Content Marketing Stands to Benefit!
Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely regarded as one of the best thinkers in human history. It’s worth doing a little research to find out more about how he contributed to modern philosophy. Although the contributions of Socrates have been largely applied to psychology and critical thinking, they can also strengthen your content marketing strategy in surprising ways.
The Basics of Socratic Questioning in Content Optimization
The idea behind Socratic questioning is to question the question. This isn’t as cyclic as it sounds. In reality, it allows you to streamline your ideas, and find solutions to problems relating to very specific niches. The world of content marketing is becoming increasingly segmented, giving way to new niche-specific websites and entire marketing agencies dedicated to only one industry segment.
Niche Questions Inspire Quality Content
Google has started to consider the natural evolution of the question when ranking websites. This has led to a better way to refine and choose relevant topics for blog posts and other forms of content. One of the key factors in Socratic questioning is asking additional questions that help to identify the necessary information. This process eventually leads to a solution in the form of relevant content, and a topic that will speak to readers in a specific niche.
Socratic Questioning Forces the User to Narrow Down Content Searches
Predictive text and suggested search terms are evidence of Socratic questioning at work. The goal is to get the results you need by narrowing down the topic and search terms to reflect the purpose of the search itself.
Not every question is straightforward, and this gives way to answers that reflect that disorganization. A large part of what Socrates focused on was asking new questions to refine the original. When his students answered him, he would then ask them to further define the answer, leading them down another avenue of thought.
Applying Socratic Questioning to Content Marketing
One of the most important factors in SEO and digital content development right now is value. Using different forms of questions can aid in the optimization of content for target users. The following types of questions should be considered before publishing anything to the internet:
- Will your reader ask for clarification at any point throughout the body of the content? Always ask “why?” after making a statement and fortify your information.
- What can your reader assume throughout the content? If there are places in the content that leave room for open-ended assumptions, you may need to fill in those spaces.
- What reason does the user have for viewing your content? Know how to deliver what people want.
- Are you in alignment with the viewpoint of your audience? Content should teach, but it does not necessarily have to inspire argument.
- Are you making harmful generalizations? Always ask if your assumptions are contradictory or offensive.
- Did the content answer the question it was intended for? Make sure that the content gives the right information directly to the user.
If you need help improving the way that your content “speaks” to your target audience, the copywriting experts at MintCopy can help!
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