it a valuable resource to improve your content.
  • Grammar and style enhancement: QuillBot offers grammar and style suggestions, helping you refine your writing by detecting and correcting errors, and improving overall writing quality.
  • Word synonymization: QuillBot can suggest synonyms and alternate words to diversify vocabulary and add depth to your content.
  • Translation: This feature allows you to translate text from one language to another, making QuillBot a useful tool for multilingual content creation.
  • Plagiarism checker: QuillBot's built-in plagiarism checker ensures content originality by identifying potential matches with existing online content. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Rewrites sentences for effective grammar improvement
  • Expands vocabulary and avoiding word redundancy by suggesting synonyms
  • Translates content to avoid plagiarism 
  • Use it for free for basic functionality

Cons

  • Limited to text-based applications; does not support other content types
  • Functionality restrictions on the free version 

Pricing

  • Free (includes paraphrasing tool and the grammar checker)
  • Premium: $15/month

7. Grammarly

Grammarly, one of the most well-known AI writing assistants, offers a distinctive array of features designed to refine and elevate the writing experience for writers. 

Just like QuillBot and ProWritingAid, Grammarly isn’t designed to create content, but instead improve content.

Grammarly Grammar Checker and AI suggestions

At the forefront of Grammarly's capabilities is its advanced grammar-checking feature. The AI-driven engine dissects sentences, giving you real-time suggestions to improve grammatical errors, punctuation, and syntax.

Beyond traditional grammar correction, Grammarly's AI extends to contextual spelling checks. It discerns words in context, reducing the likelihood of spelling errors by providing relevant suggestions.

One of Grammarly's standout features is its tone and style suggestions. The AI model analyzes your writing patterns, then gives insights to help you maintain a consistent tone throughout their content. It can also analyze and score a passage of text, letting you see how well you’re doing with your writing or how you can improve it.

Grammarly Performance score

Grammarly's plagiarism detection capability is a powerful tool when you’re concerned about content originality. The AI scans text against a vast database, identifying and highlighting any instances of potential plagiarism.

Grammarly Plagiarism checker

Another good thing about Grammarly's Writing Assistant is it is not confined to a traditional, independent writing platform. With its browser extensions and integrations, it can provide on-the-fly suggestions when you’re writing content across different channels, like emails, social media, and other online platforms.

Key Features

  • Grammar and spelling correction: Grammarly excels in identifying and correcting grammar and spelling errors, ensuring your writing is clear, precise, and free from mistakes.
  • Style and clarity enhancement: It offers style and clarity suggestions, helping you fine-tune your writing to enhance its readability and overall quality.
  • Vocabulary enhancement: Grammarly suggests alternate words to expand your vocabulary and add variety to your content.
  • Plagiarism detection: The built-in plagiarism checker ensures content originality by identifying potential matches with existing online content.
  • Tone and style adjustments: You can tailor their writing to specific tones and styles, ensuring your content is aligned with its intended audience and purpose.
  • Integration: Grammarly seamlessly integrates with various writing platforms, including web browsers, word processors, and email, providing real-time writing assistance.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Effective grammar and spelling correction
  • Enhances writing style and clarity
  • Offers vocabulary expansion through synonym suggestions
  • Ensures content originality with its plagiarism checker
  • Allows customization of tone and style
  • Convenient integration with various writing platforms
  • Provides both free and premium subscription options

Cons

  • Some advanced features are limited to premium subscribers.
  • While highly accurate, occasional limitations or inaccuracies can occur.
  • The free version has usage restrictions.

Pricing

  • Free (includes only the grammar/spelling checker)
  • Premium: $30/month ($12 a month if paid annually)
  • Business: $75/month (for a team of 3)

8. Jasper

Jasper is an AI writing tool that aims to revolutionize the writing process and improve content creation. It uses advanced AI algorithms to offer a dynamic and efficient writing experience.

One of Jasper's main strengths is its ability to generate human-like text. This allows you to easily create content that resonates with your target audience. Jasper's natural and engaging writing style sets it apart as a go-to tool for authentic writing.

But Jasper's capabilities go beyond text generation. It also understands the context of your inputs, allowing for coherent and relevant responses. This is especially useful if you want to maintain a consistent narrative or theme.

Another standout feature of Jasper is its versatility in accommodating different writing styles. Whether you're writing blog posts, social media content, or marketing copy, Jasper seamlessly adapts to your unique requirements.

Key Features

  • AI-powered content generation: Jasper generates content in diverse styles and formats, simplifying writing tasks for both individuals and businesses.
  • Multilingual proficiency: Jasper's multilingual support extends to less commonly used languages, ensuring a broad linguistic reach for your content.
  • Content enhancement: Beyond optimization, it can add depth to existing content. It can expand on topics, enriching your writing with insightful details and context.
  • Customizable tone and style: Offers fine-grained customization of tone and style, enabling you to tailor content to specific audiences or brand personalities.
  • Real-time collaboration: Jasper supports collaborative writing, allowing multiple users to work on content simultaneously, streamlining teamwork.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • AI-powered content generation streamlines writing tasks.
  • Multilingual support spans a wide range of languages.
  • Content enhancement provides depth and context to existing writing.
  • Customizable tone and style suits various audiences and brand preferences.
  • Cultural adaptation through translation ensures global relevance.
  • Real-time collaboration simplifies teamwork for businesses and writers.

Cons

  • Content quality may vary, requiring occasional manual editing for precision.
  • While highly proficient, occasional limitations or inaccuracies may occur.
  • Performance may depend on specific use cases and input data.

Pricing

  • Creator: $39/month
  • Teams: $99/month
  • Business: Contact their sales team for a custom quote

9. Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor is not just a readability checker anymore. It has also recently introduced an AI writing tool. This makes Hemingway Editor a valuable addition to this list of AI-powered writing tools.

At the core of Hemingway Editor's capabilities is its focus on readability. The platform employs AI-driven algorithms to analyze your text, providing real-time suggestions to improve its readability.

Hemingway Editor Dashboard

Hemingway Editor goes beyond conventional grammar checks, delving into style and structure. The color-coded system similar to Grammarly makes it easier to identify issues within your text. The AI algorithms identify and highlight instances of passive voice, complex phrases, and adverb overuse so you can easily correct them as you go.

Hemingway Rewriting Tool

If you subscribe to Hemingway Editor’s paid tier, you’ll be given access to its AI rewriting tool. Instead of offering insights into how you can improve your body of text, this tool rewrites it for you.

Hemingway AI Writing Assistant

Key Features

  • Simplifying complex sentences: Hemingway Editor specializes in simplifying complex sentences, making your writing more accessible and reader-friendly.
  • Readability enhancement: It not only points out issues but offers suggestions to enhance your content's readability, ensuring your message is conveyed with clarity.
  • Adverb and passive voice reduction: Hemingway Editor encourages precision by identifying and reducing unnecessary adverbs and passive voice, creating more impactful writing.
  • Word choice improvement: It suggests alternative word choices to help you find the most fitting and engaging expressions for your content.
  • Online and desktop versions: It offers both online and desktop versions, granting you flexibility in how and where you choose to work on your writing.
  • Document import and export: Easily import and export documents for seamless integration with your preferred writing platforms.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Simplifies complex sentences for better understanding
  • Enhances readability, ensuring your message is clear
  • Encourages precision by reducing adverbs and passive voice

Cons

  • Limited to text-based content; may not support other content types
  • Some advanced features may be available only in premium versions

Pricing

  • Free to use
  • Plus plan: $10/month

10. Rytr

Rytr is an AI writing tool that aims to revolutionize the writing process and empower content creators. It uses advanced algorithms to provide a versatile and efficient writing experience.

One of the standout features of Rytr is its ability to generate diverse and high-quality written content for different purposes, such as blog posts and marketing copies. This makes it an essential tool if you’re looking to write creative and engaging content.

Rytr Dashboard Example

Rytr is adaptable to different writing tones and styles. Whether you need a formal tone for a business proposal or a more conversational style for a blog post, Rytr's AI can adjust accordingly to match your intended voice and tone.

The user-friendly interface of Rytr also simplifies your writing process. You can effortlessly generate content by using prompts or briefs, without needing an extensive training or technical expertise.

Rytr AI Writer Settings Dashboard

An additional feature of Rytr is its collaborative writing capabilities. Collaborate with your team or other writers in real-time, brainstorm ideas, and refine content together. 

Rytr also offers support for multiple languages, catering to your need for writing in different linguistic contexts. Its AI-driven content generation functionality is effective across various languages, serving a diverse user base.

Key Features

  • AI content generation: Generates content across a wide range of topics, styles, and formats, freeing you from the constraints of writer's block.
  • Smart collaboration: Multiple users can work together in real time, fostering productivity and creativity.
  • Multilingual writing: Supports multiple languages, ensuring that you can create content for global audiences.
  • AI editing: Rytr goes beyond content creation by offering AI-powered editing.
  • Content enhancement: Helps expand your content by providing context and detailed information on various topics.
  • Keyword optimization: It offers keyword optimization for improved search engine visibility.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • AI-powered content generation for diverse topics and styles
  • Real-time collaboration for enhanced productivity
  • Multilingual support for global audience reach
  • Keyword optimization for better search engine visibility

Cons

  • Content quality may vary and require manual editing for precision.
  • While highly proficient, occasional limitations or inaccuracies can occur.
  • The tool's performance may depend on specific use cases and input data.

Pricing

  • Free (10K characters)
  • Saver: $9/month (100K characters)
  • Unlimited: $29/month

Comparison of Best AI Writing Platforms

Now that I’ve reviewed each of the tools separately, let’s compare these AI writing tools.

AI Writing Tool

Pricing

Key Features

1. GPT-4

$20 a month

  • Natural language generation.

  • Multimodal capabilities integrating images seamlessly.

  • Enhanced contextual awareness.

2. Semrush

Accountant

  • In-depth SEO insights, including keyword trends.

  • Content marketing strategy tools for audience targeting.

  • SEO writing assistant with real-time optimization recommendations.

  • Integration capabilities for popular writing platforms.

3. ProWritingAid

Starts from $10 a month billed yearly

  • Advanced grammar checking with real-time suggestions.

  • Style and tone analysis for consistent writing patterns.

  • Seamless integration with popular writing platforms.

  • Contextual spelling checks for precision.

4. Copy.ai

Starts from $20 a month

  • Versatile copy generation for various purposes.

  • Content expansion through prompt-based inputs.

  • User-friendly interface for accessibility.

  • Real-time collaborative writing features.

5. ChatGPT 3.5

Free

  • Conversational AI for dynamic and interactive writing.

  • Adaptable to different writing tones and styles.

  • Generates coherent and contextually relevant responses.

  • Facilitates real-time collaborative writing efforts.

6. QuillBot

Premium costs $20 a month

  • Powerful paraphrasing tool for rewriting content.

  • AI-driven content expansion for comprehensive output.

  • User-friendly interface for accessible paraphrasing.

  • Multilingual support for diverse language contexts.

7. Grammarly

Premium costs $30 a month

  • Meticulous grammar checking with real-time feedback.

  • Tone and style suggestions for consistent writing.

  • Plagiarism detection for content integrity.

  • Seamless integration with popular writing platforms.

8. Jasper

Starts from $39 a month

  • Natural language generation for authentic content.

  • Adaptable to different writing tones and styles.

  • User-friendly interface for intuitive writing.

  • Real-time collaborative writing features.

9. Hemingway Editor

Plus plan costs $10 a month

  • Emphasis on readability with real-time suggestions.

  • Style and structure analysis for concise writing.

  • Color-coded highlighting for visual editing cues.

  • Integration with popular writing platforms.

10. Rytr

Starts from $9 a month

  • AI-powered content generation for creativity.

  • Adaptable to different writing tones and styles.

  • User-friendly interface for effortless content creation.

  • Real-time collaborative writing features.

Conclusion

AI writing tools offer a range of options for writers. Semrush provides SEO insights, Copy.ai generates creative content, and ChatGPT has conversational capabilities. These tools meet the needs of writers in different domains.

Grammarly checks grammar, Jasper generates natural language, Hemingway Editor emphasizes readability, and Rytr creates versatile content. Each tool brings something different to the writing process, addressing grammar, style, tone, or collaboration.

In the digital era, AI writing tools are essential for writers. They offer efficiency, creativity, and precision. Whether you need to improve SEO, create compelling narratives, or make your content more readable, these tools empower you to meet the demands of content creation. The future of writing relies on the assistance of these AI-driven tools, where creativity and technology come together seamlessly.

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What is ContentShake AI and How Does It Work? https://shanebarker.com/blog/contentshake-review/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/contentshake-review/#respond Mon, 30 Oct 2023 17:44:34 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=79143 Are you struggling to meet the ever-growing demand for high-quality content?

Whether you’re a blogger, small business owner, or marketer failing to strike a balance between quality and quantity, I’ve got some game-changing news for you.

Introducing ContentShake by Semrush一your ultimate AI content writing tool.

In a world where quality content is king, ContentShake AI takes the crown for simplifying how you craft exceptional content.

Say goodbye to writer's block, tedious research, and countless hours spent on content production. Semrush’s ContentShake is here to assist you every step of the way.

Wondering how?

In this article, you’ll learn:

  • What ContentShake is all about.
  • Its pros and cons.
  • How to use this AI writer to your advantage.
  • How ContentShake has helped publishers like Blogging Wizard save time on content creation.

So, let’s dive in and make content creation a stress-free and efficient process for you.

Quick Answer – TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)

  • ContentShake is a powerful content writing tool that uses AI to generate content ideas, write articles faster, and optimize copy for competitive data and SEO.
  • It is a powerful AI content tool for anyone who wants to scale content production, keep a tab on content quality, or spend fewer resources on content creation. However, ensure you’re an expert on the topic; never rely on AI solely.
  • You can start using this Semrush content tool for free. However, for unlimited content ideas and unlimited AI generations, subscribe for $60/month.

What is ContentShake?

ContentShake is Semrush's all-in-one content writing tool that uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to help you create content that clicks with your customers.

It empowers content creators, marketers, and businesses to create more quality articles using AI and competitive data. From ideation to publishing, it assists you in doing it all.

What Can ContentShake Help You With?

With Semrush’s ContentShake AI, you can:

  • Get fresh content ideas for your blog.
  • Analyze what’s trending in your niche.
  • Writer articles faster with a smart AI writer that quickly generates a well-structured outline, introduction, headings, and more.
  • Enrich your articles with recent relevant statistics, data, and images based on competitive data.
  • See the titles, introductions, and structure used by your competitors for articles ranking on the same topic as yours.
  • Customize content according to your SEO target keywords and your brand’s tone of voice.
  • Optimize your copy for improved readability and higher search rankings.
  • Spot errors in your text and improve it with AI-powered suggestions.
  • Expand, summarize, rephrase, or simplify text with AI suggestions.
  • Convert paragraphs into lists with one click.
  • Publish articles directly to your WordPress blog without leaving the tool.
  • Share the content with your team using its Google Docs integration.

You can start using ContentShake for all of this for free!

Who Should Use ContentShake一AI Writing Tool?

Anyone can use ContentShake AI as it’s easy to use.

Whether you want to scale content production, keep a tab on content quality, or spend fewer resources on content creation, this AI content tool will fulfill your needs.

  • Content creators
  • Bloggers
  • Marketing teams
  • Solopreneurs
  • Small business owners
  • Agencies

How to Use ContentShake AI in Content Writing

Using AI in content writing can undoubtedly help you increase efficiency, save time and resources, and improve results. However, ensure you use AI under human supervision.

76% of marketers are already using generative AI in content creation and it has helped increase their marketing ROI.

Now it’s your turn to revolutionize how you produce content.

Here’s my step-by-step guide on how to use ContentShake AI to produce excellent content that converts:

1. Get Content Ideas for Any Topic or Keyword

Begin by inputting your topic or keyword. Click on the “Start for free” button.

ContentShake enter topic or keyword for content ideas

ContentShake’s AI system analyzes the given topic or keyword to understand your content’s intent. It gathers information from reliable sources on the web and comprehends the context and nuances of the subject matter.

This helps it generate content ideas that are relevant to your topic. These ideas are mostly based on recent trends and real questions from your audience.

ContentShake ideas for topic - content development

ContentShake helps you discover the top low-competition keywords and topics that have a higher potential of driving traffic to your blog.

P.S. You can also use other keyword research tools to add related keywords for each ContentShake article.

2. Create a Well-Structured Draft with ContentShake AI

ContentShake AI employs natural language processing techniques to understand the structure and style of well-written content. It learns from a vast database of professionally crafted articles, blog posts, and other resources to generate content that sounds authentic and human-like.

All you need to do is click on the “Start writing” button next to any suggested idea. ContentShake will generate a draft that includes an outline, introduction, headers, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Here’s an example of ContentShake AI doing the heavy lifting for you. See how it generates a high-performing article outline and draft for you in one click:

You can also customize your target keywords, readability level, word count, and tone of voice for each article.

Add custom keywords, word count, readability level, tone of voice for ContentShake AI articles

3. Write with ContentShake’s Compose with AI Feature

Once you’ve got the first draft, you can structure the article better, edit the outline, and add your content. You can also use its “Compose with AI” feature to write paragraphs in one click.

It also gives you an “Ask AI” feature where you can ask the AI writer to generate specific introductions, images, or text based on your instructions. It also allows you to:

  • Turn a paragraph into a list.
  • Expand or summarize some text.
  • Rephrase text.
  • Simplify text for improved readability.
  • Add text covering specific points and data that you want to include in the section.

See ContentShake generative AI in action here:

While you can start using it for free, you’ll soon spot its limitations (3 articles/month and 30 AI generations/month). For unlimited AI-writing assistance, consider upgrading to its Unlimited plan for $60/month.

4. Optimize and Improve the AI-Generated Content with Competitive Data

ContentShake一Semrush’s AI content tool doesn’t stop there. It goes beyond content creation and focuses on helping you optimize the generated content for users and search engines.

You can view the article structure used by top-ranking competitors in the right-side panel by clicking on “Competitor data.” This includes:

  • Titles
  • Introductions
  • Images
  • Facts and data
  • Structure – H2s and H3s

This makes it easier to optimize your content for missing points.

Other than competitive data, ContentShake AI also analyzes the generated content for readability, grammar, and SEO-friendliness. It provides you with a score for the overall quality of your content along with actionable tips to improve the score.

All of this in one place!

5. Publish Content Directly to Your WordPress Blog

Write, optimize, and publish all of your content articles from one place.

ContentShake AI seamlessly integrates with Google Docs and WordPress, making it easier to publish content directly to your WordPress blog.

Semrush ContentShake WordPress plugin for easy publishing

6. Monitor Your Content Performance with Semrush

Congratulations, you’ve successfully published your article with ContentShake AI. But your job doesn't end with publishing.

For content marketing success, you need to monitor your content's performance. Semrush’s Position Tracking tool lets you see where your content ranks for the target keyword.

Semrush's position tracking tool

Monitor your SERP position changes over time and improve your content continuously to increase its ROI.

Generate Content That Clicks with Customers

ContentShake Pros and Cons

Let’s take a look at its pros and cons.

Pros of ContentShake

  • Data-driven content ideas and competitive insights
  • Fast AI responses
  • High-performing article outlines in one click
  • SEO-friendly content optimized for the AI suggested and additional keywords you add
  • Generative AI that helps overcome writer’s block and produce content faster
  • Up-to-date statistics and data to add value to your article
  • AI and data-driven suggestions for improvement in terms of readability, tone, and SEO
  • Easy integration with Google Docs
  • Semrush ContentShake WordPress plugin for direct publishing to your blog

Cons of ContentShake

  • Currently available only in the English language
  • A slight learning curve to training the AI writer for beginners (I’ve tested many AI writing tools and ContentShake is extremely easy to use.)

ContentShake AI Content Writing Tool: User Satisfaction and Benefits

ContentShake AI allows you to create high-quality content and customize it to meet your brand’s voice and target audience. This makes it a favorite AI content writing tool for many marketers, content creators, and businesses.

ContentShake review by Adam of Blogging Wizard

How Much Does ContentShake Cost? Free vs. Unlimited

ContentShake by Semrush offers a free version for content creators and marketing teams on a budget. It's an excellent starting point.

With the free version, you can explore the tool's basic features and get a feel for how it can assist you in content creation. However, it comes with limitations in terms of the number of content ideas, articles, and AI suggestions you can use.

I’ve compared ContentShake’s Free vs. Unlimited access to help you make an informed choice:

FreeUnlimited
Start using it for freeSubscribe for $60/month
9 content ideas per week (3 topics with 3 ideas each)25 content ideas per week (5 topics with 5 ideas each)
30 Compose with AI and rewrite features per monthUnlimited Compose with AI and rewrite features
3 articles per monthUnlimited articles per month
More AI suggestions
One-click WordPress publishing

ContentShake: Is It as Good as They Say?

While ContentShake AI is a game-changer in the world of content creation, there is something you shouldn’t forget:

“AI-generated content can never be a substitute for human-generated content.”

If you’re an expert on the topic you’re writing about, using AI content tools like ContentShake can help you save time and write more quality content faster. It will fuel your content marketing success like never before.

However, if you solely rely on AI to create content on a topic you know nothing about, you are less likely to create helpful content that could rank well in the SERPs.

Ask yourself:

  • Are you using AI in content creation to increase efficiency?
  • Or, are you using AI to produce content with no purpose?

If it’s to streamline your content creation process, save time, and power your articles with AI and competitive data, then this is the tool for you.

Which other content writing tools do you use to level up your content marketing game? Share them in the comments below.

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What is AI Content? Understanding Its Benefits and Challenges https://shanebarker.com/blog/what-is-ai-content/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/what-is-ai-content/#respond Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=78593 OpenAI’s ChatGPT reached 100 million users faster than most apps did, and by February 2023, the website recorded over 25 million daily users.

The introduction of AI has revolutionized how humans work. More and more business owners are using AI-generated content to run ads and marketing campaigns. AI market size is expected to grow to $407 billion by 2027.

As everyone is generating AI content, it’s important to understand how it works, its benefits and shortcomings, and how to use it to grow your business.

In this guide, I’ll take you through the process of generating content with AI and its challenges and advantages. I’ll also explore the expected AI content trends in the future.

Summary
  • AI content is the content generated by artificial intelligence algorithms and tools.
  • AI content platforms use a combination of AI-powered algorithms and large data sets to help you produce content that mimics human-like writing, design, art, and other creative expressions.
  • AI-generated content may pose quality, uniqueness, and ethical concerns, among other challenges. But with smart human intervention, it’s easy to use AI to your advantage and improve efficiency.

What is AI Content?

AI content refers to the content created or enhanced using artificial intelligence technologies and tools. This includes content in various media formats like text, image, audio, and video.

AI-powered algorithms and platforms mimic human intelligence by analyzing data, understanding patterns, and creating content that is similar to what a human might create.

Here are the top characteristics of AI-generated content:

  • Automated content created by machines: AI content is created by computer programs and machines with minimal human intervention.
  • Continuous improvement: AI curates large amounts of data, identifies common patterns, and understands and uses it to generate content similar to your preferences over time.
  • Consistency: Through prompts, AI-powered algorithms ensure a uniform style and tone across the content it creates, maintaining your brand identity.
  • Flexibility: You can adjust AI-created content by entering prompts related to the changes you need. This could be making the tone more formal or adding relevant emojis to your social ad copy.
  • Efficiency and scalability: AI accelerates the process of content generation, analysis, and curation, helping you save time and resources. This also helps you scale your content production quickly and consistently.
  • Versatility: AI can generate and enhance various types of content, from text to images, audio, and videos.
  • Cost-effectiveness: Using AI content solutions can reduce costs associated with content creation and management.

How Does AI Content Work?

AI content creation involves a combination of algorithms and large data sets to produce content that mimics human-like writing, design, art, and other creative expressions.

