Author Info:  Matt Brennan is a Chicago marketing writer, helping businesses tell stories to attract customers. 

How To Write Content Your Readers Will Act OnIf you’re running the marketing campaign for a small business, surely you know a lot about the industry. If that industry were announced as a Jeopardy category, dollar signs might start dancing inside your head.

It’s not enough to “brain dump” your encyclopedic knowledge on the page. Readers may make the decision whether to stay with your content in a few seconds flat. If they’re bored or frustrated, they’ll leave in favor of the next Google result. 

You’ll need to generate interest in the topic.

What makes the topic interesting to you? It’s up to you to convey that enthusiasm to your audience. It’s the lifeblood they’ll need to keep reading.

What problems are your readers trying to solve? Think of what information they are looking for as they make their way onto your website. Present this information in an entertaining matter, and you’ll be ahead of the game.

What questions do your customers frequently ask in person? Try and answer those questions in prominent places on your website.

Do your pages contain strong calls to action?

They should. It doesn’t always mean a hard sell, it simply means making sure your reader knows what you want them to do.

To find out more information, they can call you or fill out your form. To answer a question you posed in a blog post they can comment. Don’t be afraid to be specific about what you want them to do.

You’ll also want to pay attention to the language you are using.

Strong writing wins the day. 

Strong verbs improve sentences. Active, punchy writing keeps readers interested.

Avoid using too much industry lingo. Your mother may be proud of your expansive vocabulary, but your readers may not share this knowledge with you. The second they feel like you’re talking above them, they’ll move on.

Vary your sentence lengths to create  a tempo to your writing. If every sentence is too short or too long, that can become frustrating to your reader. A good gauge for figuring this out is to read your work out loud.

As you’re reading out loud, you may catch mistakes that weren’t discernable before. Make sure to edit ruthlessly. Grammar and spelling mistakes erode trust, and that can have a financial impact on your work.

Remember, good content evokes action. Keep your readers engaged, and they’re more likely to reward you in the end.