With so much content cluttering the web these days, consumers are less trusting of online information, especially if the information is coming from a small business as opposed to a larger, more credible company.
Even if your small business is producing quality blog posts, white papers, testimonials, and other content on its site, it can be difficult to establish authority when your company is small in size or still in its early stages.
This is where data can play a significant role.
Adding data to your site content is a great way to demonstrate credibility and enhance the quality of your posts and articles. According to a study published by the Content Marketing Association, 92% of content marketers actively employ data-driven content marketing. Data-driven content improves content quality, attracting readers and increasing engagement.
Making Your Content Data-Driven
First, some good news. You have plenty of options when it comes to gathering data for your content. You can either use primary data by conducting the research yourself through a survey or study, or you can use secondary data by searching a number of credible sources online such as government, news, and university websites.
Once you’ve found data that’s relevant to your topic and interesting to your audience, you’ll want to incorporate that information into your content. Here’s how you can do it.
Add Data to Blog Articles
Before you start writing your next blog post, ask yourself: would this article be more interesting or credible if there was data backing up the points being made? The answer is probably yes.
Take the time to find statistics that are relevant to the topic. Remember that “visual” is always better when it comes to grabbing the attention of distracted readers; present data in graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, or any other visually appealing method to keep readers interested and more engaged in your blog article.
Present Data with Infographics
Not only are infographics visually appealing to readers, but they also provide an excellent format for explaining things clearly. You can get creative with the way you present data. The more creative your presentation and the more unique your topic, the better the infographic. Infographics deliver huge value in their potential shareability across social platforms.
Conduct Research and Publish a Study
Research studies can be very valuable for small businesses, revealing new data or information on a specific topic that brings to light a need to do something. Data that introduces a new idea can encourage consumers to change their behavior. The additional value in conducting and publishing studies is their long-term value. Research studies remain a great resource for years after being published if they communicate original, quality information. They typically rank well for long-tail keywords and thus increase your organic search traffic, as well.
Create Data-Driven Case Studies
Case studies are meant to demonstrate the value of a company’s product or service. Done correctly, case studies can build trust between the consumer and the company. They help prove what your claim your company’s product or service can do is reality. Incorporating data is an excellent way to strengthen that claim. Case studies are success stories; data that shows success will help to communicate your brand’s credibility.
Where to Find & Collect Data for Your Content
You can find data to use for your site content by referring to reliable online sources or collecting it yourself through a survey, questionnaire, or study. Some online sources include:
- Data.gov
- University sources such as UC Berkeley Data Lab
- News sources such as The Guardian Data Blog
- Government sources such as United States Census Bureau
- International data sources such as World Health Organization
If you will be collecting your own data, you can conduct an online survey or questionnaire through the following process:
- Determine your research goals. What are you trying to accomplish or reveal by conducting this survey?
- Develop a list of questions you will be asking participants of your survey or questionnaire.
- Gather participants and record their survey answers.
- Analyze the results from your survey and create a report on those results.
- Use the resulting data in your next blog article, infographic, video, etc., and publish to your site.
If your company is thinking about publishing a study or conducting research, you may want to consider hiring a content writer who is experienced in academic research. This will save you a lot of time in comparison to completing the research yourself, while ensuring you end up with a quality study to publish on your site.
Data-Driven Content is Better Content
Content that’s backed up with facts and research will come across as more authoritative and credible. As a small business, there is much to be gained by making your content more data-driven. Give it a go on your next post and see the results for yourself.