An Overview of AI Algorithms Used for Content Generation

Here are the algorithms that generative AI uses for content generation:

  • Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM): Used for sequence generation tasks like language modeling and text generation. They can capture long-term dependencies in data.
  • Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs): Consists of two neural networks, a generator, and a discriminator. The generator creates content to try and deceive the discriminator into believing it's real and generates high-quality content through this iterative process.
  • Transformer-based models: For example, the GPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) series is widely used for Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks like text generation. Transformers use attention mechanisms to weigh the significance of different words in a sentence, enabling them to capture complex contexts.
  • Variational Autoencoders (VAEs): Used to generate new content by learning the connection between the input data and hidden information. They are mostly used in image and video generation.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) and its Role in AI Content Generation

NLP involves understanding and processing human language, allowing AI to comprehend, analyze, and generate text that is coherent and contextually relevant.

NLP models learn to understand the meaning and context of words and phrases in a given sentence. Understanding this helps in creating meaningful content.

The models can learn grammar rules, sentence structures, and writing styles from training data. It then uses this knowledge to generate different styles of content.

AI Data Sources and Training Models

AI content creation requires a significant amount of training data. Data can come from diverse sources, such as books, articles, websites, social media posts, or any text available on the internet.

AI content, such as images and videos, requires labeled datasets specific to the content type.

AI models used for content generation are trained on large datasets using various machine-learning techniques. During training, the model learns patterns, styles, and contextual relationships present in the data.

The training process involves adjusting model parameters to minimize the difference between the generated content and the actual data. After initial training, AI models can be fine-tuned on specific datasets or with domain-specific content to tailor the generated content to a particular style, industry, or purpose.

What Are the Different Types of AI Content?

There are many types of AI-generated content. Each serves specific purposes and caters to different audience preferences.

  • Text-based AI content: Text-based is any content that is composed of written text and is generated by AI. It can include articles, blog posts, marketing copy, reports, emails, and any other form of written communication. Consider the type of content you get from Surfer’s Content Editor or Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant.
Semrush's SEO Writing Assistant
  • Visual AI content: Visual AI content involves the generation or modification of images, videos, graphics, and any other visual elements using AI algorithms. For instance, image creation, image enhancement, style transfer, image-to-text generation, and more. 
  • Audio AI content: Audio AI content is the generation or manipulation of audio elements using AI technologies. For instance, speech synthesis, voice modulation, music composition, sound effects generation, audio transcription, and more. 
  • Multimodal AI content: Multimodal AI content refers to content that integrates multiple forms of media, such as text, images, audio, and videos. AI can generate or enhance content by combining information from various modalities.

    For instance, generating video content with accompanying text descriptions or generating image captions based on audio input. You can use AI-powered tools like invideo to do this.

The Benefits of AI-Generated Content

Using AI to generate various content types will save you time and resources. You can ask your team members to focus on more demanding tasks such as building an SEO content strategy or an email marketing funnel.

Here are the benefits of generating AI-powered content:

1. Increased efficiency and productivity

AI content creation enhances efficiency and productivity by automating the content generation process.

Tasks that would traditionally require significant time and effort, such as writing, designing, or formatting content, can now be done using AI.

2. Consistency in content style and tone

AI ensures consistency in the generated content pieces by adhering to prompted patterns, styles, and guidelines. The algorithms can replicate specific writing styles, tone, and formatting consistently across large volumes of content.

Consistency is vital for maintaining a cohesive brand image and delivering a unified experience to the audience.

For example, Flick’s AI assistant lets you create on-brand social content 10x faster. Just enter the right prompts in it to create posts that will entice your followers.

Flick's AI content assistant

3. Enhanced personalization and audience targeting

AI enables personalized content creation by analyzing user data, preferences, and behaviors. It can tailor content to individual users based on their interactions, browsing history, location, and demographics.

Leveraging personalized content can help you improve user engagement and satisfaction because it’s more relevant and appealing to each user, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates.

4. A boost in scalability and content volume

AI can handle a vast volume of content production in a short amount of time, making it ideal for large-scale projects and campaigns. The ability to scale content production ensures you meet your business’ content demands without compromising on quality.

The Challenges and Limitations of AI-Generated Content

Just as with every innovative technology, AI has its limitations and challenges. Let’s look at a few and how they can impact content creators:

  • Quality concerns: AI-generated content may suffer from quality issues, such as grammatical errors, incoherence, or lack of context. Achieving a level of quality comparable to human-created content remains a significant challenge. 
  • Ethical considerations: The ethical implications of AI content creation are a critical challenge. There are concerns regarding plagiarism, copyright infringement, and the responsible use of AI to create content. In addition, the potential for AI-generated content to spread misinformation or biased narratives raises ethical dilemmas.
  • Human-AI collaboration: Striking the right balance between human intervention and AI automation is a challenge. Over-reliance on AI can diminish creativity and human touch, impacting the authenticity and uniqueness of your content. It is crucial to preserve the creative essence of human inputs in AI content.
  • Potential for misinformation spread: AI-generated content can produce misleading or false information. Malicious people could misuse AI to create fake news, fake images, or deceptive narratives. Addressing this challenge involves developing advanced detection mechanisms and promoting responsible use of AI to combat misinformation.

The Future Trends in AI Content

The future of AI content promises to transform the way we generate, consume, and interact with digital content. Let’s look at some expected future trends in AI content:

  • Advancements in AI technology: AI technology is continuously evolving, and future advancements are expected to revolutionize AI content creation.

    Such improvements include more sophisticated natural language processing (NLP) models, enhanced generative algorithms, and improved multimodal capabilities that will enable AI to generate high-quality, diverse content across various mediums.
  • Improved content quality and human-like writing: Future AI content is anticipated to achieve higher levels of quality, coherence, and creativity, approaching a degree of human-like writing.

    AI models will likely become better at understanding nuances, context, and emotions. This will help us create AI content that is more convincing and resonates with readers on a deeper level.
  • Strengthened ethical guidelines and regulations on AI content: As AI becomes more prevalent in content creation, placing ethical guidelines and regulations specific to AI content will be essential.

    These guidelines will focus on ensuring responsible AI use, addressing bias, minimizing misinformation, and upholding copyright and intellectual property rights.

    Governments, organizations, and industry groups must collaborate to establish frameworks that guide the ethical development and deployment of AI in content creation.
  • Increased level of customization and personalization: AI will increasingly personalize content to cater to individual preferences and behaviors.

    Advanced algorithms will analyze vast amounts of data to create highly tailored content, leading to better user engagement and satisfaction. From personalized marketing messages to customized news feeds, AI will deliver content that is most relevant to each individual.

Content Creation Will Never Be the Same with AI

Content creation has changed forever with the introduction of different AI technologies.

Leveraging AI can help you speed up your work tasks and create consistent content that maintains your brand voice.

As you begin to explore and use AI, you must remain vigilant and rectify errors or biases it may create. Remember to fact-check your AI content before publishing it because AI content can be misleading sometimes.

You must also use AI responsibly to help build your creativity rather than dimming it.

How are you using AI? Do you use it to write blog posts or create social ad images? Let me know your thoughts with a comment below.

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10 Best Content Analysis Tools For Content Marketers https://shanebarker.com/blog/content-analysis-tool/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/content-analysis-tool/#respond Mon, 07 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=76962 Apart from these four tools, there are plenty more to help you get started. I'll show you the top 10 tools you can use for content analysis and how they can help improve your search rankings.

Let's get started.

What Are Content Analysis Tools?

A content analysis tool is a software that analyzes or audits your content to extract insightful data like keywords used, themes, and concepts. The content analyzer tool gives you an overview of how your content ranks on search engines, the conversions it drives, and the average time consumers stay on your page.

Quick Summary
  • SurferSEO delivers content optimization, keyword research, and competitor analysis. It allows you to create content optimized for SEO and SERPs.
  • Google Analytics is focused on helping you track, measure, and manage the results of your website campaigns. 
  • When shopping for a content analysis tool to find and fix grammar errors and make your content clear and understandable, Grammarly will get the job done. 
  • Ahrefs will help you discover new keyword opportunities to improve your SEO strategy and audit backlinks 
  • Clearscope is focused on comparing your content to your competitors' best performing posts and designing content briefs with relevant keywords
  • Semrush will help you research competitors' keywords, measure website traffic analytics and backlinks, track product listing ads, and identify and plan new content opportunities.

A Comparison of the Top Content Analysis Tools

ProductPricingContent optimizationKeyword analysisBacklink analysisCompetitor analysis
SurferSEOFrom $19/user/month (billed annually)YesYesNoYes
SemrushFrom $129.95/monthYesYesYesYes
Google AnalyticsFreeNoNoYesNo
YoastFree. Paid plans from $99/yearYesYesNoYes
ClearscopeFrom $170/user/monthYesYesNoYes
BuzzSumoFrom $119/user/monthYesYesNoYes
DedooseVary depending on the userNoNoNoNo
GrammarlyStarts from $12/monthYesNoNoNo
MarketMuseStarts from $149/user/monthYesYesYesYes
AhrefsStarts from $99/monthYesYesYesYes

Let's take a deep dive into each content analysis tool to help you choose the one that best fits your content marketing needs.

1. SurferSEO

An overview of SurferSEO content analysis tool website

SurferSEO focuses on search engine optimization, to help you create content that meets your SEO marketing strategies. But how does this SEO content analysis tool work? 

SurferSEO has a set of content research tools that outlines the keyword you want to rank for. It also includes: 

  • Content planner tool that helps you find keyword opportunities that can rank your content higher on SERPs. 
  • Content audit and editor tools that scan your content and give a score based on keyword optimization.  
  • SERP analyzer that provides insights on how your competitor’s pages are performing on search engines. 

Depending on your search query, SurferSEO uses advanced AI technology to identify common patterns on search result pages and gives you a content outline. 

The outline includes keywords and their density (how many times you must use each keyword), related images, recommended word count, and subheadings. 

For instance, if you input your content into SurferSEO, it gives you a score (out of 100). It also provides keyword suggestions that can boost its probability of ranking higher for the target keyword.

SurferSEO displaying the  score and target keywords of an input content

If you want to use Surfer as your content checker for SEO, here's a breakdown of its pricing plans: 

  • Lite plan. Costs $19/month
    • Billed annually 
    • Recommended for newbies 
  • Essential plan. Goes for $69/month
    • Billed annually 
    • Good for individuals and small teams 
  • Advanced plan. Costs $149/month
    • Billed annually
    • Recommended for experts and mid-sized teams 
  • Max plan. Costs $249/month
    • Billed annually
    • For agencies and big teams

There's also an Enterprise plan with variable pricing. It's customized to suit your specific needs.

2. Semrush

A display of navigation tabs on the Semrush homepage

Looking for content review tools for keyword research, competitor analysis, auditing, and creating white-label reporting? Then SEMrush is the SEO tool meant for you. 

Why? 

Because Semrush has a host of features like SEO Content Template, Surround Sound tool, and SEO Writing Assistant to help you create content that ranks and gets measurable results.

The SEO Content Template suggests semantic keywords to use in your copy based on how they rank on Google result pages. It also checks backlinks and readability scores, content length, and on-page SEO usage.

The SEO Writing Assistant helps you check originality and tone, and optimize your content for user queries and search engines. 

Lastly, the Surround Sound Tool helps you measure and optimize your content for the SERPs. 

When to use Semrush? 

Semrush is ideal for researching competitors' keywords, measuring website traffic analytics and backlinks, tracking product listing ads, and identifying and planning new content opportunities. 

Semrush has three pricing plans. 

  • Pro. Starts at $129.95/month
  • Guru. Starts at $249.95/month 
  • Business. Starts at $499.95/month

But you can test drive Semrush’ powerhouse of features for 14 days by using this link.

You can also check out this Semrush-vs-Moz-vs-Ahrefs review to see where you'll get more value for your content.

3. Google Analytics

The key features of Google Analytics

Google Analytics is among the few SEO review tools content analysis built to give insights about the behavior of end-users on websites. Google Analytics has a host of features (for both small businesses and enterprises) that include:

  • Reporting. This feature allows you to monitor activity on your website in real-time, how users land on your page, and what content drives more traffic and conversion on your site. It also gives insights on the amount of revenue your site generates from ads, subscriptions, or ecommerce. 
  • Built-in Automation. This feature is for predicting and understanding user behavior, getting quick answers for questions asked in natural language, and learning about new trends, changes, or growth opportunities from your data.
  • Explorations. This one provides insights on the relationship between different user segments, conversion paths, and the steps users take to complete tasks on your page.
  • Integrations. Google Analytics easily integrates with other Google solutions and partner products like Google Ads, Google Cloud, and Salesforce Marketing Cloud Integration to increase your efficiency.

So, if you want to analyze your content and audience performance, don't think twice when Google Analytics is on the options list.

4. Yoast

Yoast homepage showing available content analysis options

If you've been searching for a SEO content analysis tool that you can directly plug into WordPress, look no further than Yoast. 

While Yoast isn't the most powerful content quality checker tool, it helps you find relevant keywords and optimize your content for traffic and SEO ranking. Yoast also offers a date reminder to ensure none of your pages becomes outdated. 

If you're planning to use Yoast as your content analysis tool, here are its features: 

  • Seamless addition and optimization of relevant target keywords and meta description to your content
  • Readability and keyword density scores
  • Ability to add FAQs to your pages
  • Easy to install and use 
  • 301 redirects 

If you're looking to join the more than 13 million Yoast users, you can do so instantly because it's free! However, there's a premium plan starting at $99/year with additional features that save you time spent on SEO tasks and drive more traffic.

5. Clearscope

Options to get you started on Clearscope

If you're looking for a content checker for SEO to highlight content grade, word count, keyword density, and readability score as you write, try Clearscope.

Clearscope comes with a powerful editor that compares your content with competitors' top-ranking posts. It also helps you to research and develop content briefs with relevant keywords and information to optimize your SEO campaigns.

Clearscope is among the tools for content analysis that seamlessly integrate with Google Docs and WordPress to efficiently write and publish your content. 

At high scale (premium plans), Clearscope monitors proactive alerts for content that needs immediate updates. 

And compared to other SEO content analysis and review tools like SurferSEO, Clearscope is a bit pricey. Here's a look at Clearscope's pricing: 

  • Essentials. Starts at $170/user seat/month
  • Business. Starts at $1,200/5 user seats/months
  • Enterprise. Custom pricing with unlimited sharing and exporting. 

Clearscope is also an ideal website content analysis tool if you're looking to optimize your content to generate more traffic and rank higher on SERPs.

6. BuzzSumo

 An image showing the navigational tabs on BuzzSumo website

Want to generate “buzz” on your content? Try BuzzSumo, a content analysis website that lets you create content ideas using its keyword analysis and trending content features. 

With BuzzSumo, you can detect how your competitors' content is performing on SERPs and social media platforms, and discover outreach gaps and engagement to build your content on. 

The Content Alerts feature suggests viral and relevant keywords, customer questions, trending stories, and top-performing posts within your space. This helps you build content using niche keywords that increase your possibility of social engagement.  

You can also use the Influencer Segmentation feature to discover what influencer strategies your competition is using. 

If you're planning to use this keyword content analysis software, there are five pricing plans to choose from: 

  • Basic: $119/user/month
  • Content Creation: $249/5 users/month
  • PR & Comms: $249/5 users/month
  • Suite: $499/10 users/month
  • Enterprise: $999/30 users/month

If BuzzSumo is expensive, you can check out other competitor analysis tools fit for keyword content analysis.

7. Dedoose

Navigational options on the start page of Dedoose website

Much like Google Analytics, Dedoose is ideal for reviewing trends and end-user behavior—this gives you insights into what your target audience wants and how to improve the consumer experience.

Dedoose has qualitative and mixed method capabilities that can help content marketers analyze texts, audio, surveys, images, and videos with raw consumer /market research data. You can import and utilize data in different languages and formats like html, pdf, word, and csv.

Dedoose promotes teamwork and presents data in interactive visuals like tables and charts for seamless analysis. It's also 100% web-based, so you don't need to download it. 

Dedoose’s pricing depends on the user's needs.

  • Individual: The software charges $12.95/active month (students) and $17.95/active month for personal use.
  • Teams: Small teams (2-5 users) pay $15.95/active user/month while a large team (6+ users) pays $13.95/active user/month.
  • Premium: The Premier and Enterprise plans are ideal for small and large research organizations and have custom pricing. 

8. Grammarly

An overview of Grammarly start page displaying some grammar mistakes

Grammarly is undoubtedly the best website content analysis tool that serves as a secondary pair of eyes for any content marketer. 

Why? 

Grammarly uses advanced artificial intelligence tools like Jasper to improve texts and rate the copy based on clarity, correctness, engagement, and delivery. 

To generate higher-quality content, Grammarly lets you set audience, intent goals, domain, and formality. It helps you to: 

  • Find and fix grammar errors like spelling and punctuation
  • Make your content more clear and understandable for your target audience
  • Deliver your content in a more engaging way
  • Check your work for plagiarism 

It's easy to get started with Grammarly. All you need to do is to sign up and install the Grammarly extension. 

Grammarly has three pricing plans: 

  • Free. For basic writing suggestions and tone detection
  • Premium. Starts at $12/month 
  • Business. Starts at $15/user/month 

9. MarketMuse

Options to get started on MarketMuse website

MarketMuse is the go-to software for content analysis if you're looking to create content with well-researched and optimized keywords

MarketMuse uses machine learning to uncover content insights and generate content briefs with relevant topics, subheadings, questions, and keywords to include in your copy. 

Its keyword content analysis tool helps you check how your competition is creating their content, the keywords they're using, and the FAQs about the topic you're writing about. 

The content quality checker tool uses a live editor to compare your copy against high-ranking posts. Using the connect feature, you can optimize your copy by inputting relevant internal and external links to direct consumers to other pages on your site. 

The bottom line is, MarketMuse is ideal if you're looking to optimize your content to rank high on SERPs. You can use the research functionality to discover relevant keywords and topics, and create a fully optimized SEO content brief. 

MarketMuse has four pricing models: 

  • Free plan. Best for users with low content volume
  • Standard plan. Starts at $149/month ($1,500/year)/ user.
  • Team plan. Starts at $399/month ($3,900/per)/ 3 users.
  • Premium plan. It's customizable and paid annually depending on your business needs. 

10. Ahrefs

A prompt of Ahrefs' call to action

Want your content to rank higher on search engine results pages? Then Ahrefs, an all-in-one SEO suite, is the content analyzer tool meant for you. 

Hands down, Ahrefs content research tools such as the keyword explorer, help you discover new keyword opportunities to improve your SEO strategy. It digs deep into research to provide you with new insights and metrics to use in your new topics. 

You can also audit backlinks, track keyword ranking, and analyze content gaps from your competitor domains. 

When to use Ahrefs? 

You can use Ahrefs as a software for content analysis to conduct keyword and competitor research, audit your website performance, plan your content, and identify new content opportunities. 

Compared to other content review tools, Ahrefs is a bit pricey. 

  • The Lite plan. Starts at $99/month
    • Recommended for small businesses and hobby projects
  • The Standard plan starts at $199/month.
    • Perfect for marketing consultants and SEO freelancers
  • Advanced plan. Costs $399/month
    • Ideal as in-house marketing tools 
  • The Enterprise plan. starts at $999/month
    • Recommended for agencies and enterprises. 

Create Content that Ranks with Content Analysis Tools 

Content review tools are abundant in 2023, giving you the ability to access these tools to research target keywords, analyze competitors, and measure how your content performs on search engines. Some provide you a breakthrough analysis on your backlinks, consumer behavior, and how much time users spend on your page.

Using these tools the right way for content analysis can help you (content marketers) plan and design content with relevant keywords, and at the same time optimize it for search engines and user experience. 

So, if you're looking to up your content game to drive more traffic and rank high on SERPs, try any of these content analysis tools to see what will work best for your needs. If you want more insightful content to guide you with your campaigns, head on over to our content marketing resources page!

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Semrush vs. Google Analytics: A Detailed Comparison https://shanebarker.com/blog/semrush-vs-google-analytics/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/semrush-vs-google-analytics/#respond Tue, 04 Apr 2023 16:00:00 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=72911 Semrush and Google Analytics are powerful web analytics tools for digital marketing specialists. But there is a considerable difference between their use cases.

While Semrush is an external service that helps you study any website (including yours and your competitors), Google Analytics is an internal service that gives you useful insights about the website you own or operate.

Google Analytics traffic and user engagement data has greater accuracy than Semrush. However, the latter gives you the ability to track data for your competitors’ websites as well.

It also helps you with competitive research, SEO, keyword research, link building, PPC, and content marketing.

Comparing their features is crucial but it’s also important to highlight where Semrush and Google Analytics overlap. In this article, I’ll do just that and help you understand why you shouldn’t choose one over the other.

For me, these two analytics platforms are better companions than competitors. That’s why, I’ll also show you how to integrate them to use both to your maximum advantage.

Let’s start with a quick overview of both tools.

What is Semrush?

Semrush is an all-in-one suite of digital marketing tools that helps you with SEO, content marketing, market research, competitive intelligence, advertising, social media marketing, and more.

With Semrush, you get access to useful data, including but not limited to:

  • Traffic analytics: Traffic sources, web and mobile traffic share, top pages that drive traffic
  • Competitive research: Organic and paid search traffic, number of backlinks, competitors’ best keywords, new competitors, domains’ position changes
  • Keyword research: Search volume, keyword difficulty, search intent, SERP analysis, position tracking
  • Link building: New backlinks, lost backlinks, referring domains, untapped backlink opportunities, link quality audit, broken links
  • SEO audit: Crawled pages, technical issues, content optimization issues
  • Content marketing: Topic research, SEO recommendations, post performance tracking, content analysis, poor-performing posts
  • PPC: paid search traffic, competitors’ keywords and ad copy, position tracking
  • Social analytics: Audience growth, engagement

What is Google Analytics?

Google Analytics is the premier analytics platform for tracking your website or app performance. It gives you a complete picture of how your website traffic and user interactions.

It helps you track and analyze:

  • Who is visiting your website?
  • Where are these visitors (your audience) coming from?
  • Which pages do they visit?
  • How much time do they spend on your website and specific web pages?
  • What are your top-performing posts or pages?
  • Which countries send you minimum or maximum traffic?
  • Which keywords do people search for to find your website?

Google Analytics helps you understand your customers and improve your website, free of charge. This makes it a must-have analytics tool in your arsenal.

Semrush vs. Google Analytics – The Comparison Summary

Semrush helps you identify keywords and topics that can help generate more website traffic. It also lets you spy on your competitors’ SEO and content strategies.

And, you can get a domain overview and traffic analytics of any website using Semrush.

However, the traffic analytics data is not as accurate as Google Analytics, which directly mines data from a tracking code added to your website. But again, you can only get Google Analytics data for a website you own or manage.

Another major difference between the two platforms is that Google Analytics helps you understand user behavior on your website.

Here’s a quick comparison of Semrush vs. Google Analytics – features and use cases:

Semrush

Google Analytics

Pricing

Plans start from $119.95/month

(Save up to 17% if you pay annually.)

Free plan

Data offered

SEO performance

Website performance and user information

Real-time traffic

cross
check

Website traffic

check
check

Traffic sources

check
check

Traffic comparison between time periods

check
check

Visitor demographics, engagement, and interests

cross
check

User behavior or interaction on your website

cross
check

Keyword research

check
cross

Keyword ranking and position tracking

check
cross

Competitor research

check
cross

Backlinks tracking

check
cross

Link-building opportunity hunt

check
cross

Technical SEO audit of your website

check
cross

Content marketing tools and SEO writing assistant

check
cross

Historical performance data of your website

cross
check

Platforms supported

Desktop

Web

Desktop

Web

iOS

Android

Customer support

Knowledgebase

Videos

Email and live chat support

Knowledgebase

Community forum

Semrush: Reviewing Its Use Cases, Features, and Data

Semrush is a feature-rich tool, used by over 10 million marketing professionals across the globe. It offers 55+ tools and reports, which are enough to power up your search and marketing performance.

I use it almost every day to do all sorts of things, from finalizing topic ideas to picking up which posts to update each month, and fixing broken links to my website.

Let’s take a look at what Semrush can help you do.

1. Analyze Website Traffic

As I am comparing Semrush with Google Analytics, let me first show you what insights Semrush gives about the traffic of any website. This website could be your own domain or that of your competitors or partners.

The key website traffic metrics Semrush helps you track include:

  • The total number of visits
  • The number of unique visitors
  • The number of pages viewed per visit
  • Average session duration
  • Bounce rate
  • Traffic sources – direct, referral, search, social, paid
  • The devices used to browse your website – desktop vs. mobile
  • The top pages visited by users
  • Top destinations where users go after their visit
  • Traffic distribution by country

You can also compare the website traffic of two or more websites and see whether their performance is going up or down over time.

Semrush compare traffic analytics of two or more websites

Semrush’s Traffic Analytics data is not as accurate as the data offered by Google Analytics but it’s closest to what any third-party tool can tell about your website.

But the good part is that:

Semrush discloses the accuracy level of all data they provide you with.

Semrush Traffic Analytics data accuracy level

Analyzing my website and content performance using Semrush helped me grow my website traffic from 50K to 90K within six months.

2. Conduct Competitive Research

Semrush allows you to check the overall performance of any domain. You can use it to get instant insights into the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, partners, or customers.

With Semrush, you can get insights about:

  • Domain authority score
  • Organic and paid search traffic the website receives
  • The distribution of traffic by country
  • The total number of backlinks pointing to the website
  • The number of keywords the website has SERP positions for
  • Keywords that generate maximum organic traffic for the website
  • Keyword position tracking over time
Semrush domain overview

You can compare the numbers between your website and your competitors’ websites.

Semrush domain comparison

Semrush also helps you find keyword gaps and capitalize on missed or untapped opportunities to improve your website’s search performance.

Semrush Keyword Gap

Similarly, you can tap into the missed backlink opportunities by using Semrush to track where your competitors are gaining their backlinks from.

Overall, it has everything you need for competitive analysis.

3. Conduct Keyword Research

Semrush is the tool I use to conduct research for my website’s content. From analyzing which keywords to target to researching the best content types to rank for those keywords, Semrush helps me with it all.

With Semrush’s Keyword Research tool, you can see:

  • Average monthly search volume of any keyword
  • Keyword difficulty score, which defines how challenging it could be to rank for a particular keyword
  • Search intent behind the user’s search for a specific keyword
  • Average cost-per-click (CPC) of any keyword
  • Keyword variations of your seed keyword
  • Related keywords and questions for your seed keyword
  • Top posts/pages ranking for the keyword
  • Keyword research filters
Semrush keyword research for "content marketing"

You can also get insights into the top keywords your website or your competitor’s website is ranking for. Extensive keyword research is the first step to creating profitable content for your website.

Semrush position tracking

Semrush also helps you do SERP position tracking to constantly monitor your site’s SEO performance.

4. Build and Audit Your Link Profile

Another thing I have been using Semrush for is backlink building and link quality analysis. It helps me discover all incoming links and referring domains and also helps me analyze whether or not the link adds value to my website authority.

You can also use Semrush’s Backlink Checker to:

  • Spot new backlinks to any domain.
  • Get notified about lost backlinks.
  • Identify the authority of the linking domain and the true value of the backlink.
  • Research your competitors’ backlink strategy and analyze their link profiles.
  • Discover your competitors’ most authoritative linking domains.
  • Identify suspicious or toxic backlinks that could be harming your website’s search performance.
  • Analyze backlink types by anchor type, link type, and link attributes.
  • Find link-building opportunities.
Semrush link building opportunities

It can help empower your link building strategy and establish your authority in your niche. While you can also use other backlink analysis tools, I find Semrush to be a complete package for all SEO professionals.

5. Check Your Website for On-Page and Technical SEO Factors

This one is my favorite.

Semrush is the best tool in the market when it comes to on-page and technical SEO.

It gives you detailed analytics about your website – where it is lacking and what you can improve to increase your chances of ranking higher in search results.

Here are the key optimization metrics you can get data about:

  • The total number of crawled pages on your website and their status
    • Healthy
    • Broken
    • Have issues
  • Top issues found on your website such as
    • Duplicate H1 and title tags
    • Broken external and internal links
    • Missing meta descriptions
    • Unstructured URLs
    • Low word count on a page
    • Duplicate content issues
    • Use of non-descriptive anchor text
    • Missing canonical tags
  • Top pages to optimize and ideas for improvement
Semrush site audit

To learn more about its features, read my full review of Semrush.

Google Analytics: Reviewing Its Use Cases, Features, and Data

For a free tool, Google Analytics provides you with a wealth of data about your website’s traffic, audience, and user behavior.

Knowing exactly how my visitors find and use my website is extremely crucial to me, and it impacts my future content and website optimization strategy.

This is what I mostly use Google Analytics for.

1. Track and Analyze Website Traffic

Google Analytics helps you track how much traffic your website is getting each day, month, or year. You can compare your traffic growth over a period of time and also get insights about the traffic sources.

I like Semrush for keyword position tracking. But I like and trust Google Analytics' traffic data far more. In most cases, Semrush’s organic traffic estimations are far off, and usually much lower than reality.
SEO Consultant and Web Designer

Google Analytics helps you track key metrics related to your website traffic.

  • The number of unique visitors on your website
    • On a specific day
    • Over a period of time (You can visualize your website traffic growth YoY for 10 years straight. This is what I love about Google Analytics.)
  • Traffic sources
    • Direct traffic (when a user specifically types in your domain name)
    • Organic search traffic (from Google and other search engines)
    • Referral traffic (from links to your website placed on third-party websites) 
    • Social media traffic
    • Ads
  • Daily sessions
    • A steady growth in daily sessions helps me ensure that my website is going the right way. Whereas, if the daily sessions are down, it’s a red flag that conveys there is something I need to fix on my website.
Shane's Google Analytics website traffic acquisition report

2. Understand the Audience Better

Google Analytics gives you detailed information about your website’s audience, including their demographic information, interests, and location.

  • Users: See how many new and returning visitors you have, how much time they spend on your website, and how many pages they visit before bouncing off from your website.
  • Audience demographics: Learn about the age group your visitors belong to and whether they are mostly men or women.
  • Interests: Discover the main interests of your audience. Do they like to travel, read, or shop, or are they technology geeks?
  • Location: See the geolocation of your website visitors. You can view their countries and cities.
  • Devices: Get details about the devices they use to browse through your website. You can see your web and mobile traffic share.
Google Analytics audience demographics

This data will help you understand who your target audience is, where they come from, and how you can tailor your content and marketing strategy to better reach and engage them.

3. Get Insights Into Content Performance and User Engagement

With Google Analytics, you can analyze how your website is performing and how users interact with your site and content.

It gives you insights about:

  • The total number of pageviews
  • Average time spent on each page
  • Bounce rate (people leaving your website)
  • Page loading speed
  • The total number of unique searches on your website and popular search terms
  • AdSense page impressions and revenue
Google Analytics user engagement report
Google Analytics website pages with most views and engagement

With these insights, you can optimize your SEO content strategy to increase your website’s traffic and user experience. Providing valuable content will also help you retain your customers and increase loyalty over time, which often results in higher revenue.

4. Track Conversions

You can also use Google Analytics to track your website conversions. Identify how many visitors are taking actions you want them to take.

These conversions could be anything, varying from:

  • Signing up for your newsletter
  • Clicking on an affiliate link on your website
  • Sharing your post on social media
  • Buying your product
Google Analytics track conversions

You can use these insights to optimize your website for conversions.

Semrush vs. Google Analytics: Data Collection

I use both Semrush and Google Analytics to run my website and support my clients’ businesses. There is no comparison between the data both tools offer to help improve my website and content performance.

Let me brief you on how these web analytics tools gather data.

How Does Semrush Gather Analytics Data?

Semrush gathers its analytics data by:

  • Using its own machine learning algorithms
  • Collecting data from multiple trusted third-party data providers and sources

For website traffic analytics data, Semrush combines data from the user behavior of over 200 million real internet users in 190 countries and regions.

To ensure accuracy, they run their Neural Network algorithm, which recognizes patterns in the collected data and provides you with a realistic estimation after sampling and error testing.

Semrush’s Backlink Crawler crawls over 25 billion web pages every day to identify and add new links to its database.

How Does Google Analytics Gather Data?

Google Analytics, on the other hand, gathers data directly from your website. It asks you to add a custom JavaScript tracking code within the code of the website you own or manage.

Every time a user visits your website, this code sends information to Google Analytics about how the user interacted with your web pages and content.

Semrush vs. Google Analytics: Pricing Plans

Semrush offers three pricing plans:

  • Pro plan: $129.95/month
  • Guru plan: $249.95/month
  • Business plan: $499.95/month

You can save up to 17% if you pay annually.

Semrush offers a full refund if you decide to cancel your subscription or downgrade your plan within the first seven days.

You can try Semrush for free for 14 days (only with my link). But during free trials, the platform limits the amount of data you can pull every day.

Google Analytics offers all of this critical data, free of charge.

However, if your website receives millions of sessions per month, you may need to upgrade to Google Analytics 360. This can cost you millions of dollars but it will offer:

  • Unlimited data
  • Access to advanced reports
  • Faster data updates

Google offers multiple free tools that can be extremely helpful for marketers and developers.

Semrush vs. Google Analytics: Are These Tools Competitors or Partners?

Semrush and Google Analytics are both essential analytics tools for website and business owners. They have different strengths.

As an avid user of both platforms, I can say that:

Semrush is meant to complement your use of Google Analytics, not replace it. And vice-versa.
Shane Barker

You can improve your website and content performance using Semrush and Google Analytics to your advantage. Here’s how I do it:

  • Use Semrush for keyword research and filtering based on search volume and lower competition.
  • Write the content and publish it on my website. Use Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant to identify readability, SEO, and originality issues within the content. This helps me improve content quality and increase the chances of making it rank.
  • Monitor my blog’s traffic using both Google Analytics and Semrush. Identify top pages and see how my recent posts are performing.
  • Add the targeted keyword to Semrush’s position tracking to see improvement in the search performance of every published content piece.
  • Use Google Analytics to see how users are interacting with my website – the pages they visit and which external links they click on.
  • Regularly monitor GA daily sessions to evaluate if my website is going in the right direction. I’ve integrated Google Analytics sessions into Slack to receive notifications about daily sessions’ growth and decline.

I recommend that you integrate Google Analytics and Semrush to enhance data and reports, and, thereby, improve your marketing ROI.

How to Connect Google Analytics to Semrush

You can connect your Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts to Semrush. This will help you analyze all of your website’s data in one place and enhance accuracy.

However, to connect a Google Analytics account to Semrush, you need to have at least “viewer” access.

Also, you’ll need to individually link Google Analytics to the following Semrush’s features:

  • Position tracking
  • Site audit
  • Social media ads

You can integrate the following Semrush features with both Google Analytics and Google Search Console (GSC):

  • On-page SEO checker
  • Backlink audit
  • Organic traffic insights
  • Content analyzer
  • SEO dashboard

To connect GSC to Semrush, you’ll need to have “owner or full user” access to the Google Search Console account.

Here’s how to integrate traffic analytics of both platforms:

You can refer to Semrush’s knowledge base to learn how to integrate GA and GSC with each of the features I mentioned above.

Semrush vs. Google Analytics: Which Tool Should You Choose?

I’ve said this multiple times throughout the article and I’ll repeat myself – you shouldn’t choose one above the other.

Both Semrush and Google Analytics are equally important web analytics tools for any website owner. I recommend that you make the most of both platforms to:

  • Analyze your website traffic.
  • Understand your audience and how they interact with your website.
  • Identify keywords to target.
  • Track SERP positions for multiple keywords.
  • Identify and capitalize on link-building opportunities.
  • Improve your website’s search performance and user experience.

I consider myself a pro user of both Semrush and Google Analytics and will continue to be so.

“Both platforms offer unique advantages, and I believe that using both is the best approach to gaining a complete understanding of our online performance. While Semrush is excellent for tracking our SEO and marketing efforts, Google Analytics is essential for tracking user behavior and website performance.”
CEO, Venture Smarter

FAQs

1. Are Semrush and Google Analytics the same?

No, Semrush and Google Analytics are not the same.

Semrush offers many different ways to study and improve your website that Google Analytics cannot. You can use it to spy on your competitors, conduct keyword research, analyze backlink opportunities, and more.

Google Analytics, on the other hand, offers insightful data about how users interact with your website, where they come from, and which pages they spend the most time on. You can use it to understand your audience better and tailor your website and content to meet their needs.

Also, Google Analytics’ website traffic analytics data is more accurate than Semrush’s Traffic Analytics data for your website. That’s because GA directly gathers data from a code placed on your website.

2. Is Semrush better than Google Analytics?

It’s not about one tool being better than the other. Both Semrush and Google Analytics serve different purposes and complement the data provided by the other tool.

You should use:

– GA for traffic analysis and user behavior analysis
– Semrush for competitive research, keyword research, backlink audit, and link building

3. Can Semrush replace Google Analytics?

No, Semrush cannot replace Google Analytics. You should instead use it together with GA to enhance your website and content performance.

I’d like to encourage you to integrate your Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts with Semrush’s different features to get the best of both worlds.

4. Does Semrush offer a refund guarantee for its services? What about Google Analytics’ refund policy?

Semrush offers a 7-day money-back guarantee if you cancel or downgrade your subscription within the first seven days of subscribing to it. They will refund your fees within 30 calendar days after receiving a written request for a refund from you.

Google Analytics is a free tool offered by Google. So, there is no need for a refund policy.

5. Does Google Analytics offer customer support? What about Semrush?

Google Analytics offers a range of support options for its users.
– A comprehensive Help Center with articles on multiple topics
– A community forum where you can ask and answer questions
– Email support for Google Ads customers

Semrush offers customer support via:
– Email and live chat for their paid subscribers
– A comprehensive knowledge base with hundreds of useful articles and video tutorials
– An email to mail@semrush.com or by using the contact form on their website

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https://shanebarker.com/blog/semrush-vs-google-analytics/feed/ 0 How to Connect Google Accounts to Organic Traffic Insights nonadult
How To Build a Successful SEO Content Strategy: A Comprehensive Guide https://shanebarker.com/blog/seo-content-strategy/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/seo-content-strategy/#respond Fri, 09 Dec 2022 18:51:44 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=67522 If you have a website or an online store, it's important to have an effective SEO content strategy in place.

Without one, your website is likely to languish in obscurity, while your competitors dominate the search engine results pages (SERPs). So what goes into a good SEO content strategy?

In this article, I'll show you exactly what it takes to build a strategy that helps you hit 98.6K in monthly organic traffic and get a domain rating of 78.

Semrush traffic analytics dashboard

My SEO content strategy is also the reason why I rank for 8,721 keywords on the first page of Google and over 80K keywords in total.

Semrush organic keyword rankings tracking

I have got a knack for SEO and I love to help businesses grow, so let me walk you through everything you need to do to get your SEO content strategy right. Read on to learn:

  • The importance of SEO and content strategy
  • How to do keyword research like a pro
  • How to create content that ranks well in Google
  • How to promote your content for maximum reach
  • And more

Let’s get started!

What is an SEO Content Strategy?

An SEO content strategy is the process of planning, creating, and optimizing content to rank highly in search engines and attract relevant traffic.

A good SEO content strategy must be data-driven and should take into account the latest Google algorithm updates and trends. It should also be aligned with your business goals so that you can measure your success and ROI.

Creating an effective SEO content strategy isn't easy, but it's worth the effort as it helps you focus your effort on creating the right kind of content that appeals to both search engines and people.

The Importance of Having an SEO Content Strategy in Place

Having an SEO content strategy in place helps you enjoy the benefit of combining the science of SEO with the art of great writing.

When executed well, an SEO content strategy can help you:

  • Get more traffic from Google. After all, websites across industries receive about 53% of their traffic from organic searches. You can't afford to miss out on those potential eyes on your content and products.
  • With a good SEO content strategy, you're likely to create titles and descriptions that are both relevant and eye-catching, which can help improve your click-through rate (CTR).
  • Well-optimized content will help you rank for more keywords and you'll get more traffic from your content over time as it continues to rank for new keywords.
  • Good content that ranks well in Google is also more likely to get more social shares, which can help you build an engaged audience over time.
  • If you consistently create high-quality content that ranks well in Google search results, people will start recognizing you as an expert in your field. This will lead to more traffic and conversions for your business.

In all, having an SEO content strategy in place helps you get more traffic, conversions, and authority score for yourself, which can eventually lead to more success down the road. I'd like to sum it up as follows:

SEO and content marketing

Now that we've looked at the importance of having an SEO content strategy, let's look at how you can create one and the different types of SEO content that can help you achieve your business goals.

Types of SEO Content You Can Use for Your Business

There are many different types of SEO content you can create, but not all of them will be right for your business or audience. That's why it's important to understand the different types of SEO content before you start creating anything.

You need to identify the types that are more likely to help you attract relevant traffic and qualified leads to your website.

Some popular types of SEO content include:

  • Blog posts – To attract organic traffic and build authority
  • “What” posts – To explain complex concepts
  • “Why” posts – To build trust and credibility
  • “How-to” posts – To provide step-by-step instructions
  • Listicles or “Top 10” posts – To attract attention, increase engagement, and get more backlinks and social shares
  • Product pages – To rank for relevant keywords and convert visitors into customers
  • Category pages – To help people discover your products or services
  • Landing pages – To capture leads and convert visitors into customers
  • Tutorials – To help people and, in turn, build trust and authority
  • Ebooks – To generate leads and build your email list
  • Infographics – To build links and increase social shares
  • Videos – To rank in Google's rich results and increase engagement

You may also want to check out my other post on the main types of content in general and how you can use each for marketing.

How to Build an Effective SEO Content Strategy for Your Business

SEO is a complex and ever-changing field, but one thing is certain: quality content is still king.

If you want your website to attract more visitors and better-quality leads from organic searches, you need to create a solid SEO content strategy.

Luckily, crafting an effective content strategy isn't as difficult as it may seem. In this section of the post, I'll show you how to build one and share tips to optimize your content for maximum impact at each step.

Read on.

1. Set Your Goals

Always start your campaigns and strategies with the end goal in mind. So ask yourself – what are you ultimately trying to achieve?

Is it:

  • 100K monthly organic traffic to your website?
  • 3X backlinks?
  • 10% more leads that are ready to convert?
  • An increase in your brand recognition and authority?
  • 1500 subscribers to your blog in a month?
  • Or, something else?

No matter what your goal is, make sure it’s SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Once you have a goal in mind, you can start planning your SEO content strategy.

2. Identify Your Target Audience

The group of people that you want to reach with your marketing campaigns is your target audience. So identifying who they are and understanding their needs, behaviors, and preferences is key to success.

To do that, start by creating buyer personas – semi-fictional representations of your ideal customer based on real data and market research.

You can ask your marketing, sales, customer service, and social media teams for help as they’re likely to have a lot of insights into your target audience. You can also use surveys, interviews, and Google Analytics data.

  • Who are your current customers?
  • What are their pain points?
  • What types of content do they prefer to consume, and through which channels?
  • Who is attracted to your top competitors or interested in their content?
  • What do you have to offer and how can it help your customers?
  • What are their buying journeys like?
  • What type of language do they use?

Answering these questions will give you a good idea of what kind of keyword to target, what type of content to create, and how to reach your target audience.

3. Define Your Area of Expertise

To be successful with your SEO strategy, you need to focus on a specific area of expertise and become an authority in that field. You can’t be everything to everyone – it’s just not possible.

So take some time to brainstorm what exactly it is that you want to be known for. And make sure it’s something that you’re passionate about and have a lot of knowledge in.

For example, if you have a digital marketing agency that specializes in SEO, your focus should be on creating content that’s related to SEO, content optimization, keyword research, link building, etc.

4. Find Audience-Focused Content Topics That Also Align with Your Expertise

Ideally, the topics you choose should be:

  • Relevant to your target audience – something they're interested in and would find helpful
  • Related to your area of expertise – so you can position yourself as an authority on the subject

To come up with content ideas that fit both criteria, start by brainstorming a list of potential topics. Then, use tools such as Semrush’s Topic Research tool to find the most popular topics in your industry and see what people are saying about them on social media and in the comments section of popular blogs.

 Semrush’s Topic Research tool
 Semrush’s Topic Research tool

You can also use Google’s keyword planner to find relevant keywords that get a good amount of monthly searches. Then, create content around those keywords to attract organic traffic from Google.

We’ll talk more about that in the next point: Conducting keyword research.

Coming back to shortlisting topics to cover – another tactic that helps me not just find topics but also identify the best format and angle to approach them is to reverse-engineer my competitor’s most successful blog posts.

You can use a competitor analysis tool such as Semrush’s Organic Research tool to see which keywords they’re targeting and ranking for.

word image 67522 7

Go to the “Positions” tab to see which keywords they’re ranking for and how much traffic they get from those SERP positions.

word image 67522 8

You can also go to your competitors’ blogs and see what content is getting lots of likes, comments, and shares.

When you skim through their content, don’t just look for popular topics, also consider their:

  • Format
  • Writing style
  • Negative space on the page
  • Visuals
  • And other elements that could be making a difference

Other than your competitors, you can also look for questions people ask Google and in forums like Quora about your niche, brand, or the products and services you offer.

Quora search for audience-focused topic ideas

Chances are if someone is asking a question, there are others who have the same query but haven’t bothered to ask it publicly.

Creating content that answers such questions not only helps you serve your audience better but also gives you an opportunity to rank in Google’s featured snippets – the box that appears at the top of the search results with a direct answer to the user’s question.

Featured snippet ranking

It can also help you rank in the “People Also Ask” questions section, like the result below:

Ranking in the “People Also Ask” questions section

That’s why I’ve been adding one-liners to answer common queries and also including an FAQs section in my blog posts lately. Because that’s the kind of content people find helpful.

5. Conduct Keyword Research

Your SEO strategy needs to be based on keywords – they’re the foundation of any successful campaign. But for your keyword research to be effective, you need to understand how your target audience is searching for the type of content you want to create.

Start by brainstorming a list of relevant seed keywords – broad search terms that are closely related to your business and the topics you want to focus on.

Enter your seed keyword into a keyword research tool like Semrush’s Keyword Magic tool.

word image 67522 12

The tool will list all relevant keyword suggestions based on your seed keyword. As you can see below, it suggested 52,707 keywords for “pet care.”

word image 67522 13

Now, narrow down your list of target keywords based on:

  1. Search volume
  2. Keyword difficulty score
  3. Topical groups and subgroups

I recommend that you should first target keywords that have a good search volume but are comparatively easier to rank for. I’d call it – eating the low-hanging fruit first!

To find such keywords, you can use tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, and Google Keyword Planner.

word image 67522 14

As you can see above, Semrush rates keywords from 1-100 based on how difficult it will be for your domain to rank on that particular keyword.

Start with keywords with a moderate keyword difficulty score and see your domain authority grow as you rank for more keywords. The higher-difficulty keywords like “VIP pet care” and “pet care” will eventually become achievable down the road.

To find long-tail keywords, just click the “Questions” tab. This section lists keywords that are often easy to rank and can be a great starting point for your SEO content strategy.

word image 67522 15

Finally, you can exclude keywords related to specific groups and subgroups that are unrelated to your business. For example, if you do not run a pet care center, you can directly exclude all keywords related to “center.”

All you need to do is to click on the “eye” icon next to “center.”

word image 67522 16

At the same time, you can (and should) use these topical groups to discover more specific subgroups and their keywords.

For example, if you want to target pet care services for dog owners, you can select “dog” from the list of topical topics and see relevant keywords.

word image 67522 17

What’s next?

6. Host Your Own Content

While posting on Medium or other similar sites can help you get in front of a larger audience, it won’t do much good for you or your business in the long run.

That’s because you don’t own the platform – and if that platform were to disappear, all your content would go away with it.

Not to mention, when you post on someone else’s site, they get to control how your content is presented and distributed, and how long it will stay online.

Just think about the hundreds of Twitter accounts that got suspended right after Elon Musk took over the social app. Many of those accounts had years’ worth of tweets (content + engagement) that vanished in an instant.

The same thing could happen to your content on Medium or any other site – which is why it is always a good idea to host your content on your own site.

That way, you have complete control over what happens to your content and how it’s presented. You can also track how many people are reading your articles, where they’re coming from, and what devices they’re using to read them.

You can always cross-post your content on other sites (including Medium) and social apps with a link back to your site. You’ll be able to drive traffic back to your site while also getting the benefits that come with posting on those sites.

And hosting your own website or blog is easy, especially with platforms like WordPress, Bluehost, GoDaddy, and others.

7. Create an Editorial Calendar with a Consistent Content Schedule

The best way to maintain a consistent content schedule is to have an editorial calendar in place. This will help you keep track of your published and upcoming content, and make it easier for you to plan future pieces.

An editorial calendar also keeps everyone on your team on the same page – from your SEO specialists to your writers, editors, and designers.

There are many different ways to set up an editorial calendar. You can use a simple Google Sheet or a more robust project and content management platform like ClickUp (that's what I currently use for my business).

It helps my team track everything from the upcoming topics to word counts, types of content, the statuses of each task, and the tentative due dates or publishing dates for each piece of content.

My editorial calendar for ShaneBarker.com

Whichever tool you pick, the key is to find a system that works for you and your team – and then stick to it!

8. Focus on Creating Amazing Content

This may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s worth repeating: The best way to get more traffic to your website is to create truly amazing content.

  • The kind of content that people will want to read, share, and link to
  • The kind of content that will make people want to come back for more

Creating great content is not easy – but it is definitely worth the effort.

Here are a few quick content creation tips that can help:

  • Research the topic well. Provide more information and insights than other articles on the topic.
  • Make sure your content is well-written and error-free.
  • Your headlines should be catchy and attention-grabbing, but make sure they are also accurate and reflective of the actual content.
  • Use short sentences and paragraphs, and break up the text using images, videos, or infographics to make your article more visually appealing.
  • Make sure your content is easy to read. Don't make your readers work too hard to get the information they’re looking for.
  • Include examples from your personal experiences as well as others’ case studies. People love examples. Perhaps, because examples make learning easier and also show that the solution you’re suggesting, actually works.
  • Don’t stuff your keywords in awkwardly. Use them naturally to ensure that your content flows smoothly.
  • Don't forget to proofread and edit your content before hitting “Publish.”

9. Optimize Your Content

So that your content ranks higher in search results, you need to optimize it for the primary keyword as well as its variations.

Include the primary keyword in your:

  • Title tag and meta description
  • Headings – H1s, H2s, and H3s
  • Introduction
  • Conclusion
  • In every 1000 words of your content

Well-optimized content will help you rank not only on the first page but also in the first position of Google search results. For example, the screenshot below shows my post ranking at #1 for the keyword, “YouTube marketing tools.”

Post ranking on #1 in search results

And, that’s not the only post. ShaneBarker.com has been ranking #1 for 209 keywords (as of Nov 2022).

Tracking SERP positions of your blog on Semrush

You can achieve similar results by having an effective SEO content strategy, choosing keywords wisely, and optimizing your content for those keywords.

What’s next?

10. Compress Your Images and Other Media Files

Images, videos, and other types of media files can make your pages slower to load.

No matter how amazing your content is, if your pages take too long to load, people will leave. And we all know what that means for your traffic numbers…

That’s why it’s important to compress your images and media files before uploading them to your website.

There are many tools you can use to do this, including TinyPNG and VideoCompressor.co. In fact, I also host a free online image compression tool that you can use to compress your images in seconds.

Free online image compression tool by ShaneBarker.com

11. Regularly Update Your Old Content

There are several reasons why it’s important to keep your old content fresh and up-to-date, including:

  • Research findings and trends are always changing. To ensure your content is still relevant, you need to constantly update it with the latest facts and figures.
  • The articles you might have linked to may no longer exist after 6 months or a year. The social app you talked about might have introduced new features and discarded an old one.
  • Irrelevant statistics, broken links, and outdated information can all harm your user’s trust and, in turn, tell Google that your content is not the best resource on the topic. This will make your SERP rankings and traffic drop.

Updated content will not only help you rank higher in search results, but it will also keep your readers engaged and coming back for more.

You should also track your content rankings (change in SERP positions) using tools like Semrush. And if you see a drop, look out for the changing search intent and popularity of related keywords.

Position tracking for target keywords via Semrush

You may feel the need to update your headings and content based on the new/evolved user search intent.

My team works on a whole list of content that we want to revamp, on a monthly basis, and it has helped us re-engage users and win back our search ranking positions, just in time.

My monthly plan for revamping posts

Here’s one example:

I noticed a drop in my rankings for the post “Top Female YouTubers” and updated it.

  • Added the latest information about each female YouTuber on the list.
    • The total number of subscribers they have
    • The types of content they create
    • What makes them unique
  • Removed YouTubers who aren’t sharing content on the platform anymore.
  • Added new rising stars with a greater number of subscribers than those already on the list.

And doing this helped the post rank well again (see the screenshot below).

Content update leading to top rankings

Your existing content can be your best asset if you keep it up-to-date and relevant to your audience. So, don’t ignore it.

12. Use the Right Link-Building Tactics to Gain More Traction

Google counts links from other websites to your own as “votes” and the more “votes” you have, the higher you will rank in search results.

Of course, not all links are created equal. A link from a high-authority website such as Forbes or Inc.com will carry more weight than a link from a low-authority website. That’s why it’s important to focus on quality over quantity when it comes to link building.

There are many ways you can build links to your site. You can:

  • Ask customers and partners to link to your site.
  • Submit articles to high-quality guest posting sites (this is one of my favorites).
  • Create informative infographics and share them on social media and other websites.
  • Reach out to bloggers and influencers in your industry and contribute your take on a topic that they’re writing about (the topic should also fall under your area of expertise).

These practices work and they've helped me build over 200K backlinks from 11K+ domains.

My backlink and referring domains report from Semrush
Referring domains growth tracked via Semrush

13. Track and Measure Your SEO and Content Success

You can’t improve your website performance if you don’t track your progress and measure your success.

As far as your SEO content strategy success is concerned, you should track and measure everything from:

  • Your website traffic (overall and from each channel)
  • The number of leads you generate
  • How many conversions you make
  • Your organic search rankings
  • The number of social media shares your content receives
  • And more

You can use Google Analytics to track most of this data. To track your SEO progress, I recommend using Semrush. It’s an all-in-one SEO tool that lets you track your keyword rankings, backlinks, content gaps, and more.

Here’s my quick review of the tool to help you get started:

Get an extended 14-day trial of the Pro plan using my link.

Get an extended 14-day trial of the Pro plan using my link.

Once you have all this data, you need to make sure you track your progress over time. This will help you see what’s working and what’s not so you can make the necessary changes to your SEO strategy.

FAQs

1. Does content strategy help SEO?

Yes, content strategy can help you improve your SEO results. Creating high-quality, informative, and keyword-rich content can attract more traffic to your website and improve your SERP rankings.

Furthermore, by regularly publishing new content, you can keep your audience engaged, leading to more conversions and higher brand authority.

2. What are the 7 steps in creating a content strategy?

There are seven steps in creating an effective content strategy:
1. Define your goals.
2. Know your audience.
3. Research your competitors.
4. Find your voice and tone.
5. Develop a content calendar.
6. Publish great content and promote it.
7. Measure your success.

3. What is the best content strategy for SEO?

There is no single “best” content strategy for SEO. However, some practices that will help you improve your SEO efforts include:
– Create keyword-rich and informative content.
– Publish new content regularly.
– Promote your content on social media and other websites.
– Track your progress and measure your success.

Outrank Your Competitors in the SERPs with an Effective SEO Content Strategy

If you want to outrank your competitors in the search engine results pages (SERPs), you need an effective SEO content strategy.

In this article, I’ve outlined some of the best practices for creating a successful SEO content strategy. These practices include creating keyword-rich and informative content, publishing new content regularly, and promoting your content on social media and other websites.

I also recommend tracking your progress so you can continually optimize your content and SEO factors for better results.

Have any questions about SEO content strategy? Let me know in the comments.

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Wordtune Review: The Pros and Cons of This AI Editor https://shanebarker.com/blog/wordtune-review/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/wordtune-review/#respond Wed, 16 Nov 2022 16:29:57 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=66280 If you're a freelance writer or blogger, or if you just enjoy writing for fun, you've probably heard of Wordtune. This AI-based writing and editing tool claims to be able to help you write better and faster.

But is it really worth your time?

In my Wordtune review below, I'll help you take a close look at what this platform has to offer and whether or not it can help you improve your writing. Keep reading to learn about its features, pros and cons, and use cases in detail.

What is Wordtune?

Wordtune is an AI-powered writing assistant and editor that helps you write better and faster. It promises to make your writing clearer, more concise, and easier to read.

You can use Wordtune to improve your writing in several ways, including:

  • Rewriting or rephrasing your sentences or paragraphs
  • Making the tone of your writing more casual
  • Making it formal to help you present yourself in a more sophisticated or professional way
  • Shortening your sentences or paragraphs to convey your messages concisely yet clearly
  • Expanding your sentences to provide more detail and improve clarity
  • Editing your text for clarity and conciseness
  • Suggesting improvements in terms of grammar, spelling, and punctuation
  • Suggesting alternative words or phrases to use in your writing

As you can see, Wordtune offers a lot of features that can be helpful for writers and editors of all levels. It can help you get your words just right.

To do this, Wordtune uses a combination of machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), which allows it to analyze your text and suggest improvements.

What Websites Does Wordtune Work On?

Wordtune is a multi-platform AI-writing assistant that works where you do. This means it's available as your personal writing assistant across all your favorite websites, including:

  • Google Docs
  • Gmail
  • Chrome extension
  • Microsoft Word (add-in)
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Slack (web version)
  • WhatsApp (web version)
  • Outlook (web version)

Additionally, you can use the Wordtune Editor which works across web browsers and lets you rewrite, rephrase, reword, and edit your writing in one place.

This means that you can use Wordtune no matter where you're writing, whether it's in your favorite text editor, online, on your blog, or even in a Google Doc.

Wordtune’s Pros and Cons

Now that we've taken a look at what Wordtune is and how it works, let's take a closer look at its pros and cons based on my personal testing.

Wordtune's Pros:

  • Clean user interface (UI)
  • Helps you improve your writing skills, including proofreading, tone checking, and more
  • Makes your writing clearer and more concise
  • Lets you edit your writing in one place
  • Expands your English vocabulary
  • Offers a lot of features that can be helpful for writers of all levels
  • Is available as a Chrome extension and Microsoft Word add-in

Wordtune's Cons:

  • May sometimes give suggestions in repetitive patterns
  • Allows just 10 runs/day with the free plan

Wordtune is one of the best writing tools to help you become a better writer.

Wordtune’s Plans & Pricing

Wordtune offers a free version with limited features as well as two paid plans.

With the free plan, you can:

  • Get real-time suggestions as you write.
  • Rewrite, rephrase, and edit your sentences.
  • Check the clarity and conciseness of your writing.

However, it lets you perform just 10 runs/day, which is quite limiting.

The paid plans – Premium plan starts at $9.99/month (billed annually) and comes with the following features:

  • Unlimited runs
  • Tone correction
  • Shortening and expanding text
  • Paragraph rewriting
  • Premium support

Wordtune also offers a Premium for Teams plan that includes all of the features included in the Premium plan + the option to pay as a team. You can set up your Wordtune team account by filling out a simple form.

Wordtune's plans and pricing details

What Are the Key Features of Wordtune?

Wordtune offers a wide range of features to help you improve your writing. In this section of my Wordtune review, I'll go over some of its key features with examples.

Rewrite and Rephrase Sentences

One of Wordtune's key features is its ability to help you rewrite and rephrase your sentences. This can be helpful if you want to make your writing more concise or if you want to make sure it sounds friendly and approachable.

Here's an example of how Wordtune can help you rewrite a sentence by offering improvement suggestions:

How Wordtune can help you rewrite sentences

With their paid plans, you can also rewrite entire paragraphs, which can be helpful if you want to improve the overall tone of your writing.

Use the Right Tone to Match Your Subject Matter

With Wordtune, you can also make sure you're using the right tone for your writing. This is helpful if you want to sound more professional or casual, or if you want to make sure your writing is appropriate for your audience.

For example, let's say you're writing an email to a potential client. You can use Wordtune to check your tone and make sure it sounds professional.

Make your writing tone formal with Wordtune

Change the Length of Your Text to Match Your Writing Format

Sometimes, you may need to change the length of your text to match the format of your writing. For example, if you're writing content for a specific section on your web page, you may want to make sure it's the right length for that section.

Fortunately, Wordtune can help you with this as well. With its “shorten” and “expand” features, you can change the length of your text to match your writing format.

You just need to highlight the text you want to shorten or expand, and then click on the respective feature button, as shown below:

Shorten any text with Wordtune

The “expand” feature is also helpful when you’re having writer’s block and are falling short of words.

Edit Your Content for Spelling, Clarity, and More

If you're using the Wordtune Editor, it will check your content for a number of factors and suggest corrections, if needed. These factors include:

  • Spelling
  • Grammar
  • Punctuation
  • Repetition
  • Missing word
  • Wrong word
  • Clarity
  • Fluency
  • Vocabulary enhancement

It will also help you choose words that are more precise and easier to read. And it can even suggest ways to rephrase awkward sentences.

Using this AI-writing assistant and editor can be a great way to improve your writing skills and make sure that your content is error-free.

Wordtune Editor suggests spelling, grammar, fluency corrections

Get Smart Synonyms Suggestions with Wordtune

If you're looking for a way to make your writing sound more professional, or you just want to expand your vocabulary, Wordtune can help.

You can highlight a word and get a list of suggestions to replace it with a more fitting synonym. But Wordtune's real strength is its ability to understand the context of a sentence. This lets it offer suggestions that sound natural in the context of your phrase.

Wordtune's smart synonym suggestions

Translate Your Text into English and Rewrite It for Clarity

If you're not a native English speaker, don't worry – Wordtune can help.

Just enter your text in the language you're comfortable with and Wordtune will translate it into English. Then, it will also rewrite and improve your text so that it's clear and easy to understand.

So whether you're writing an email, a report, or just trying to communicate with friends or family, Wordtune can help you sound like a native English speaker in no time.

It currently supports translation from Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Mandarin, Hebrew, Korean, and Russian into English.

Here’s an example where I tested Wordtune’s translation feature to rewrite a text from Spanish into English:

Wordtune International translates text to English and rewrites it

Give it a try now and see how Wordtune can help you communicate better in English.

P.S. Try Wordtune Read, which summarizes text for you using AI.

Wordtune’s Customer Support

Wordtune allows you to send them a message through the Messenger widget on their website if you have any questions or problems. Their support team typically replies within one day.

You can also find answers to commonly-asked questions and processes under the “Help” section and search for relevant answers using the “Search” feature in the same widget.

Wordtune Messenger support

You can get 24/7 prioritized service with their paid plans.

The AI-writing assistant has received 4.3-star ratings for their customer service on review sites like Capterra, which implies that they are responsive and helpful.

Who is Wordtune For?

Wordtune is a great tool for anyone who wants to improve their writing skills. Whether you're a student, a professional writer, or just someone who wants to write better, Wordtune can help you.

Some of its target users are:

  • Writers
  • Students
  • Professionals
  • Non-native English speakers
  • Marketers
  • Content creators
  • Copywriters
  • Bloggers
  • Business people
  • People who want to improve their writing skills

Wordtune Compared to Other AI Writing & Editing Platforms

Now that you know what Wordtune is and how it can help you improve your writing, let's take a look at how it compares to other popular AI writing and editing platforms. This includes comparing their features, cost, and more.

1. Wordtune vs. Grammarly

Grammarly is one of the most popular AI writing and editing platforms on the market and it offers a similar set of features to Wordtune. However, there are some key differences between the two platforms.

Grammarly's free plan focuses solely on grammar correction while Wordtune also offers full-sentence rewrites and word choice suggestions as well.

These features are available with Grammarly Premium, starting at $12/month.

But then, there is no limit on the number of spell checks and grammar corrections offered in the free version of Grammarly. And, Grammarly's paid plan also gives you access to a plagiarism checker which is not offered by Wordtune.

You can’t translate your text into English from another language using Grammarly but Wordtune lets you do that as well.

Both writing assistants can be used with Google Docs, Microsoft Word, their online editor, and as Chrome extensions.

Grammarly editor dashboard

Check out other Grammarly alternatives here.

2. Wordtune vs. QuillBot

QuillBot is an online paraphrasing tool that uses artificial intelligence to help you rewrite any piece of text. It lets you reword and rearrange sentences to create different versions of the original text.

With its free version, you can only reword up to 125 words of text and get up to 3 synonym options. You'll need to upgrade to QuillBot premium (for $9.95/month) to get the following:

  • Advanced grammar rewrites
  • Paraphrase unlimited words
  • Get up to 4 synonym options
  • Rephrase in casual and formal modes
  • Shorten and expand the text
  • Check your text for plagiarism

While Wordtune offers all other features, it lacks the plagiarism checker that QuillBot offers.

QuillBot paraphrasing dashboard

3. Wordtune vs. ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is another popular grammar checker that you can use wherever you write – Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Chrome extension, and more.

So, how does it compare to Wordtune?

While ProWritingAid offers many of the same features as Wordtune, including grammar and spelling checking, it doesn't provide full-sentence rewrites as Wordtune does.

On the other hand, ProWritingAid offers comprehensive writing analysis reports to help you improve your writing as well as a style guide. And, it also offers a plagiarism checker with its Premium plan – starting at £20/month ($17/month approx.).

Whereas, Wordtune is a more affordable solution.

ProWritingAid editor

To learn more about ProWritingAid, read my detailed review of the tool here.

FAQs

1. Who created Wordtune?

Wordtune was created by AI21 Labs, a company founded in 2018 by AI experts.

The company's goal is to change the way we read and write by creating advanced AI tools and language models that can understand the context and semantics of written text.

These models are what make Wordtune different from other writing companions, as they go beyond grammar and spelling fixes to help you express your own thoughts in writing.

2. Is Wordtune as good as Grammarly?

This is a difficult question to answer, as both Wordtune and Grammarly have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Grammarly is a more comprehensive tool that can catch a wider range of errors, from spelling mistakes to grammatical errors.

Wordtune, on the other hand, is better at understanding the context of your writing and rewriting phrases or sentences to sound more natural. It also works better when it comes to helping you improve your writing style.

However, Wordtune may miss some errors that Grammarly would catch, so it really depends on your needs as a writer.

3. Does Wordtune have a free trial?

Yes, Wordtune offers a free trial and also a free plan.

With their free plan, you can perform up to 10 runs/day and rewrite your sentences or replace a word or phrase in your text. You also get limited support with the free plan.

If you want more features, you can opt for their premium plans which start at $9.99/month.

Try Wordtune Now!

Wordtune is a helpful tool that can improve your writing skills. It offers a wide range of features, including sentence rewriting, tone correction, and vocabulary expansion.

It's available as a Chrome extension and Microsoft Word add-in. You can try it for free, but the free version is quite limited. The paid plans start at $9.99/month (billed annually). This makes Wordtune the perfect choice for anyone on a budget.

The interface is designed to be simple and easy to use, so you can get started using Wordtune with no prior experience.

So what are you waiting for?

I hope you found this Wordtune review helpful. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. Thanks for reading.

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YouTube Marketing: How To Effectively Get Your Brand Out There https://shanebarker.com/blog/what-is-youtube-marketing/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/what-is-youtube-marketing/#respond Fri, 11 Nov 2022 17:45:05 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=66094 You're not alone if you've been searching for the answer to, “What is YouTube marketing?” The platform is huge, with over a billion users and counting.

And, with so many people using the site every day, there's bound to be a lot of interest in how businesses can market themselves on YouTube. It's no surprise that many businesses are looking to leverage YouTube to reach their target audiences.

In this post, I’ll discuss everything you need to know about YouTube marketing. From what YouTube advertising costs and the best strategies, I’ll cover it all.

But before we get to the main discussion, let’s discuss why YouTube is a relevant platform for your business.

What is YouTube?

YouTube is a video-sharing website where users can upload, view, and share videos. The website has become a popular way to watch and share user-generated videos. From big and small brands to popular artists, everyone can upload videos on the platform.

YouTube is a video-sharing platform.
Image via YouTube

In fact, YouTubers spend a billion hours every day watching videos on the platform.

YouTube allows anyone with a camera and an Internet connection to upload videos.

Once uploaded, the videos can be viewed by anyone with an Internet connection. Users can also rate, comment on, and share the videos.

YouTube has become one of the most popular websites on the Internet. It is ranked as the second most visited website after Google. According to Alexa traffic rankings, YouTube is the third most popular website in the world after Google and Facebook.

What is YouTube Marketing?

YouTube marketing is a process of creating and promoting videos on the YouTube platform with the goal of driving traffic to your website, increasing brand awareness, or generating leads.

YouTube marketing is not just for big businesses. In fact, small businesses can benefit from YouTube marketing as well. Here are some reasons why:

  • You can reach a wide audience with your videos. YouTube has over a billion users, which means that your videos have the potential to be seen by a lot of people.
  • You can connect with your audience on a personal level. Videos allow you to show your personality and build relationships with your viewers.
  • You can generate leads and sales with your videos. If you include call-to-actions in your videos, you can encourage viewers to take action, such as subscribing to your channel or visiting your website.

In a nutshell, YouTube marketing can be a great way to reach a wide audience, connect with your viewers, and generate leads and sales.

Is YouTube Good For Marketing?

Yes, YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine and the second-most popular social media site. It has over 2.5 billion active users, with over 500 hours of video being uploaded every minute.

A graph showing YouTube as the second most popular social media network in the world.
Image via BusinessofApps

Pretty amazing, right? But how can YouTube directly help you? Here are six ways YouTube marketing can help grow your business:

  • You can target a specific audience. With YouTube’s targeting options, you can narrow down who sees your videos by demographics like age, gender, interests, and more.
  • You can build trust and credibility. Potential customers are more likely to buy from someone they know, like, and trust. By creating helpful or entertaining videos, you can develop strong relationships with your viewers.
  • You can reach a global audience. YouTube is available in 76 different languages and has users all over the world. If you want to reach a global audience, YouTube is a great platform to do it.

Here is a quick overview of leading countries based on the number of YouTube users:

A graph showing the leading countries based on the number of YouTubers
Image via Statista
  • You can get creative with your marketing. There are endless possibilities when it comes to making creative video content. You can do product demonstrations, how-tos, interviews, customer testimonials, and more.
  • You can track your results. With YouTube Analytics, you can see how many people have watched your videos, where they’re coming from, what they’re watching on your channel, and more. This data can help you fine-tune your marketing strategy to get better results over time.
YouTube Analytics dashboard
Image via Socialinsider
  • You can improve your SEO strategy. YouTube videos can help you rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

This is because Google owns YouTube and gives preference to websites that have embedded YouTube videos. Sometimes, the top results on Google are from YouTube.

Here is an example:

Google results screenshot for Halloween makeup tutorial
Image via Google

Including keywords in your video titles and descriptions will also help your videos rank higher in SERPs. Make sure to do your research and target keywords that have low competition but are still relevant to your business.

  • Creating engaging videos will also help keep viewers on your website longer, which is a signal to Google that your website is worth ranking higher.

As you can see, there are many benefits to using YouTube for marketing. If you use YouTube correctly, it can be a powerful tool to reach a large audience with your marketing message.

You can create engaging videos that teach, entertain, and inspire people. You can also use YouTube to build relationships with potential and current customers.

What is the Main Goal of YouTube Marketing?

There are a few different goals that businesses can have when they approach YouTube marketing:

  • Boost Awareness: You can do this by creating videos that show off what you have to offer and then distributing those videos across the internet.
  • Lead Generation: To generate leads via YouTube, you can include calls-to-action in your videos and then drive traffic to a landing page.
  • Build Better Customer Relationships: You can do this by responding to comments on your videos, engaging with other popular YouTubers, and providing valuable content.
  • Boost Sales: By including calls-to-action in your videos and promoting your channel through social media and other online channels, you can encourage viewers to take action.

When you use YouTube as a part of your marketing strategy, you can reach a larger audience, engage potential customers, and increase sales for your business.

Pros and Cons of YouTube Marketing

YouTube marketing can be a great addition to your marketing strategy, but you should weigh the pros and cons before deciding if it’s right for you.

Pros of YouTube Marketing

  • You can reach a large audience with little effort.
  • Is the second-largest search engine in the world.
  • Little cost if done right.
  • It’s a great way to show off your products or services.
  • You can connect with potential customers on a personal level.

Cons of YouTube Marketing

  • It can be time-consuming to produce quality videos.
  • It can be difficult to stand out on such a large platform with millions of videos being uploaded every day.
  • There is no guarantee that people will watch your videos.
  • You may need to invest in some video production equipment.

How Do You Do YouTube Marketing?

Wondering how does YouTube marketing work? We’ve got you covered. Here's a step-by-step guide:

First, create a channel for your business. Make sure to use keywords in your channel name and description so that people can easily find them when they're searching for topics related to your business.

Next, create engaging video content that will appeal to your target audience. Remember to include calls-to-action in your videos, asking viewers to like, subscribe, and share your content.

Finally, promote your YouTube channel through social media and other online channels. You can also run ads on YouTube to reach even more people with your message.

11 Tips to Create a YouTube Marketing Strategy

In this section, let’s take a look at how you can develop a solid YouTube marketing strategy for your business. We’ll also cover some YouTube marketing tips and YouTube marketing insights to make sure you’re going on the right path.

1. Opt For a Brand Account

When you create an account on YouTube, you’ll have two options: Use your personal YouTube account or create a Brand Account. If you have created an account for a business or even if you are a freelancer or influencer, I would recommend you go for the latter.

YouTube brand account
Image via YouTube

With a Brand Account on YouTube, multiple people can access your account and manage it. This is really helpful if you have to update your account frequently from various locations.

Another reason why you should opt for a Brand Account is that you’ll get more privacy. Other people at work won’t need to know your personal ID and password.

At a later stage, if you want to expand your business, you can even add multiple business accounts.

When you’re creating a Brand Account on YouTube for marketing your business, it’s important to include relevant information.

You should include the following:

  • What your business does in the “About” section
  • Profile picture
  • Header image
  • Website link
  • Social media channel links

2. Understand Your Target Audience

Your target audience will be the ones watching your videos. And if you don't know who they are, you won't be able to make videos that appeal to them.

So take some time to understand your target audience before you start making YouTube videos. Who are they? What do they like to watch? What do they want to see from you?

Once you know the answers to these questions, you'll be able to create content that resonates with your audience. And that's when YouTube marketing can really start working for you.

There are a few different ways to go about finding your target audience on YouTube. You can use the search function, look at related channels, or use Google AdWords.

Using the search function is the easiest way to find your target audience. Simply type in what you’re looking for and see what comes up. For example, if you sell shoes, try searching for “women’s shoes” or “men’s shoes.”

If you want to get a little more specific, you can use related results. To do this, open a video in your niche and look at the “From Your Search” section on the right side of the page.

YouTube screenshot to find related results. Shows "From Your Search" section.
Image via YouTube

These are usually channels that are similar to the one you’re watching and would be interested in your content.

Finally, you can use Google AdWords to find your target audience. AdWords is a tool that allows you to pay for ads that will show up in search results. You can target your ads by keyword, location, language, and other factors.

3. Research Your Competition

To succeed with YouTube marketing, you need to understand what your competition is doing and how they are reaching their audience. Here are four tips on how to research your competition for YouTube marketing:

Find out who your main competitors are on YouTube. Look at the size of their channels, number of subscribers, and video views.

Study their videos to see what topics they cover and what type of content performs well for them. Identify any gaps in their content that you could fill with your own videos.

Keep an eye on your competitors’ activities by subscribing to their channels and setting up Google Alerts for their brand names. This will help you stay up-to-date on new videos they publish and any changes to their channels.

Engage with your competition’s audiences by leaving comments on their videos and participating in discussions on their channels. This will help you get to know their fans and what type of content they respond to.

4. Create Eye-Catching Thumbnails For Your Videos

As we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words. The same can be said for thumbnails on YouTube videos. By adding an eye-catching thumbnail to your videos, you can increase the number of views and subscribers.

Example of eye-catching YouTube thumbnails
Image via YouTube

Here are some tips on how to create an effective thumbnail:

  • Use high-quality images that are sharp and clear. Blurry or pixelated images will not capture the attention of viewers.
  • Make sure the thumbnail is relevant to the video content. Viewers should be able to tell what the video is about from the thumbnail alone.
  • Use bright and contrasting colors. This will help your thumbnail stand out from other videos in the search results.
  • Add text to the thumbnail. This can be the title of the video or a brief description.

By following these tips, you can create an effective thumbnail that will help increase the number of views and subscribers for your YouTube channel.

5. Look Closely at Popular YouTube Channels

There are many popular channels with millions of subscribers that get tons of likes and comments. Obviously, they are doing a lot of things rights right. You can learn a lot by just watching other YouTube marketing examples.

Some of the things you should look at when watching these channels are the following:

  • How they produce their videos
  • What kind of content they post
  • How often they post new videos
  • How they promote their channels

By paying attention to the most popular YouTube videos, you can understand what works on the platform.

6. Focus on Keyword Optimization

Keyword optimization should be a major component of your YouTube marketing strategy. There are several places you can add keywords for your YouTube marketing campaign:

  • In the title of your video
  • In the description of your video
  • As tags on your video
  • In the transcript of your video (if you have one)
  • In the annotations of your video
  • As cards in your video
  • On the end screen of your video

Using a mix of these keyword placements will help you reach a broader audience and get more views, subscribers, and leads. Experiment with different combinations to see what works best for you and your business.

7. Add Timestamps to Your YouTube Videos

Timestamps give users a quick idea of what’s going on in the video at a particular minute without having to watch it all. It is a link to the video, so users can click on a timestamp and quickly jump to that part of the video.

Here is an example:

Timestamps in YouTube videos
Image via YouTube

Adding timestamps to your YouTube videos is important for a few reasons. First, it allows viewers to easily find the information they're looking for in your video.

Secondly, it makes your video more accessible to people with disabilities who may need assistance navigating through the content.

Finally, timestamps can help users keep track of where they are in your video so that they can easily come back to specific parts later on.

Overall, including timestamps in your YouTube videos is a good way to improve the user experience for all viewers.

8. Add Detailed YouTube Video Descriptions

When you add a detailed description to your YouTube videos, you're providing valuable information to both YouTube and your viewers.

The more information you can give YouTube about your video, the better they will be able to match it with appropriate search queries. It’s an important step for YouTube video promotions or marketing campaigns.

Here is an example of how Netflix writes YouTube description for their new movie:

Detailed YouTube Video description - Netflix example
Image via YouTube

Viewers will also appreciate having more information about the video before they click “play.” A good description can entice a viewer who might not have otherwise clicked on your video.

Think of your video description as an extension of your title. It should provide additional context and details about what viewers can expect from your video.

When writing your description, keep in mind that it's not just a list of keywords – it should be readable and engaging.

YouTube gives you up to 5000 characters for your video description, so you have plenty of room to work with.

Here are a few tips for writing an effective video description:

  • Use natural language and avoid keyword stuffing.
  • Write for your audience, not YouTube's algorithm.
  • Include a call-to-action.
  • Be consistent with your brand voice.
  • Add links to your product pages or social media accounts.

By following these tips, you can create a detailed and engaging video description that will help your video perform better on YouTube.

So don't skimp on this important step in your video optimization process!

9. Respond to Viewer Comments

If you're looking to grow your YouTube channel, then you need to start responding to comments. It's one of the most effective ways to engage with your audience and build a community around your content.

responding to YouTube comments - example
Image via YouTube

When you respond to comments, you're showing that you care about what your viewers think and that you're willing to engage in conversation with them. This helps to build trust and loyalty, both of which are essential for growing a successful YouTube channel.

Plus, when you respond to comments, you're giving yourself an opportunity to promote your channel and its content.

You can let people know about new videos or playlists, ask them to subscribe, or even just thank them for watching.

So don't neglect the comment section of your YouTube videos – start responding today and you'll see the benefits eventually!

10. Organize Your YouTube Videos Into Playlists

When you have a lot of videos, it can be tough to keep track of them all and ensure that they're being seen by your target audience. This is where playlists come in! You’ll have most likely seen them on popular vloggers’ YouTube channels.

By creating playlists for your YouTube channel, you can group together similar videos and make them easier for viewers to find. Not only that, but playlists can also help boost your video SEO.

Even I have used this feature on my YouTube channel:

Shane Barker YouTube channel screenshot
Image via YouTube

Here are some benefits of using playlists for your YouTube marketing:

  • They make it easy for viewers to find what they're looking for
  • They help boost your video SEO
  • You can use them to promote related products or services
  • They're a great way to showcase a series of videos

Organizing your videos into playlists is a great way to keep your channel organized and ensure that your videos are being seen by your target audience.

11. Schedule YouTube Videos For Your Marketing Campaigns

It's important to keep your YouTube channel active, and one way to do that is by regularly uploading videos. This not only helps with SEO but also keeps your audience engaged.

If you're running a marketing campaign, scheduling your videos in advance is a great way to ensure that your content is being released on a regular basis. Plus, it allows you to better plan and strategize your overall marketing efforts.

If you're looking for a way to market your brand, you should consider scheduling YouTube videos on a regular basis. You can use YouTube to reach a wide audience with your marketing message, and it's a great platform for engaging potential customers.

There are several benefits to scheduling YouTube videos as part of your marketing strategy. First, it allows you to control the release of your content.

You can ensure that your videos are released at times when they will have the most impact, and you can avoid releasing too many videos at once, which can overwhelm viewers.

Top YouTube Marketing Tools

There are a few great YouTube marketing tools out there that can help you get the most out of your youtube channel. Here are a few of the top ones:

VidIQ

VidIQ is a software application that helps you to optimize your videos for YouTube. It provides insights on how to get more views and improve your video ranking.

VidIQ also helps you to track your competition and see what they are doing to be successful on YouTube.

Homepage of VidIQ - a software application that helps optimize YouTube videos.

Agorapulse

It's an all-in-one platform that can help with everything from managing your channel and optimizing your videos for SEO. You can also use it to analyze your campaign performance and grow your audience.

Agorapulse - Social Media Management tool

TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy is one of the most popular tools for YouTube marketing. It provides a suite of tools to help you optimize your videos, grow your channel, and measure your success.

YouTube video optimization tool
Image via TubeBuddy

Canva

Canva is mainly a graphic design tool that lets you create amazing visuals. With Canva, you can make eye-catching thumbnails for your YouTube videos in just a few minutes.

What's more, Canva is free to use! So, even if you're on a tight budget, there's no excuse not to create beautiful visuals for your YouTube channel.

Homepage of Canva - a tool you can use to design thumbnails for YouTube videos
Image via Canva

If you want to check out more such helpful tools, please ready my post on YouTube marketing tools. I’ve covered 20 tools along with their pros, cons, and pricing details.

How to Set Up a YouTube Advertising Campaign

In this section, let’s discuss all the considerations you need to take into account while running a YouTube advertising campaign. I’ll try to simplify the process as much as possible so that even absolute beginners can set up their own campaigns.

Step 1: Decide on Your Goal

Before you launch a campaign, decide on your main focus area. Do you want more conversions, awareness, or engagement? This choice will impact which ad strategy and format you should pick at a later stage.

Step 2: Create a New Campaign

Next open Google Ads Manager, and create a new campaign. You can choose specific goals or opt for opt to build a campaign without a goal’s guidance.

Google Ads Manager - Campaign Objective popup

Step 3: Choose a Campaign Type

For YouTube marketing, you should select the “video” option here. Alternatively, you can also choose the “Discovery” option if that aligns better with your goals.

Google Ads Manager - Campaign Type popup

Step 4: Choose Campaign Sub-Type

Based on your campaign goal, you can choose an appropriate sub-type. You can also choose Custom Video campaign if you’d like more options. Keep in mind that it’s possible to change this option even at a later stage in the campaign creation process.

Google Ads Manager - Campaign Sub-type popup

Step 5: Select Your YouTube Bid Strategy

Each format has different bidding strategies for YouTube ads. In this example, I have chosen the “Custom Video” campaign, so my custom options are Maximum CPV and Target CPM.

YouTube Bid Strategy popup options

Step 6: Choose Your Preferred Networks

From the given options, pick your preferred networks. Keep in mind that you might not be able to deselect certain options. If that network is a necessity for the format you’ve chosen, the platform will mark the option for you.

Google Ads Manager - Preferred Networks popup

Step 7: Choose Content Exclusion

This option allows you some control over your ad placement. If you don’t want your YouTube ad to appear next to potentially sensitive content, you can choose Limited Inventory.

Alternatively, if you want to explore multiple placements at a lower cost and due to lower competition, you should choose Expanded Inventory.

YouTube Ads - Content Exclusion options

With Standard Inventory, you get the option to exclude certain types of content.

Step 8: Include Related Videos

If you want to increase engagement and grow your YouTube channel, you should include related videos. They can redirect viewers to other content on your YouTube channel. You can also tweak additional settings to schedule ads, cap frequencies, and do more.

Options to add Related Video to YouTube videos

Step 9: Set Up Targeting Options

For YouTube ads, you get two targeting options: People and Content. Through the targeting options in the People section, you can select the demographics and audience segments.

With Content subcategory, you can select options such as keyword targeting, topic targeting, and placement targeting.

Targeting options for YouTube ads

Step 10: Create Your YouTube Video Ad

Before you create a video ad on YouTube, you need to upload it to your channel. If you don’t want it to be available publicly, you can select the option, “Unlisted.”

Depending on the subtype of your YouTube ad campaign, the options you get here will be different.

Create your YouTube Ad dialogbox

Step 11: Set Up a Bid

That’s it. In the last step, you need to set up your bid. Do your research so that you can come up with a bid that works for your YouTube campaign.

Set up bids for YouTube ads dialogbox

Step 12: Measure the Success of Your Campaign

Based on the objective of your campaign, make sure you select the right metrics to measure your campaign's success. I recommend that you pick one efficiency metric and another reach metric to get a comprehensive picture of your performance.

How Much Does It Cost to Run Ads on YouTube?

There is no absolute answer to this question. Some factors that influence YouTube ad costs include ad formats, bidding, and targeting. However, I can give you an estimate based on my experience with YouTube advertising.

Ads on YouTube can cost approximately $0.10-$0.30 per view. Going by that, the total cost of reaching 100K YouTubers is approximately $2000.

Keep in mind that a view is counted only when a viewer watches an ad for over 30 seconds. If your video ad is shorter than 30 seconds, YouTube counts a view only if a viewer watches the entire video.

Understanding YouTube Analytics

YouTube analytics can be overwhelming if you don’t have someone to walk you through it. In this section, I want to give you a quick introduction to all that is covered in YouTube analytics.

When you click on the Analytics tab in your YouTube account, you will see five main sections: Overview, Reach, Engagement, Audience, and Revenue.

  • The Overview section gives you an overview of your channel as a whole, including things like total views, watch time, subscribers gained or lost, etc.
A photo showing the overviewing section of the Channel Analytics window of YouTube
  • The Reach section shows you how many people are seeing your videos. You’ll also be able to check your traffic sources, impressions, and CTR.
A photo showing all the metrics included in the Reach section of YouTube Analytics
Image via Emplifi
  • The Engagement section gives you an overview of how viewers are responding to your videos. You’ll also be able to see key moments for audience retention, shares, likes, dislikes, watch time and average view duration.
A photo showing all the metrics covered in the Engagement section of YouTube Channel Analytics.
Image via Windowstechit
  • The Audience section gives you information about who your viewers are, including things like their location, age, gender, etc. You will also be able to check returning viewers, unique viewers, and the watch time for subscribers.
  • The Revenue section shows your top earning videos, monthly estimated revenue, transaction revenue, YouTube Premium revenue, and other important information.
A photo showing all the metrics covered in the Revenue section of YouTube Channel Analytics.
Image via SideHustleTeach

FAQs

1. How do I increase my subscriber numbers?

To increase your subscriber numbers, you can optimize your description, create playlists, and cross promote your channel on other social media channels.
For more tips on this, check out my blog post on increasing subscriber count on YouTube.

2. What are the best times to upload videos on YouTube?

The best time to post on YouTube is between 12 to 3 PM on Thursdays and Fridays. 

By posting your videos a little ahead of the peak viewing hour, you can increase the chances of getting more views.

3. Can you pay YouTube to get views?

No, you can not pay YouTube to get more views on your videos. You will have to grow your viewership organically.

4. How do you do SEO optimization for YouTube?

To do SEO optimization for YouTube, you should start with keyword research, title optimization, and description optimization. You can also create playlists to organize similar videos together.

For more tips, check out my post on YouTube optimization.

5. How can you promote a YouTube channel?

To promote your YouTube channel, you can optimize your YouTube videos, and schedule them at regular intervals. You can also leverage the YouTube Community Channel tab to get more engagement. 

For more tips, check out my post on best tips to grow your YouTube channel.

Ready to Make the Most of YouTube Marketing?

Now you know the answer to the question of “What is YouTube Marketing?” And you know that small businesses can leverage YouTube marketing by creating engaging videos that tell their story and connect with their audience. By doing so, they can reach a wider audience, build brand awareness, and drive traffic to their websites.

YouTube marketing is an effective way for small businesses to connect with their target audience and promote their products or services.

When done right, it can be a powerful tool that helps them grow their business. So if you’re thinking about starting a small business, don’t forget to include YouTube in your marketing mix.

Thanks for reading! We hope this post was helpful in understanding why should small businesses leverage YouTube marketing.

Do you have any questions related to what is YouTube marketing or how to create your own strategy? Leave us a comment below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

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The Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing https://shanebarker.com/blog/content-marketing/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/content-marketing/#respond Thu, 06 Oct 2022 16:00:00 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=63199 As a marketer, you know that content is important. But what is content marketing, exactly? And how can you use it to achieve your marketing goals?

That's what I’ll cover in this guide.

By the end, you'll have a solid understanding of content marketing, why it matters, and how to use it to drive results for your business. I'll also cover the best content marketing strategies (with examples) that you can use to get started.

So, let's start with a content marketing definition.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.

In other words, it's using content to create a connection between your brand and your potential and current customers, by providing information that is helpful, relevant, and interesting.

Content marketing is more than just a buzzword. It’s an essential part of any modern marketing strategy.

Why?

Because today’s consumers are bombarded with marketing messages from all sides. To cut through the noise, you need to create content that is not only informative and helpful but also interesting and engaging.

The good news is, content marketing can be an extremely effective way to drive sales and grow your business when done right.

And, I am saying this from experience.

Creating insightful articles on topics related to different digital marketing strategies, tips, and tools has helped me attract over 110K monthly visitors to my website and generated tens of thousands of leads for my business.

monthly traffic of shanebarker.com

Now, I am not saying that all of these visitors and leads converted into customers. But, without content marketing, it would have been impossible to get them in the first place.

So, if you're not already using content marketing, I urge you to start.

And if you are using content marketing, but not seeing the results you want, then this guide is for you.

In the next section, I'll help you take a look at some of the most important content marketing statistics that show why you need to be using this strategy.

Why is Content Marketing So Important?

Content marketing is so important because it is one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience and achieve your marketing and business goals.

If you do it right, content marketing can help you with a lot of things. You can use it to:

  • Educate your potential customers or leads.
  • Increase brand awareness.
  • Attract targeted consumers and build relationships with them to increase loyalty.
  • Boost conversions and sales.
  • Build a community around your brand.
  • Save money that you’d otherwise spend on other marketing tactics that generate fewer results.
  • Build trust and credibility.
  • Boost your SEO efforts.
  • Retain customers and build loyalty.

If you're not convinced that content is necessary to any modern marketing strategy, let me show you some statistics that prove just how important it is.

49% of marketing teams spend between 30%-50% of their total marketing budget on content. And, 5% of teams go all in by spending 71% of their marketing budget on content.

Content marketing budget of companies

That’s how much brands are willing to invest in content.

But why?

Because content marketing has proven to generate better quality leads, increase organic traffic to your website, and improve brand reputation.

In fact, it generates almost 3x more leads than outbound marketing and costs only 28% of the latter.

How Does Content Marketing Work?

Content marketing works by creating and sharing valuable content that attracts and engages your target audience and helps you convert them into actual sales and revenue.

But to use it effectively, you need to provide people with the right information at every stage of the customer lifecycle – from awareness to purchase and beyond.

Here are the different types of content that can help keep your consumers engaged throughout their journey:

Stages of the Buying Cycle

Types of Content

Points to Talk About

Awareness stage

Blog posts

Videos

Ebooks

Newsletters

How-to guides

Educational content

Your audience’s pain points, challenges, and questions.

How to solve a problem.

Consideration stage

How-to articles and videos

Checklists

Case studies

Product comparisons

Helpful information about choosing the right product or service.

The features to look for.

A brief introduction to what you are offering and how it can help.

Pros and cons of different products/services.

Decision stage

Case studies

Product reviews

User-generated content (UGC)

Product videos

How great your product or service is.

Your expertise.

The advantages you offer.

Types of Content Marketing

There are several different types of content that can be used for content marketing, including blog posts, articles, ebooks, infographics, videos, and more. The best way to determine which type of content is right for you is to think about what your goals are and what would be most helpful for your target audience.

For example, if you’re trying to attract new customers, you might want to create content that is educational and informative. If you’re trying to build loyalty and retention, you might want to focus on creating content that is entertaining and engaging.

Here are some of the most popular types of content marketing:

Blog Content Marketing

A blog is a great way to share your thoughts and ideas with the world. In addition to being a platform for you to express yourself, a blog can also be used to attract new customers and build relationships with your existing ones.

To be successful with blog content marketing, you should follow the tips below:

  • Identify a niche you're passionate about and have knowledge about.
  • Come up with at least a month of topic ideas for your blog.
  • Maintain a consistent posting schedule.
  • Make sure all of your blog posts are well-written, informative, and engaging.
  • Include call-to-actions (CTAs) in your blog posts to encourage your readers to take action.
  • Promote your blog content through social media and other channels.

Infographic Content Marketing

An infographic is a visual representation of data or information and is often used to make complex topics more accessible and easy to understand.

Creating an infographic is a great way to take a large amount of data and turn it into something that is both visually appealing and easy to digest.

To be successful with infographic content marketing, you should follow the tips below:

  • Choose topics related to your business niche. You can choose to answer your target audience’s most asked questions.
  • Research your topic thoroughly and come up with an attention-grabbing headline.
  • Find or create high-quality visuals to support your data.
  • Use pre-designed infographic templates to speed up the design process and ensure a professional result.
  • Make sure your infographic is easy to understand and digest. It should not overwhelm the reader with too much information.
  • Include a clear call-to-action (CTA) at the end of your infographic to encourage your readers to take action.
  • Promote your infographic through social media and other channels. Infographics work especially well to drive traffic from Pinterest.

Social Media Content Marketing

Social media is a great platform for content marketing because it allows you to share your content with a large audience quickly and easily. It also allows you to interact with your audience and get feedback on your content.

Here are some tips for creating effective social media content and generating good results from it:

  • Make sure your content is interesting and relevant to your audience.
  • Experiment with all content formats that a social media platform offers, varying from single images to carousels, videos, Stories, paid ads, Reels, Live videos, etc.
  • Make sure your headlines are attention grabbing and interesting.
  • Don’t forget to use relevant hashtags, as they can help increase the reach of your content.
  • Encourage users to engage with your content by asking questions, running polls, or using other interactive features that each social media platform offers.
  • Post regularly and at optimal times for your audience.
  • Repurpose your blog content into social media posts or create social media-specific content.
  • Collaborate with other brands and creators to amplify your reach and attract new followers.
  • Regularly post Stories to keep your audience engaged.
  • Re-share your best-performing content every three-four months to boost its reach and engagement.
  • Monitor your social media analytics to see what content is resonating with your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Video Content Marketing

Videos are a great way to show off your products or services in a way that is both engaging and informative. In fact, according to Wyzowl, 88% of people say that they have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand's video.

When creating videos for your content marketing strategy, it's important to keep in mind that you don't have to go big or go home. A simple video that demonstrates what your product does or how your service can help solve a problem can be extremely effective.

If you're not sure where to start, consider the following tips:

  • Keep it short and sweet as people have short attention spans. Make sure your videos hook their attention within the first few seconds.
  • Make it visually appealing as people are naturally drawn to visuals.
  • Use emotion to connect with your audience on a deeper level as this can be extremely effective in getting people to take action.
  • Tell a story as this is a great way to engage your audience and make them remember your video.
  • Feature product videos on your website and on social media to give potential customers a better idea of what you have to offer.
  • You can also repurpose your top-performing blog content into a video format to reach a wider audience.
  • Maintain a consistent branding message across all of your video content to ensure that your target audience knows who you are and what you stand for.

By following these tips, you can create videos that will help you achieve your content marketing goals.

Paid Ad Content Marketing

Paid advertising is a form of content marketing where you pay to have your content seen by potential customers. Paid ads can be a great way to reach a large audience quickly, but they can also be expensive.

When deciding whether or not to use paid advertising, you'll need to consider your budget and your goals.

If you're trying to reach a large audience with your content, paid ads may be a good option. However, if you're trying to build long-term relationships with your customers, organic content marketing may be a better choice.

There are many different types of paid advertising, including:

  • Display ads: These are the ads that you typically see on websites. They can be text, images, or videos.
  • Social media ads: These are ads that you see on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
  • Search engine ads: These are the ads that you see when you do a search on a search engine, such as Google or Bing.
  • Native advertising: This is a type of paid advertising that blends in with the content on the page. For example, you may see an ad that looks like an article but is actually an advertisement.

Paid advertising can be a great way to reach your target audience. However, it's important to use it wisely. Make sure that your ads are relevant to your audience and that they add value to the content on your site.

Most brands use paid ads when they are promoting a new product or service, or when they want to increase awareness about an event or sale.

If you're not sure whether paid advertising is right for you, consider talking to a content marketing professional.

Podcast Content Marketing

Podcast content marketing or podcasting is a newly popular way to engage with customers and build loyalty.

Unlike other forms of content marketing, podcasts are usually audio-only, which makes them more intimate and personal. You can think of them as a radio show that your audience can tune into anytime, anywhere.

Podcasts are perfect for customers who are always on the go, or who prefer to consume content in an audio format. And because they can be easily downloaded and listened to offline, they're also great for customers with spotty internet connections.

You'll be surprised to know that over 104 million Americans (that's almost one-third of the total population) listen to podcasts regularly.

To engage with this huge audience, you can either launch your own podcast or join other podcast hosts in your niche as a guest speaker. I’ve done both!

You must have heard of my “Marketing Growth Podcast” and I’ve been on podcast episodes of many top publishers such as IZEA and CoSchedule.

With my experience, I’d like to share some tips for all those who are starting with podcast content marketing. Here you go:

  • Create an email list before launching your podcast.
  • Choose topics that your audience wants to learn about.
  • Launch your podcast with a few episodes and see how well it works.
  • Whether you invite a guest or join someone else as a guest on their podcast, research them and the topic first.
  • Make the conversation fun and engaging.
  • Don’t be salesy. Ensure that your podcast episodes are at least 80% informational and provide valuable and helpful information that can solve your audience’s problems or make their lives easier.
  • Candidly ask your audience to take an action if they like your podcast.
  • Submit your podcast to all aggregators and directories such as Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
  • Ensure good sound quality and provide transcripts. I recommend that you use a tool like Otter.ai to automate transcription. It’s quite efficient and accurate in my experience.
  • Invite relevant guest speakers to add more value to your podcast.
  • Use your guest’s network to increase the reach of your podcast episodes.
  • Break down your podcast episodes into smaller clips, quotes, snippets, and key takeaways. You can amplify the reach of your podcast content by sharing these on your website and social media profiles.
  • Engage with your audience on social media.
  • Track new listeners and social mentions.

How to Get Started with Content Marketing

Content marketing can feel daunting but it doesn’t have to be.

When it comes to getting started with content marketing, I’d love to quote something from HubSpot’s Director of Content, Lisa Dahmani.

She said that you can only earn attention by providing value. The key to content marketing success lies in creating remarkable content and publishing it where your audience is.

The key to content marketing success
Source

In this section, I’ll show you how to do just that in a step-by-step process for effective content marketing. So, keep reading!

Set SMART Goals and KPIs

First things first, every good campaign starts with setting SMART goals – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Here are some common content marketing goals and the related key performance indicators (KPIs) that can help you track whether or not you’re on the right track.

GoalsRelated KPIs
Increase brand awarenessWebsite traffic
Social media followers
Email subscribers
Brand mentions
Increase customer engagementBlog comments
Social media engagement (likes, comments, shares, follows, etc.)
Backlinks
Get more conversionsNumber of clicks on product pages or the “Add to cart” button
Conversion rate
Shopping cart abandonment rate
Boost revenueEveryday sales
Build trust and increase brand loyaltyNumber of retained customers
Referral orders
Customer lifetime value (CLV)
Promoters and followers
Brand mentions
Build an email listEmail subscribers
Number of ebooks/templates downloads

Understand Your Audience Better

To meet your goals and KPIs, you need to understand your audience and create buyer personas for each campaign you launch and each piece of content you create.

It’s important to understand:

  • Fast facts about your target audience such as their age, gender, location, occupation, income, marital status, etc.
  • What matters to your potential and existing customers.
  • The demand for your product or service.
  • The potential USPs of your product or service.
  • The general thoughts and feedback of people who have tried or used your product or service.
  • Where your brand stands in the eyes of those who would buy from you. Have they heard of your brand? What do they think of your brand? How much do they trust you?
  • How strong the other players in the market are.

Understanding your target audience and buying personas can help you draft a more effective content strategy over time.

Pro tip: Conducting market research and customer satisfaction surveys shouldn’t be a one-time affair. It has to be a regular job if you want to stay up-to-date about what’s working and what’s not and what can.

If you think it’s a troublesome job, consider using some of my favorite survey tools that will make this job as easy as possible for you.

Conduct Content Audits Regularly

Before you devise or upgrade your content marketing strategy, it is essential to analyze the current performance of your already-published content.

Doing so can help you:

  • Improve the user experience on your website.
  • Identify your best-performing content and find ways to increase its visibility.
  • Find content gaps and opportunities.
  • Improve your site’s SEO and SERP rankings.
  • Identify website and content issues such as broken links, outdated statistics, and slow load times.

All of this will ultimately help you increase your content’s visibility online and benefit your business in multiple ways – from more traffic to better leads and a higher conversion rate.

That’s why 65% of companies that generate successful results from their content marketing campaigns perform content audits twice a year.

Conducting audits and updating the content has helped many brands increase engagement, reach, and traffic.

The benefits of updating content regularly
Source

Content updating is one of my go-to strategies to make my content work to the best of its potential and it works well for my website.

For example, I recently updated my post on “Top Female YouTubers” with the latest information about:

  • The total number of subscribers they have on their channels now
  • The types of content they create
  • What makes them unique

I also removed the YouTubers who have stopped sharing video content on YouTube and added new rising stars to the list.

Plus, I added a quick table that features the names + links of the YouTube channels of the top 10 female YouTubers, sorted by the current number of subscribers they have, in descending order.

top 25 female YouTubers

This helped me improve the user experience by providing the information readers need in an easy-to-consume manner.

In turn, it helped me rank my post on the top of the first page of Google search results and also be feature as the answer to two questions.

My post ranked on first page of Google

To achieve similar results, I suggest that you keep an eye on how your content is performing and ensure that it is up-to-date with the latest information, statistics, data, and feedback from your readers.

Choose Your Content Marketing Channels

Deciding on the content marketing channels you want to invest in each year can help you stay focused on your goals and create a consistent brand experience for your audience across all touchpoints.

Here are the top 10 most popular content marketing channels:

top 10 content marketing channels
Source

However, your choice of content marketing channels should depend on where your target audience is spending most of their time online.

To find that out, consider conducting audience research or using Google Analytics to see which channels are already sending traffic your way.

You can also use social media listening tools to track conversations about your brand or industry and see which channels you should be paying more attention to.

Decide on the Type of Content You Want to Create

Now that you know which content marketing channels to focus on, it’s time to decide what kind of content you want to create.

There are several different types of content you can create, but some of the most popular and effective ones include:

  • Blogs
  • Videos
  • Ebooks
  • Infographics
  • Whitepapers
  • Case studies
  • How-to guides
  • Product demos and tours
  • Tutorials
  • User manuals
  • Templates
  • Checklists
  • Calculators
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes and games

As you can see, there’s a lot of different content you can create, but not all content is created equal.

Some formats perform better than others.

For example, blog posts tend to get more traffic and engagement than other types of content, like videos or infographics. This is likely because they are easier to produce and consume.

On the other hand, specialized content, like videos or infographics, can be more effective at generating leads or sales because they offer a richer and more immersive experience to the viewers.

However, not all types of content will be right for your business or your audience. When deciding on the types of content to create, you should consider these factors:

  • Your business goals
  • The needs of your target audience
  • The challenges they are trying to overcome
  • The reason your audience needs your products or services
  • Your budget and resource constraints
  • The skills and expertise you have in-house
  • The popularity of different content formats in your industry
  • The content formats your target audience prefers to get information
  • Your competitors’ content strategies

Once you’ve decided on the types of content you want to create, it’s time to start thinking about your content creation and distribution strategy.

But before that, it’s important to ensure that you have everything you need to start creating high-quality, conversion-driven content.

Get the Resources and Tools You Need

Creating quality content requires time, effort, and expertise. And if you want your content to be successful, you’ll need the right tools as well as the right team in place.

Here are some of the resources and tools you need for content marketing:

  • A team of experienced content writers, editors, copywriters, designers, strategists, SEO specialists, analysts, etc.
  • A content calendar to help you map out and plan your content strategy
  • A project management tool to help you keep track of your content production. My team is currently using ClickUp to put everything in place and it’s working great!
  • Content research tools like BuzzSumo, Google Trends, and Semrush, to help you understand what topics are trending and what keywords people are searching for.
  • Content writing and optimization assistants like Jasper, Grammarly, Copyscape, and Surfer to help you write better, faster, and more SEO-friendly content.
  • A good CMS (content management system) to help you manage and publish your content. I personally recommend WordPress.
  • A social media management tool like Hootsuite.
  • A graphic design software solution like Adobe Photoshop or a subscription to Canva for easy-breezy templates.
  • A camera for taking good quality pictures and videos.
  • Pay for ad spaces (if needed).
  • An email marketing tool like Mailchimp or Constant Contact.
  • And last but not least, a solid understanding of your target audience, their needs, and their wants.

This is just a basic checklist of some of the things you need for content marketing. Of course, the list can go on and on depending on your specific needs. But if you have all of these in place, then you’re well on your way to content marketing success.

Here is another list of some of my tried-and-tested content marketing platforms that may help and what you can use them for. Be sure to check it out.

Next comes the process of actually creating and distributing content.

Create Original, Engaging, and Informative Content & Distribute It

Content creation is one of the most important aspects of a content marketing strategy, and it needs to be given careful thought and attention. After all, the quality of your content is what will determine whether or not you achieve your content marketing goals.

The good news is, creating great content isn’t as difficult as it may seem. With a little planning and effort, you can start producing content that will resonate with your audience and help you achieve your business goals.

Here are a few tips on creating quality content:

  • Make sure your content is original and engaging. There’s a lot of content out there, so yours must stand out. Write original articles, create infographics, and produce videos that are interesting and informative.
  • Do your research. Make sure you understand your topic inside and out. This will not only make your content better, but it will also make the writing process easier.
  • Create a catchy headline. Your headline is the first thing people will see, so make sure it’s attention-grabbing and relevant to the rest of your content.
  • Optimize your content for the search engines. SEO (search engine optimization) will help ensure that your content is seen by as many people as possible. Use keywords throughout your content, and make sure to include links to other relevant articles and websites.
  • Distribute your content on social media and other platforms. While promoting your content on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn is a great way to get your content in front of more people, you can also syndicate it on websites like Medium.
  • Write for other publications. Many publications accept guest articles. This is a great way to get your name and your work out there.

This practice has helped me acquire 103K backlinks from 8K domains and build my authority as a digital marketing expert.

My backlinks and referring domains
  • Repurpose your content. Once you’ve created a piece of content, don’t let it sit idly by. Turn it into an infographic, a podcast, or a video. This will help you get the most out of your content and reach more people.

Content marketing takes time, effort, and planning. But if you create quality content and distribute it on the right platforms, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your business goals.

Analyze and Measure Results

Finally, it’s important to analyze and measure the results of your content marketing efforts. This will help you understand what’s working and what’s not, and it will allow you to make necessary adjustments to your strategy.

Here are a few tools you can use to track your content marketing results:

By analyzing your results, you can fine-tune your content marketing strategy and ensure that you’re getting the most out of your efforts.

The Best Content Marketing Strategies Today

Now that you understand what content marketing is and how it works, it’s time to put that knowledge into practice.

To help you get started, here are some of the most successful content marketing techniques being used today by marketers:

Successful content marketing tactics
Source

Let’s learn about them in detail:

Create Skyscraper Content

The first content marketing strategy on our list is “skyscraper content.” This technique was popularized by Brian Dean of Backlinko.

The basic idea is simple: find popular content in your niche and then create something even better.

To pull this off, you can use Google Search or BuzzSumo to look for content with high pageviews or social shares in your niche.

Once you’ve found some popular content, it’s time to create your own version.

To do this, simply make a list of all the things you could improve about the popular content. This could be anything from adding more graphics to making the content easier to read.

Remember, the goal is to make your content even better than the popular piece you found.

To do this, you may need to invest in some additional resources, such as hiring a designer or copywriter.

However, the investment will be worth it, as you’ll be able to attract links and social shares from the existing audience of the popular content.

Improve Content Quality

Focus on creating higher-quality content if you want your content marketing strategy to be successful.

This may seem like an obvious statement, but it’s important to create content that is well-researched, engaging, and informative. If you can do this, your content will stand out from the sea of mediocre content that is out there.

To improve your content quality, make sure to:

  • Research your topics thoroughly.
  • Write in a clear, concise, and easy-to-read style.
  • Engage your readers by using strong storytelling.
  • Use images, infographics, and videos to break up your text and add visual interest.
  • Edit your content thoroughly before publishing.

Invest in SEO

If you want your content to be seen by as many people as possible, it’s important to make it rank in the top search results for relevant queries. For this, you’ll need to invest in search engine optimization.

You should:

  • Research the best keywords for your content.
  • Include these keywords throughout your content, including in the title, headings, and body text.
  • Optimize your website for search engines and page speed.
  • Make sure your website is mobile friendly.
  • Use social media to promote your content.

Create More Visual Content

People are visual creatures, and they tend to engage with visual content more than text-based content.

If you want to capture your audience’s attention, it’s a good idea to create more visual content. This could include creating infographics, videos, or images to accompany your blog posts.

If you’re not sure where to start, there are plenty of online tools that can help you create visual content.

Canva is a great option for creating infographics, charts, and social media graphics. Similarly, you can use video editing apps like InShot to create videos for your social media channels or website.

Update and Repurpose Existing Content

If you don’t have the time or resources to create new content from scratch, then don’t worry – you can still give your content marketing a boost by updating and repurposing your existing content.

This could involve:

  • Adding new sections to old blog posts.
  • Updating data and statistics in existing infographics.
  • Creating new videos or podcasts from existing blog posts.
  • Turning a blog post into an infographic or a video.

This is a great way to get more mileage out of your content and reach a new audience. And I'm a big fan of anything that makes my life easier!

I’ve got a whole list of posts that I want to update each month. Here’s a snapshot of my “Revamping Posts” dashboard on ClickUp:

Revamping content plan

These posts are selected based on a number of factors:

  • A drop in search rankings traffic
  • Engagement with the post (likes, shares, comments)
  • The relevance of the topic to current trends
  • Any new industry update related to the topic

For example, with the new 2022 Instagram update, the photo-sharing app now allows users to directly add spaces in their post captions and bios by hitting the “Enter” key.

Earlier, users had to either copy-paste the caption from another app such as the Notes app or use emojis and symbols to add spaces and line breaks.

With the latest update, the process got simpler and I felt the need to update my article on, “How to Add Spaces on Instagram Captions & Bios” to keep my readers updated with the latest information on the topic.

So I added this quick section to the post:

add spaces to Instagram captions and bio

This quick update is the reason why my article is still relevant to the topic and is ranking at the top of Google search results.

My post ranking on page 1 of Google

In all, revamping existing content has helped me save time, get better results, and improve my SEO. If you’re looking for an easy way to improve your content marketing strategy, then this is it.

Successful Content Marketing Examples to Inspire You

Let’s look at a few examples that will help you figure out how to implement the content marketing techniques and tips that we’ve discussed in this article for your brand.

HubSpot Academy Courses: The Free Marketing Resource That Builds Loyalty

HubSpot, a leading CRM company, offers free marketing and sales courses through their HubSpot Academy. The courses are interactive and include quizzes, videos, and resources that help learners progress through the course material.

HubSpot Academy courses
Source

What’s more?

HubSpot also offers certifications for those who want to show that they’ve completed the coursework and can apply the concepts in a real-world setting.

To date, the HubSpot Academy has certified over 165,000 professionals and helped them see growth in their careers.

While this sounds like giving value for free, it’s actually a smart marketing move. By providing quality content and resources, HubSpot is able to attract top talent to their brand and convert them into customers or employees down the road.

What should you learn from HubSpot?

  • Create high-quality content that provides value to your target audience and helps them progress in their career or business journey.
  • Make the content interactive and engaging, using quizzes, videos, and other resources.
  • Consider creating short content that is easy to consume and can be completed in one sitting.
  • Don’t forget to promote your content through social media, email, and other channels to reach your target audience.

IKEA's Augmented Reality App: Try Before You Buy Catalog

In 2017, IKEA launched an augmented reality (AR) experience app version of their print catalog. The app, called “IKEA Place,” lets users place virtual furniture in their homes to see how it would look before they buy it.

IKEA's Augmented Reality App
Source

This was an innovative way to use AR technology and give customers a new way to interact with the IKEA brand. It’s also an example of how IKEA is always looking for new ways to engage its customers and provide them with value.

To date, the app has been downloaded 31.3 million times, with an average rating of 4.6 stars. It successfully attracted and retained young customers and introduced the “try before you buy” concept across the retail industry.

What should you learn from IKEA?

  • Always be on the lookout for new technologies that you can use to engage your customers and provide them with value.
  • Think outside the box to come up with new and innovative ways to market your products or services.
  • Don’t be afraid to experiment with new ideas – even if they don’t all work out, you’ll learn from the process and be better prepared for next time.

Red Bull: The Content Marketing Kings

When it comes to content marketing, no one does it better than Red Bull. This energy drink company has built an entire empire by creating and distributing high-quality content that is entertaining, informative, and inspirational.

Red Bull’s content marketing efforts are so successful that the company has its own media arm, “Red Bull Media House.” This division produces award-winning films, TV shows, and events that are watched by millions of people around the world.

And it focuses on video content more than any other type of content, with over 10.7M subscribers on its YouTube channel alone.

The company often partners with athletes and daredevils to promote their idea – “Red Bull Gives You Wings.”

Here's one short video clip the company posted on Instagram:

Source

What’s more?

Red Bull doesn’t just create content for the sake of it – everything they produce is in line with their brand identity and mission. As a result, their content is highly effective at attracting new customers and retaining existing ones.

What should you learn from Red Bull?

  • Focus on creating high-quality, entertaining, and inspiring content.
  • Create content that is aligned with your brand identity and mission.
  • Use videos to reach a wider audience.
  • Collaborate with other relevant brands, influencers, and consumers to create co-branded content.

Coca-Cola: The Soft Drink Giant That Conquered Social Media

Coca-Cola is one of the most popular soft drink brands in the world, and it has used content marketing to build a massive social media following.

The company has millions of followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And they regularly post engaging content that is liked, shared, and commented on by millions of people.

For example, their “Share a Coke” campaign encouraged people to buy bottles of Coke with their names on them and share photos of themselves drinking the soda with friends and family.

Source

This campaign was so successful that 1.25 million more teens tried a Coke during that summer and it led to a phenomenal 11% increase in sales in the U.S. alone.

. Coca-Cola's Share a Coke success story

Source

Coca-Cola also uses content marketing to run successful PR campaigns.

For instance, their “Open Happiness” campaign was created in response to the global financial crisis of 2008. The feel-good ads and videos produced by the company helped to boost their image and sales during a difficult time.

What can you learn from Coca-Cola?

  • Use content marketing to increase your social media following.
  • Create campaigns that are timely and relevant to current events.
  • Focus on producing personalized and feel-good content that will make people happy and encourage them to take an action.

Nike: The Sportswear Giant That Uses Stories to Sell

Nike is one of the world’s most successful sportswear brands, and they have used content marketing to great effect.

The company tells stories to sell their products, and they have produced some iconic ad campaigns over the years.

For example, their “Just Do It” slogan and ads featuring famous athletes like Michael Jordan have helped to make Nike one of the most recognized brands in the world.

Nike also produces high-quality content to promote their products.

For example, their “Nike Run Club” app provides users with a personalized running experience and has been downloaded over 10 million times, with an average rating of 4.2 stars.

Nike Run Club app for runners
Source

What can you learn from Nike?

  • Use stories to sell your products.
  • Create ad campaigns that are iconic and memorable.
  • Produce high-quality content that provides value to your consumers.

The Takeaway

As you can see from these examples, there are many different ways to approach content marketing.

The key is to find a method that works for your business and your audience.

By creating quality content that provides value to your readers, you’ll be able to build a loyal following and achieve your business goals.

Content Marketing FAQs

1. What do content marketers do?

Content marketers create and distribute valuable, relevant, and consistent content with the aim of attracting and retaining a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, driving profitable customer action.

– To achieve business goals, content marketers:
– Perform content audits regularly.
– Define the brand's target audience and buyer personas.
– Conduct market research to understand what other brands are doing.
– Set goals and KPIs for their work.
– Come up with a content strategy, and define the types of content to create and the channels to use to promote it.
– Create an editorial calendar to map out topics, types of content, and the publishing schedule.
– Create, curate, and publish high-quality content that's both original and differentiated from the competition.
– Optimize content for search engine rankings and social sharing.
– Promote content through SEO, social media, email marketing, and other channels.
– Analyze metrics to understand which pieces of content are resonating with the audience and driving results.
– Update and repurpose existing content to keep it fresh and relevant.
– Work with other departments and teams to ensure that content aligns with the overall marketing strategy.

2. What is the content marketing process?

The generic content marketing process includes steps like these:

Plan: Before you do anything, you need to have a solid plan in place. This means knowing your goals, understanding your audience, and creating a strategy.

Create: Once you have a plan in place, it’s time to start creating your content. This can include blog posts, infographics, videos, ebooks, and more.

Promote: Once your content is created, you need to promote it to reach your target audience. This can be done through social media, email marketing, paid advertising, and more.

Analyze: After your content has been published, it’s important to analyze its performance. This will help you understand what’s working and what isn’t so you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

3. What is good content marketing?

Good content marketing refers to creating and distributing content that is valuable, relevant, and interesting to your target audience. It helps you successfully attract, engage, and retain
customers by providing them with information that they need and want.

Here are a few tips to do good content marketing:

– Understand your audience and their needs.
– Create content that is valuable, relevant, and interesting to your target audience.
– Distribute your content through channels that your audience frequents.
– Monitor and measure your results.
– Repurpose and reuse your content.
– Update and improve your content regularly.

4. What is an example of content marketing?

There are many examples of successful content marketing but one of my personal favorites is the story of HubSpot, a software company that provides inbound marketing and sales solutions.

HubSpot’s blog is full of high-quality content that attracts a large audience. This, in turn, helps it generate leads and sales for its SaaS solutions.

Along with publishing insightful articles, guides, and ebooks, HubSpot also launched HubSpot Academy, which offers free online marketing courses with certifications. The marketers who learn from their courses are likely to use their tools, which benefits the company in the long run.

This is just one example of how a company can use content marketing to achieve its business goals. There are many other ways to use this strategy, which I've explored in this article.

Grow Your Brand with Content Marketing

Content marketing is one of the most important aspects of digital marketing. It involves creating and distributing original, informative, and engaging content to attract and retain customers.

Unlike other forms of marketing, content marketing focuses on building relationships rather than pitching products or services. That's why it is important to understand your target audience and create content that appeals to their needs and interests.

You can use content marketing to increase your brand awareness, attract more website visitors, generate leads, increase customer engagement, boost sales, and retain customers.

Now that you know what content marketing is and how you can use it to achieve your marketing goals, it's time to implement what you've learned so far.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments section below.

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https://shanebarker.com/blog/content-marketing/feed/ 0 Share a Coke USA Commercial nonadult
B2B Content Marketing: A Quick Guide For All Marketers https://shanebarker.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-b2b-content-marketing/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-b2b-content-marketing/#respond Sat, 03 Sep 2022 22:38:07 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=62239 If you're in the business-to-business (B2B) world, then you know that B2B content marketing is all the rage. In a world where businesses can be found with the tap of a finger, it’s crucial to stand out from the crowd. That’s where B2B marketing comes in

Creating content is a great way to do that and it can also help you reach new audiences, drive sales, and build your brand. 

B2B content marketing is all about creating and distributing relevant, valuable, and consistent content to attract and retain a pre-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. It isn’t just about selling your product. It’s about educating your audience so they’ll buy from you when they are ready. 

While the concept may seem simple enough, executing a successful B2B content marketing strategy can be challenging. That's why I’ve put together this helpful guide. In it, you'll learn everything you need to know about B2B content marketing.

What Is B2B Content Marketing?

B2B content marketing is aimed at businesses that sell to other businesses. It’s generally more focused on lead generation, driving traffic to your website, and increasing your brand’s authority than B2C (business-to-consumer) marketing. In a nutshell, the goal is to attract, engage, and ultimately convert prospects into customers.

To do this effectively, you need to understand what your audience wants and needs. Then, you need to create content that meets those needs.

Different Types of Content For B2B Marketing

Many different types of content can be used for B2B content marketing. However, not all of them will be equally effective for every business. It is important to choose the right mix of content types that will work best for your particular business and audience.

Some of the best B2B content ideas that you can use include:

1. White Papers

These are in-depth research reports on a specific topic. They are usually used to educate potential customers about a problem or solution.

White papers are an important part of B2B content marketing because they provide valuable information to help businesses make decisions. By creating informative and persuasive white papers, businesses can establish themselves as thought leaders in their industries.

1 white papers
Image via Paperflite

White papers can be used to educate prospects about a company's products or services, explain a complex issue, or make a case for a certain course of action. They are often used as lead generation tools, providing readers with valuable information in exchange for their contact information.

When done well, white papers can be extremely effective at generating leads and converting prospects into customers. However, like any other type of content, they need to be well-written and relevant to the audience to be successful.

2. Blog Posts

The most important thing to keep in mind when writing B2B blog posts is that your content must be helpful and informative. That means creating posts that provide value for your readers, whether that's through educational content, tips and tricks, or insights into your industry.

2 Blog Posts
Image via Backlinko

While it's important to have a mix of different types of content on your blog, some of the most popular topics for B2B bloggers include:

  • Industry news and trends: Keep your readers up-to-date on the latest industry news and trends with regular blog posts. This type of content helps position you as a thought leader in your field and keeps your readers coming back for more.
  • How-to guides and tutorials: Help your readers solve a problem or learn something new with step-by-step guides and tutorials. This type of content is especially popular among B2B audiences, as they're often looking for ways to improve their business processes.
  • Product reviews and comparisons: If you sell products, your blog is the perfect place to write in-depth reviews and comparisons. Not only will this help your readers make more informed purchasing decisions, but it will also get ranked on search engines for multiple keywords.
  • Expert tips and advice: Share your expert knowledge on a particular topic with blog posts that offer tips and advice. This type of content can be helpful for both novice and experienced readers and helps position you as an authority in your field.

3. Webinars

A webinar is an online seminar. They are an important part of any B2B content marketing campaign. They provide an engaging and interactive way to share information with your audience and can be a great lead generation tool.

When done right, webinars can be a powerful way to connect with your audience and build relationships. They can also be used to drive leads and sales.

However, webinars can also be a lot of work. From planning and promotion to delivery and follow-up, there's a lot that goes into making a successful webinar.

3 Webinars
Image via Voxturr

If you want to host webinars that are interactive and secure, you should check out my post on the best webinar hosting websites. With these platforms, you can create automated webinars, create polls, record your sessions, and do more. Plus, they offer integrations with social media apps so you can share it on different social media platforms as well.

4. Case Studies

If you're running a B2B content marketing campaign, case studies can be a valuable addition to your arsenal. Here's why:

For one, they help build trust with your audience. Potential clients are more likely to do business with you if they see that you have happy, satisfied existing customers. Case studies provide that third-party validation.

They also show that you know your stuff. A well-written case study demonstrates your expertise and ability to solve problems for your clients. This can help set you apart from the competition and attract new business.

Finally, case studies are simply interesting reading material. They offer a behind-the-scenes look at how businesses actually use your product or services, and people enjoy reading about real-world success stories.

So if you're not already using them, be sure to add case studies to your next B2B content marketing campaign. They just might be the key to winning over new customers.

5. Ebooks

An ebook is a long-form piece of content that can be downloaded and read on a device like a Kindle or iPad. They are usually used to provide more in-depth information than a blog post or white paper.

Ebooks are a great way to get your message across to potential customers and clients. By providing high-quality, informative content in an ebook format, you can show your audience that you're an expert in your field and that you're able to provide them with valuable information.

5 Ebooks
Image via Wishpond

Ebooks can also be used as a lead generation tool. By offering an ebook as a free download, you can entice potential customers and clients to sign up for your email list or opt-in to your newsletter. This way, you can continue marketing to them even after they've left your website.

One of the great things about ebooks is that they're easily shareable. That means they can be a great asset for your B2B content marketing campaigns.

When you create an ebook, you're not just creating content – you're creating a valuable resource that can be shared with others. And when others share your ebook, it helps to promote your brand and build awareness for your business.

6. Infographics

If you're looking for a way to add some pizzazz to your B2B content marketing campaigns, consider using infographics. 

These very visual pieces can be great for making complex information more digestible and engaging for your audience. The visual elements and the concise format ensure that your audience doesn't get overwhelmed. 

And when you include data in an infographic, you're effectively lending credibility to your content. After all, numbers don't lie. So if you can back up your claims with hard data, your audience is more likely to trust what you have to say.

6 Infographics
Image via GetResponse

If you want to improve your brand visibility and reach a wider audience, infographics can be a useful tool in your arsenal. Thanks to social media channels, it's easier than ever to share content with a wide audience. 

And infographics are particularly well-suited for sharing since they're visually appealing and easy to understand at a glance. If your infographic is informative and well-designed, there's a good chance it will be shared by your target audience.

7. Slideshows

We all know that slideshows are a vital part of any presentation. They help us to focus our audience's attention on key points and make complex information more digestible. But did you know that they can also be hugely beneficial for your B2B content marketing campaigns?

Let's face it, most people are visual learners. By using slideshows, you can tap into this and make your content more engaging and memorable.

What’s more, slideshows can be used in a variety of ways, from educational pieces to sales presentations. This makes them incredibly versatile and suitable for a wide range of content marketing campaigns.

There are all sorts of different types of slideshows that you can create for your B2B content marketing campaigns. You can use them to showcase your products or services, share helpful tips and tricks, or even tell a story.

Whatever type of slideshow you decide to create, make sure that it is engaging and informative. Your goal is to capture your audience's attention, keep them engaged throughout the entire presentation, and make them want to share it with others.

8. Videos

Videos are a great way to engage your audience and build relationships. They can be used to educate, entertain, or both.

You can go the traditional route and make a commercial, or you can get creative and produce an interactive video experience. You can also create explainer videos, product demonstrations, customer testimonials, or even just fun little clips that show off your company culture.

8 Videos
Image via YouTube

No matter what type of video you decide to create, the important thing is that it is engaging and informative. It should give viewers a taste of what your company or product is all about, and leave them wanting more.

Creating videos for your B2B content marketing campaigns can be a great way to reach a larger audience and promote your business. 

If you're not sure where to start, consider hiring a video production company to help you create high-quality videos that will engage your target audience. Or if you’re on a limited budget, consider checking out these easy-to-use video editing tools to make your B2B videos stand out.

9. Podcasts

A podcast is an audio show that can be downloaded and listened to on a computer or mobile device. They are often used to share expert interviews or provide commentary on current events.

Podcasts can be a great addition to your B2B content marketing strategy. They provide an engaging and interactive format that can help you connect with your audience. Plus, they're relatively easy to produce, so you can get started without a huge investment of time or money.

What’s more, podcasts are easy to consume on the go. This makes them perfect for busy professionals who want to stay informed while they're commuting or working out. They may not have the time to read lengthy blog posts, but audio, while they are doing other activities, can certainly fit into their schedule.

In addition to this, podcasts are more personal than other content types. Because podcasts are usually conversational in nature, they can create a strong connection between the host and the listener. This can make your brand feel more relatable and trustworthy.

So there you have it! These are just a few examples of B2B content marketing in action. Get creative and see what types of content you can create to help your business succeed.

Importance of B2B Content Marketing

There's no question that content marketing is important for businesses of all sizes. But what about B2B companies? Why is B2B content marketing so vital, and how can you make sure you're doing it right?

For starters, it's worth noting that the vast majority of B2B buyers (94%) say that online content has a moderate to major impact on their purchase decisions. In other words, if your company isn't creating compelling content, you're likely missing out on valuable leads and sales.

But why is B2B content marketing so effective? To understand that, it's helpful to look at the buyer's journey, which consists of three main stages: awareness, consideration, and decision. The last two stages (loyalty and advocacy) are to ensure that you have repeat customers.

Importance of B2B Content Marketing
Image via Code95

At the awareness stage, your buyer is just beginning to realize that they have a problem or need that your product or service can address. At this point, they're not yet ready to make a purchase, but they are starting to do some research.

This is where B2B content marketing comes in. By creating helpful, informative content (such as blog posts, infographics, ebooks, etc.), you can introduce your company and its solutions to potential buyers and begin to build trust.

As buyers move into the consideration stage, they'll be looking for more in-depth information about their options. Here, case studies, white papers, and other forms of long-form content can be very helpful for convincing buyers that your company is the right choice.

Finally, at the decision stage, buyers are ready to choose a solution. At this point, they'll be looking for things like product demos, free trials, and pricing information. By providing this type of content, you can seal the deal and earn a new customer.

For the last two stages, a mix of different types of content along with discount deals can work wonders.

So there you have it: three good reasons to make B2B content marketing a priority for your business. Now it's time to start creating some compelling content of your own!

B2B Content Marketing vs B2C Content Marketing

On the surface, it may seem like B2B content marketing is just a mirror of B2C marketing. But if you look closely, you’ll realize that both B2B and B2C campaigns need to be designed differently. 

The main reason for this is that the customer journey is different for B2B and B2C customers. In the business-to-business (B2B) world, the customer journey is often more complex. 

In the next section, I will take a look at all the other major differences between B2B and B2C marketing approaches.

differences between B2B and B2C marketing
Image via High Target

Multiple Decision-Makers Are Involved in B2B Campaigns

One of the main reasons for this is that there are usually multiple decision-makers involved in the purchase process. For instance, you may be talking about your product or service to someone from the operations team. 

Even if they are convinced about buying your product or service, they may need approval from department heads, vice presidents, or CEOs. In nutshell, all the decision-makers must be convinced if you want them to make a purchase. 

A bad purchase can have serious consequences for the business, so buyers are generally more cautious and do more research before making a purchase.

Higher Price Points For B2B Products/Services

Businesses need to carefully consider their purchase decisions, as they are usually investing more money into them. The price points for B2B products are typically higher than for B2C products. 

Since the stakes are higher, it is understandable that the decision-makers want to understand all the features and benefits of your product or service before they commit. They may even want free trials or multiple demos to get a clear idea of what you have to offer. Again, this leads to a longer sales cycle.

Buyers Have Better Clarity of Needs in B2B Settings

Buyers in a B2B setting are generally more informed and sophisticated than buyers in a B2C setting. There is a lot at stake so they know exactly what they are looking for. 

This means that they are more likely to know what they want and need, and they are less likely to be swayed by marketing messages or sales pitches.

If you are selling to B2B buyers, it is important to keep these factors in mind and to be prepared for a longer sales cycle. By understanding the needs of your target market, you can better tailor your marketing and sales efforts to meet their expectations.

Elements of a Great B2B Content Marketing Strategy

Creating a great content marketing strategy for your business can seem overwhelming. There are so many things you could write about, and you’re not sure where to start. 

After all, what is a content marketing strategy? What factors should you consider when developing one for your company? 

A great B2B content marketing strategy is a detailed roadmap that guides your company’s content marketing efforts. It outlines your strategy, your goals, and the channels through which you’ll achieve them. 

Your B2B content marketing strategy will likely contain the same key components as your overall marketing strategy:

  • Objectives: What results do you hope to achieve through this content marketing effort? 
  • Goals: What do you want to achieve with your content marketing efforts? More website visitors? More leads? More sales?
  • Audience: Who are you trying to reach with your content? What kinds of information do they need?
  • Buyer Personas: Once you've defined your audience, create buyer personas to help you better understand their needs and how your content can help them. You can find multiple templates that will help you create B2B personas.
Buyer Personas
Image via Pinterest
  • Keywords: What terms are your audience searching for when they're looking for information related to your business? Use keyword research tools like Google AdWords Keyword Planner to find out.
Keywords
Image via Google
  • Topics: What are you going to write about? What kinds of content will you create? Once you have the answers to these questions, map out when and where you'll publish it using an editorial calendar. This will help you stay organized and on track.
  • Distribution: How will you reach these audiences? Will you promote it via email campaigns, social media campaigns, or other channels? What are some best practices you can follow? 
  • Measurements: What metrics will you measure to see how your content marketing efforts are going?

A B2B content marketing strategy is about more than just building a few articles and slapping some keywords in. Your B2B content marketing strategy should be the foundation on which your efforts are built. It should be the driving force behind all your content marketing efforts. 

It’s crucial to have a great B2B content marketing strategy because it helps you avoid many of the pitfalls that can occur when it comes to B2B content marketing. 

With a well-thought-out strategy in place, you can avoid wasting time and resources on content that isn’t going to be successful. You can avoid putting your resources into content that isn’t going to draw in a large audience. 

A great B2B content marketing strategy will also allow you to build upon your efforts as you continue to grow your business. With a solid plan in place from the start, you can use this strategy to further your goals and overall success.

One important tip for creating a successful B2B content marketing strategy is to focus on quality over quantity. It's better to publish a few pieces of truly great content than it is to churn out a lot of mediocre stuff.

So take the time to create something really useful and exciting, and promote it accordingly. Your audience will thank you for it!  another tip is to make sure you are constantly creating new content.

How to Do B2B Content Marketing Right

The common misconception about B2B marketing is that it's all about selling products and services to other businesses. However, effective BtoB content marketing is actually about creating valuable content that helps your target audience do their jobs better.

As you develop your content marketing strategy, it's important to keep in mind where your target audience is in their purchase journey. Whether they are just starting to research a problem or they are ready to buy, your content should be tailored to meet them where they are.

If you're not sure how to determine what stage of the purchase journey your audience is in, don't worry. We've put together a quick guide to help you get started.

The first step is to understand the different stages of the purchase journey. Let’s understand the concerts of buyers at each stage of the funnel.

1. Awareness Stage

In this stage, potential buyers become aware that they have a problem or need that can be addressed by your product or service. They are just beginning their research and are not yet ready to buy.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when creating content for the awareness stage is that buyers are still getting familiar with their problem or need. They may not even be sure what they're looking for yet. So, your content should be educational and informative, without being too sales-y.

Buyers in the awareness stage may not be ready to commit to a long white paper or video, but they might be interested in a quick blog post, video, or infographic. By offering a variety of content types, you’ll appeal to buyers at different stages of their research.

All of these pieces can help educate buyers about their problem or need, and position your company as a thought leader in the industry.

Also, make sure your content is easy to find and access. Buyers in the awareness stage are just beginning their research, so they may not be familiar with your brand or website. 

Make it easy for them to find the information they need by including links to your content on every page of your website and in every email you send.

It’s also a good idea to use keyword-rich titles and descriptions. When buyers are searching for information online, they use keywords. Help them find your content by using those same keywords in your titles and descriptions.

2. Consideration or Evaluation Stage

In this stage, potential buyers are actively researching their options and evaluating which product or service is best for them. They are comparing your offering to those of your competitors.

In this stage, buyers are already aware of their needs and they are actively searching for information about potential solutions. 

Your goal at this stage is to educate them about your product or service and help them understand how it can meet their needs. You also need to showcase what your USP is compared to other similar solutions in the market.

Your content should be focused on providing helpful information that will help your buyers make an informed decision. You should avoid hard selling or trying to close the sale at this stage. 

Instead, you should focus on building trust and rapport with your buyer so that they will consider doing business with you when they are ready to make a purchase.

Here are some types of B2B content that you should provide users who are in the consideration stage of their buying process:

  • How-to guides: They help your buyer understand how to use your product or service to achieve their desired outcome. 
  • Product comparisons: This type of content provides an objective look at how your offering stacks up against the competition. 
  • Case studies: This content show potential buyers how other companies have used your product or service to achieve success.
  • Industry reports: These reports give buyers the big-picture view of trends and challenges in their sector.

3. Decision Stage

By the time your prospects reach the decision-making stage, they have probably seen your brand pop up in several places across the internet. They might’ve even visited your website or followed you on social media.

Now that they’re familiar with who you are, it’s time to start providing them with content that will help them make a decision. Here are some ideas:

  • Customer stories: There’s nothing more powerful than hearing from a satisfied customer. Customer stories can come in the form of blog posts, social media posts, and videos.
  • Product demos: If you have a product or service that requires some explanation, then a demo video is the way to go. You can show prospects how your product works and what sets it apart from the competition.

7 Strategies to Create and Promote B2B Content More Effectively

‍In today’s world, brands have a greater opportunity than ever to stand out from their competitors by creating content that is relevant, useful, and engaging. But promoting your brand-specific content can be challenging. 

After all, there are many ways to promote your company’s blog or website. Here are seven strategies to help you promote B2B content effectively.

1. Use Targeted Lead Capture Forms

When it comes to B2B content marketing, one size definitely does not fit all. To effectively reach and resonate with your target audience, you need to create content that is specifically tailored to their needs and interests. And one of the best ways to do this is through the use of targeted lead capture forms.

Use Targeted Lead Capture Forms
Image via Automizy

Lead capture forms are essentially online forms that allow you to gather information about your leads, such as their name, email addresses, job titles, and company names. 

By using a targeted lead capture form on your website or blog, you can ensure that you're only collecting information from leads who are actually interested in what you have to say. 

This helps to save time and resources by weeding out those who are not a good fit for your products or services.

In addition, targeted lead capture forms also allow you to segment your leads so that you can send them more targeted content down the line. 

For example, if you know that a particular lead is interested in product A, you can make sure to send them information about product A in the future. This helps to further nurture the relationship and keep your brand top of mind.

2. Automate Your Email Marketing Campaigns

As a B2B marketer, you know that email is still one of the most effective channels for content distribution. But manually sending out emails to your list can be time-consuming and frustrating, especially if you have a large list.

That's why automating your email campaigns can be such a lifesaver. With automation, you can set up your emails in advance and then sit back and relax while they go out to your subscribers on their own. Not only will this save you time, but it can also help ensure that your messages are always going out on schedule.

Plus, automated emails can be highly personalized, which can help improve click-through rates and conversions. So if you're not already using email automation for your B2B content marketing, now is the time to start.

3. Pay Attention to User Intent

User intent should be at the forefront of any B2B marketer’s mind when creating content. After all, if your target audience can’t find what they’re looking for, or worse – you show them something that isn’t relevant to their needs – you’ve lost them

Pay Attention to User Intent
Image via Seobility

There are a few different types of user intent to keep in mind. They are the same for B2B and B2C users.

  • Informational: The user is looking for information on a given topic. For example, they may type in “How to improve content marketing” into Google.
  • Navigational: The user is looking for a specific website or page. For example, they may type in “Company XYZ blog” into Google.
  • Commercial: The user is looking for a specific product or service. The intent may to find out reviews or compare prices. For example, a user may type, “XX product reviews.”
  • Transactional: The user is looking to purchase a product or service. For example, they may type in “Company XYZ pricing” into Google.

If you want your content to be successful, you need to make sure it aligns with the user’s intent. Otherwise, you run the risk of turning potential customers away.

4. Leverage Remarketing

Remarketing can be an extremely effective tool for B2B marketers. By targeting individuals who have already shown an interest in your product or service, you can more effectively market your content to them and improve your overall content strategy. 

Here are a few tips on how to leverage remarketing to improve your content strategy:

First, make sure that your website is set up for remarketing. This means adding the necessary code to your site so that you can collect data on visitors and track their behavior. Once you have this setup, you can start building out targeted audiences based on their interactions with your site.

Next, create compelling ads and offers that will appeal to your target audience. Remember, these individuals have already shown an interest in what you have to offer, so your ads and offers should be highly relevant to their needs.

Finally, make sure to track your results so that you can continually optimize your remarketing efforts. By understanding what is working and what isn't, you can make adjustments to your strategy as needed and ensure that you are getting the most out of this powerful marketing tool.

5. Make the Most of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a powerful platform for B2B marketers, but it takes more than just having a profile to make it work for your business. 

You need to put in the effort to develop relationships, engage with potential customers, and generate leads if you want to see results. But when you do, LinkedIn can be an incredibly effective tool for growing your business.

Here are some tips on how to make the most of LinkedIn marketing:

  • Develop a strong company profile. Include information about your company's history, products and services, and mission statement. Be sure to include keywords that will help potential customers find you.
  • Build relationships with other businesses in your industry. Connect with them on LinkedIn and share their content. This will help you build credibility and authority within your industry.
  • Engage with your target audience. Join relevant content groups and participate in discussions. Share valuable insights and perspectives that will help position you as a thought leader in your field.
  • Generate leads with targeted content offers. Use LinkedIn's lead generation tools to create content offers that will resonate with your target audience.

6. Add FAQs

If you're a B2B marketer, there's a good chance you've been asked a lot of questions about your product or service. You may have even been asked the same question multiple times. While it can be frustrating to keep answering the same questions, it's important to remember that your customers are just trying to learn more about what you offer.

One way to help your customers (and save yourself some time) is to create an FAQ page on your website. This can be a simple page that addresses common questions and provides brief answers. 

You can also link to other resources, such as customer support or tutorials if needed. In fact, you could have a dedicated FAQ section in each blog post too.

Add FAQs
Image via AutoGrow

An FAQ page can be a valuable resource for both you and your customers. By taking the time to answer common questions, you can provide your customers with the information they need and make their experience with your company more positive. Plus, you'll save time in the long run by having a go-to resource for answers.

7. Use Video Marketing

Video marketing is not a new concept, but it is often overlooked by B2B marketers. There are many reasons why video should be a part of your marketing mix, but here are three of the most important:

First, video is an engaging medium that can capture attention and hold it for extended periods. A well-produced video can tell a story in a way that static images and text simply cannot match.

Second, video content is a great way to build trust and credibility with your audience. When potential customers see you and your team on camera, they get a sense of who you are and what you stand for. Such content creation can go a long way towards building the kind of relationships that lead to sales.

Finally, video is an extremely versatile medium that can be used in a variety of ways. You can use it for product demonstrations, customer testimonials, educational content, and much more. No matter what your marketing goals are, there’s a good chance that video can help you achieve them.

Ultimately, the best way to promote your B2B content is to create engaging content that people want to consume. This can be a challenging task, but it’s also a worthwhile investment that can help your business stand out from the competition.

8 Examples of Great B2B Content Marketing Campaigns

In this section, I want to take a step back and look at some examples of the best B2B content marketing campaigns from some of the world’s top brands. These should give you a good idea of what’s possible when you put your thinking cap on and get creative with your content strategy.

1. Blog Posts from Buffer

Boring, dull content will never capture (and keep) your audience's attention. If you want to stand out in the ever-growing sea of content, you need to create something worth reading—something that educates, informs, and entertains. That's where educational content comes in.

Creating educational content may seem like a lot of work, but it's worth it. If you’re looking for inspiration to create high-quality B2B content, check out the blog section on Buffer. They have detailed guides that outline pain points and offer credible solutions.

Blog Posts from Buffer
Image via Buffer

What You Can Learn From This

By creating educational content, B2B marketers can build trust and credibility with potential customers. When customers feel like they can trust a company, they are more likely to do business with that company. 

2. Infographics from Toggl

Boring, static text is a thing of the past. In today's age of social media and constant connectedness, people are looking for more engaging B2B content that is easy to consume. 

This is where infographics come in.

If you have a lot of data that you need to present in a way that is both accessible and visually appealing, an infographic can be a great solution. Check out how Toggl makes a serious topic like software development seem super interesting with eye-catching visuals.

Infographics from Toggl

What You Can Learn From This

With a bit of creativity and good design skills, you can make even the most boring, mundane topics fun with infographics. 

In addition to being informative, Toggl's infographics are also very shareable. This helps to amplify their reach and ensure that their content is seen by as many people as possible.

3. Microsoft’s Explainer Video

In a world where buyers are overwhelmed with choices and information, it's more important than ever for B2B marketers to find ways to break through the clutter and explain their products and services in a way that is both clear and compelling. And there's no better way to do that than with an explainer video.

If you’re looking to create your own explainer video, check out Microsoft’s explainer video on how their Cloud system functions.

Microsofts Explainer Video
Image via YouTube

What You Can Learn From This

You can create a short, animated video that tells the story of your product or service in a way that is easy to understand and digest. In just a few minutes, you can convey all of the key information that potential customers need to know about what you're offering.

4. TGIM From Shopify

Podcasts are a great way to reach out to potential customers and connect with them on a personal level. They offer an intimate setting that allows you to share your story and build trust with your audience.

Podcasts offer busy professionals a convenient way to consume content while they're driving, working out, or doing chores around the house. And because podcasts are usually only 20-30 minutes long, they're the perfect length for busy people who want to learn something new but don't have a lot of time to spare.

They can also show off your expertise and build authority in your industry. By producing your own podcast, you can control the narrative and position yourself as a thought leader. And if you produce high-quality content, you can attract new listeners and grow your following.

Take inspiration from TGIM from Shopify. The company is hoping to change the way Americans feel about Mondays with their new podcast, Thank God It's Monday (or TGIM). 

Shopify's podcasts cover success stories of driven entrepreneurs, and they're designed to get Shopify's audience of innovators pumped for the week ahead.

TGIM features interviews with a slew of high-profile business executives and entrepreneurs, including marketing gurus Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes. They discuss everything from business growth to the latest marketing trends.

What You Can Learn From This

Invite industry experts on your podcast so that you can know what others in the industry are up to. At the same time, it gives you an opportunity to reach out to their audience and grow your online presence. In fact, you can even create co-branded podcasts with others in the same industry for extra clout and reach. 

5. Ebooks From SEMrush

As a B2B marketer, the type of ebooks you produce should be based on what your target audience is looking for. If they are seeking information on trends in your industry, then an ebook discussing these trends would be beneficial. 

However, if your target audience is more interested in tips and tricks from experts in your field, then an ebook with this focus would be a better option. 

No matter what type of ebook you decide to create, make sure it is well-researched and provides value to your reader. By doing so, you will increase the chances that your ebook will be successful in generating leads for your business.

If you’re looking for inspiration, check out Semrush’s website. They have an entire section dedicated to different ebooks that they have. In fact, they also have a free ebook template and a press release template that can help other B2B marketers.

Ebooks From SEMrush
Image via Semrush

What You Can Learn From This

One of the best things about ebooks is that they can be very targeted. This means that you can produce an ebook that is relevant to a particular pain point or challenge your target market is facing.

This is something that biz marketers can learn from Semrush's content marketing tactic of producing ebooks. By creating ebooks targeted at solving specific problems, Semrush has been able to create content that resonates with its audience and drives conversions.

6. Cisco’s Graphic Novels

Case studies are an excellent way to show potential customers how your product or service has helped others in a similar situation. They can also be used to build trust and credibility with potential customers

They directly demonstrate how you have solved a problem and made a difference. They can make a world of difference when converting prospects into paying customers.

But when you're reading a case study, it's easy to get bogged down in the details. All of the numbers and statistics can be overwhelming, and it's easy to lose sight of the big picture.

That's why it's important to remember that case studies are stories. They're designed to glimpse how a company or individual has used technology to overcome a challenge. And like any good story, they should have a beginning, middle, and end.

Ciscos Graphic Novels
Image via Hellostepchange

Cisco made sure that dry content was made interesting with a graphic novel. Cisco created a graphic novel to communicate the message that security is constantly evolving and that there is a need for stronger security, without coming across as alarmist. 

In this eight-page ebook, they showed how their company can help you tackle security loopholes and elevate your cyber security.

What You Can Learn From This

Cisco's comic book isn't only informative, but it's also creative and unique. The comic book does an excellent job of breaking down complex tech concepts for those who are outside of the tech industry. Consequently, readers are more likely to share this easily digested document with others.

7. Active Campaign’s Webinars

Webinars are a fantastic way to generate leads and build relationships with potential customers. They offer an engaging, interactive format that allows you to connect with your audience in a deeper way than other forms of content marketing.

Webinars are versatile. You can use them to introduce new products or services, host expert panels, or deliver educational content. No matter what your goals are, there's a way to use webinars to achieve them.

Want some inspiration?

Check out how Active Campaign introduced new product updates via a series of webinars. This type of onboarding can ensure that customers know how to make the most of your B2B product or services.

Active Campaigns Webinars
Image via ActiveCampaign

What You Can Learn From This

Active Campaign’s webinars offer a personal touch that can help build relationships with new customers. When you host a live event, you have the opportunity to interact with your audience in real-time and answer any questions they may have. This back-and-forth interaction builds trust and rapport between you and your new customers.

8. HubSpot’s Memes

While you may not think of memes as being particularly “professional”, they can actually be a great way to reach your target market. B2B marketers can use memes to show that they’re keeping up with current trends, but more importantly, that they understand their audience. 

Take inspiration from the meme below published by HubSpot. It’s a generic meme that shows what it is like to work in sales. It’s relatable, on-trend, and funny!

HubSpots Memes
Image via Carabinar

What You Can Learn From This

Humor is often viewed as a tool to be used sparingly in business settings, but that doesn't have to be the case. In fact, humor can be a powerful marketing tool for B2B marketers – if it's used correctly.

When used correctly, humor can help break the ice, make your brand more relatable, and even make complex topics more digestible. Of course, there is such a thing as using too much humor or using it in the wrong way. But as long as you use good judgment and keep your audience in mind, you'll be able to use humor effectively in your marketing campaigns.

FAQs

1. How do you use content marketing for B2B companies?

Content marketing can be used in several ways to support B2B marketing objectives. Here are four common uses:
– To drive awareness of a company, its products, or its services
– To generate leads
– To build relationships and engage customers
– To support sales efforts

2. How do you create B2B content?

To create B2B content, you need to understand what your audience is looking for. Take a closer look at their purchase journey and understand their needs. Tailor your content such that is relevant to them while also being engaging and informative.

3. How do you create a content strategy for B2B marketing?

Here are some steps to create an effective B2B content marketing strategy:
– Define your goals.
– Understand your audience.
– Identify your topics.
– Create your content.
– Distribute your content via multiple channels.
– Analyze your campaign results.

4. What kind of content can B2B companies create?

B2B companies can create various different types of content including podcasts, blog posts, white papers, webinars, case studies, ebooks, infographics, slideshows, and podcasts.

5. What are some effective strategies to promote B2B content?

Here are some ideas to promote your B2B content:
– Use targeted lead capture forms.
– Use email automation.
– Leverage remarketing.
– Use video marketing.

Ready to Develop Your Own B2B Content Marketing Strategy?

B2B content marketing is no longer optional. With consumers getting warier and warier of marketing strategies as a whole, it’s more important than ever to be able to not only show your products but also explain them succinctly and at a level that will help persuade. 

To do this, you need B2B content marketing strategies that are strategic, focused, measurable, and repeatable to get the most out of your efforts. 

This means creating a roadmap that focuses on research, topics, frequency, and timing of the content release, followed by a prioritization of topics and an editorial calendar that incorporates a mix of online and offline content.

Use the pointers mentioned in this article to come up with an effective B2B content marketing strategy. Check out the examples mentioned closely for some inspiration. 

Do you have any questions about developing a B2B content marketing strategy? Please feel free to mention them in the comments section.

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How to Add Video Clip Filters Online [+Useful Tools] https://shanebarker.com/blog/video-clip-filters-online/ https://shanebarker.com/blog/video-clip-filters-online/#respond Tue, 26 Apr 2022 02:30:31 +0000 https://shanebarker.com/?p=52263 One way to make sure you don’t end up with a video that looks like it was filmed with a potato is by using the best video editing tools to add video clip filters online.

Video clip filters online are one of the most popular ways to spice up videos. Whether you want to add a touch of color to your videos or go all out to change their look and feel, these tools offer all the features you need.

Before we check out some of the top online video editors and what they have to offer, let's try to understand why it is important to add video effects and filters, and how to do it.

Why Should You Consider Adding Filters to Your Video Clips?

Adding filters to your videos can make them more aesthetically pleasing, and can also alter the mood or tone of the video. Video effects and filters can also help differentiate your videos from that of your competitors.

For example, if you use vintage or sepia filters, it can help transport viewers to different time periods. Whereas, using sharpening filters can give the impression of being crisp and cold.

The type of filters and effects you use will depend on the software you're using and the overall look and feel you're trying to achieve with your video.

It's also important to keep in mind that some filters can have a negative impact on the quality of your video. For example, using too many filters or the wrong type of filter can make your video look amateurish.

As a general rule of thumb, it's best to use filters sparingly and only when they enhance your video quality.

The Different Types of Video Filters You Can Use

There are a number of different types of filters that can help enhance your videos. Some of the most popular filters include:

  • Sharpen: This filter is used to make the edges of objects in your video clip sharper. This can be useful if you want to create a sense of depth or focus in your video.
  • Blur: The blur filter is the opposite of the sharpen filter. It softens the edges of objects in your video clip and creates a dreamy or ethereal look.
  • Brightness: The brightness filter can adjust the overall brightness of your video clip, making it more vibrant or more muted.
  • Contrast: The contrast filter adjusts the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of your video clip. This can help make your video look more dramatic or subtler.
  • Saturation: The saturation filter adjusts the amount of color in your video clip. It can make your video look more vibrant or muted.
  • Hue: The hue filter adjusts the overall color of your video clip and can help change the mood or tone of your video.
  • Vintage: The vintage filter gives your video clip a retro look to create a nostalgic feel.
  • Sepia: The sepia filter is similar to the vintage filter, but it gives your video clip a more antique look. Use it to create a historical feel in your video.
  • Grunge: The grunge filter gives your video clip a distressed, edgy, or gritty look.
  • Black and white: The black and white filter removes all colors from your video clip. This can be useful if you want to create a classic or timeless look in your video.

Now that you know some of the most popular types of video filters, let's take a look at how to apply them to your videos online.

How to Add Filters to Your Video Clip Online

There are a variety of tools that allow you to enhance your video clips online. You can adjust video quality, framerate, and resolution, add effects and filters, and edit them professionally.

In most video editing software solutions online, you can apply filters to your video clips by following the steps below:

  • Upload your video.
  • Click on the “Effects” tab.
  • Choose the filter you want to apply.
  • Click “Apply.”

Your video clip will now have the desired filter applied. You can then download your edited video in your preferred video format.

And the best part?

Many of these video enhancement tools are free to use or they offer a mix of free and paid video filters and editing options.

Let's take a look at what a top online video editor can help you do with your video clips.

1. Add Filters to Your Videos Easily

You don't need to be a video editing expert to add filters to your videos. With the right online video editor, you can quickly add filters with just a few clicks.

In most online video editors, you'll find filters under the “Effects” tab. Simply click on the tab and browse through the available filters. When you find one you like, hover over it and click “Apply.”

Some of the most popular preset filters you can use are:

  • Glitch effects
  • Vintage filters
  • Color presets
  • Artistic filters

In addition to preset filters, you can also create custom filters. To do this, you'll need to adjust the following settings:

  • Hue
  • Saturation
  • Brightness
  • Contrast

You can find these settings in the “Color” tab of most online video editors. Simply adjust the slider for each setting until you're happy with the results.When you're done, click “Apply” to add the custom filter to your video clip.

2. Edit Your Videos Like a Pro

With an online video editor, you can quickly and easily edit your videos like a pro. There's no need to download or install any software on your computer. And best of all, you can try out all the features for free.

Most online video editors offer a wide range of editing features, including:

  • Trimming
  • Cutting
  • Cropping
  • Rotating
  • Adding text, watermarks, and logos
  • Adding video transitions
  • Using masks and overlays
  • And more!

Video editors like invideo offer easy-to-edit video templates that are designed to showcase your brand’s story or product in the best light possible. You just need to replace parts of them with your text, colors, and video materials. That’s all!

To edit your video clip, simply upload it to the online video editor of your choice and make your changes. When you're done, you can download your edited video or continue editing it further.

3. Overlay Images and Videos

In addition to adding filters and effects, you can also overlay images and videos on top of your video clip. This is a great way to add branding or watermarks to your videos.

To overlay an image or video, simply upload it to the online video editor and drag it onto your video clip. You can then resize and position the image or video as desired.

When you're done, click “Apply” to add the overlay to your video clip.

4. Add Sound Effects to Your Video Clips

You can add sound effects to your video clips with most online video editors. This is a great way to make your videos more engaging and entertaining.

To add sound effects, simply upload your video clip to the online video editor and click on the “Sound” tab. Here, you'll find a library of sound effects that you can browse through. When you find one you like, simply click on it to add it to your video clip.

You can also upload your own sound effects or use the built-in microphone to record audio directly into the online video editor.

When you're done, click “Apply” to add the sound effect to your video clip.

Not only this, but you can also eliminate background noises, add intros and outros to your videos, or even add your own voiceover.

And that's just the beginning! With an online video editor, you can do so much more with your video clips.

5. Add Animated Titles and Motion Graphics

Adding animated titles and motion graphics is a great way to make your videos more engaging and visually appealing. And with most online video editors, it's easy to do.

To add animated titles and motion graphics, simply upload your video clip to the online video editor and click on the “Titles” tab. Here, you'll find a library of title templates that you can browse through. When you find one you like, simply click on it to add it to your video clip.

You can then customize the text, colors, and other settings as desired. When you're done, click “Apply” to add the animated title to your video clip.

6. Download Your Edited Videos

Once you're happy with your edited video, you can download it for later use. Most online video editors offer a variety of popular formats to choose from, including:

  • MP4
  • MOV
  • AVI
  • WMV
  • And more

Simply select the file format you want and click the “Download” or “Export” button. Your edited video will then be saved to your computer.

7. Easily Share Your Edited Videos

After you've edited and downloaded your video, you can easily share it with others. Most online video editors offer a variety of sharing options, including:

  • Email sharing
  • Embed code
  • Sharable link
  • Direct sharing to social media platforms like YouTube
  • And more

Simply select the sharing option you want and follow the instructions. Your edited video will then be shared with your desired audience.

And there you have it!

So what are you waiting for? Try out an online video editor today and see how easy it is to enhance your videos with preset filters and professional-quality edits.

Also, check out my tips to create awesome social media videos.

To help you pick the right tools, I’ve listed the key features of some of the top tools that can help you add video clip filters online. Be sure to check them out!

The Best Tools to Add Video Clip Filters Online

Video clip filters are a great way to improve the quality of your videos and make them more engaging and entertaining. Let’s take a look at some of the best tools that let you add video clip filters online.

1. invideo

invideo is a free online video editor that lets you create professional-quality videos for your business promotions, social media ads, and other video marketing needs.

From 7,000+ editable video templates to powerful editing features and attractive animations, this video editor makes your job easy.

You can add text and stickers, and also set your brand’s kit for a one-click application. This includes setting your brand’s preferred color palette, logo, and font styles to any video.

free video templates from invideo

Key Features

  • 7000+ editable video templates
  • Access to stock media and music
  • Intuitive editing features
  • Trimming and cropping features
  • Adding text and stickers
  • Video transitions
  • Video intros and outros
  • Voiceover additions
  • Mulitple brand kits (colors, logo, font styles)
  • Team collaboration
  • Animations like blur, slide, bounce, spin
  • Motion graphics
  • Masks and overlays
  • Video editing features like combining clips, flipping videos, and cutting clips into two
  • Color correction for your videos
  • Free to use

You can also consider upgrading to its Business plan for $15/month to get access to additional features 20 background removals/month and its mobile app subscription. Save 50% if you commit to annual billing.

2. VEED

VEED is one of the best online video editors with free video filters. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface is simple to use, without any risk of losing quality or your original footage.

There’s no need to download any software, so you can start editing your videos immediately. And if you need any help, its team is always here to answer your questions.

VEED video editor

Key Features

  • Add or remove audio.
  • Add subtitles automatically.
  • Crop and rotate your video clips.
  • Add filters and video effects.
  • Use its color correction, color grading, and visual effects.
  • Use your branded content, logos, color palettes, and fonts easily by creating a handy brand kit.
  • Share and review files easily with its cloud storage.
  • Easily download your edited videos using the export button in multiple file formats, including MP4, MOV, WEBM, AVI, etc.
  • Free to use

3. CreatorKit

CreatorKit is an online video editing platform that offers a range of video clip filters to help you create engaging, creative content.

With its easy-to-use tools, you can apply a variety of effects to your videos, including slow motion, time-lapse, and more. It also offers a wide selection of royalty-free music and sound effects to help you add a professional touch to your videos.

CreatorKit


Key Features

  • Create engaging videos for ecommerce, marketing, social media, and more using features like add/remove background, add animated discount tags, etc.
  • Add text and captions with animations to your video clips online for free.
  • Trim and cut your uploaded videos or you can also cut a portion of any YouTube video.
  • Add effects and filters, including VHS, glitch, filmy effects, and more.
  • Use hundreds of pre-built video templates for product promos, ads, before and after stories, explainer videos, deals posts, and other content.
  • Take advantage of its animated text styles and smooth video transitions.
  • Easily share your video on any social platform such as TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

4. Flixier

Flixier is another great option for creating engaging video content. It offers a range of video clip filters as well as a library of stock photos and videos, that you can use to create your own unique videos.

Flixier also has a range of template options to choose from, so you can create videos that are truly your own.

Flixier


Key Features

  • Create videos in your browser easily by adding text, images, sounds, transitions, auto-subtitles, and so much more.
  • Trim, cut, or crop videos all in a couple of minutes.
  • Collaborate in real-time with your colleagues to edit videos and review changes online.
  • Make your videos more engaging with built-in stock libraries, motion titles, 50+ transitions, and motion graphics.
  • Automatically publish your video to most social media sites, including YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
  • Most of the features are available on the free version.

5. Clideo

Clideo is a user-friendly online video editor with a wide range of filters that you can use to enhance your videos. The filters are easy to apply and there is a wide range of options to choose from. You can also adjust the intensity of the filter to create the perfect look for your video.

Clideo also offers a wide range of other video editing features, such as the ability to trim and crop your video, add text and watermarks, and even change the speed of your video. There is also a handy built-in player so you can preview your edited video before exporting it.

And the best part?

It is free to use with no registration required. Simply upload your video and start editing.

Clideo


Key Features

  • Make your clip black and white, add a vintage effect, or just correct its colors.
  • Add subtitles.
  • Crop and resize your videos, and also compress the file size.
  • Merge two video clips into one.
  • Use it as a converter to change your video file format to another.
  • Change the speed of your video and add effects like slow motion, reverse, loop, etc.

6. Kapwing

Kapwing is a free online video maker that offers professional tools for creating video content. It offers a variety of video filters to make your clips look professional and polished. To add a filter to your video, simply upload your video to Kapwing, select the “Filters” option from the editor's toolbar, and choose the filter that you want to apply.

With Kapwing's easy-to-use video editing suite, you can make stunning video clips for social media, YouTube, or your website.

Kapwing


Key Features

  • Upload and convert your videos to MP4, MOV, AVI, GIF, WEBM, and other popular formats.
  • Drag-and-drop files, split clips, trim videos, and rearrange clips on the timeline for a seamless video editing experience.
  • Add millions of royalty-free images, GIFs, and video assets.
  • Auto-generate subtitles.
  • Remove backgrounds in one click.
  • Enjoy integrations with apps like Google Drive, Photos, Unsplash, Pexels, and Giphy.

Looking for more options?

Check out my listicle on the best online video editors for beginners.

Ready to Get Started with the Best Video Clip Filters Online?

Adding video clip filters to your online videos is a great way to add some fun to your content. It can also be a powerful branding tool, helping you to create a unique look and feel for all of your videos.

In this article, I’ve shown you how easy it is to add filters to your videos using the top online video editors. So, if you're looking to add some extra style to your content, be sure to try them out!

And, don’t miss out on this detailed video marketing guide that can help you grow your brand’s reach, engagement, and sales using videos.

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