Give Your Content an Extra Boost This Year

Dull content has no place in your marketing plan. You know to avoid lackluster, generic content but sometimes you’re running around and can’t devote a ton of energy into creating masterpieces. Well, this year, let’s all resolve to do our best to create content that’s better than the flood of inane and mediocre stuff flooding our inboxes and Facebook feeds. Because, let’s face it, the media landscape is overcrowded! And that means it’s difficult for brands to cut through the noise and affectively reach their target audience.

Content marketing is a straight forward concept: Marketers produce useful, relevant, and enticing content for people to read, watch, and engage with. The end goal is, of course, that the audience will be motivated enough to buy whatever you’re selling.

The trick is, you’ve got to earn your audience’s attention. Here are a few techniques that will help do that:

1. Know your audience. I’m pretty sure I sound like a broken record but it really is key to understand your audiences. After all, your content is written to serve them. Who are they? What do they want? How do they think? How do they speak? In order for your content to resonate, you must understand who you’re writing for and create the right content for them. So do some research: engage in social listening, run surveys, or reach out to potential leads. Get clear on what type of content is right for your audience and where they are in the customer journey.
2. Look to fiction writers. Creative writing doesn’t always flow out of us. But take a look at fiction authors for pointers on writing a hook and painting an emotional picture. And always keep in mind that you need to tell a compelling story and take your audience on a journey.
3. Offer solutions. The bottom line of your content is to help your audience. It should aid them in getting what they want or need. (Sorry, your audience doesn’t care about your product or service per se, but rather about how your product or service is solves their problem.) Useful and informative content that helps people learn a skill might come in the form of a guide or how-to blog post. Amazing content can be, in all honesty, difficult to create. But by focusing on producing valuable content, you can better connect with your potential customers and target audience. If you haven’t done step one – getting to know your audience – you’ll find it pretty hard to write for them and provide the solution they need.
4. Play to your strengths. Positioning your brand as an authority does not mean writing about everything under the sun. Focus on your strengths: what are you an expert on? What do you know that no one else does? And what’s the most valuable piece of information you can share?
5. Every word counts. Attention spans are dwindling. So if you want your content to connect with your audience, grab their attention quickly. Write enticing headlines or titles (in blog posts, social, emails, videos). Write easily digestible content. Read everything out loud to avoid clunky sentences or paragraphs. You content needs to be clearly understood so lose all the jargon or buzzwords and write with clarity!

As you work towards crafting more vivid content, let these tips guide you. Remember, it’s not always about trying to create the next viral video. As you vie for the attention of your audience, you must find a way to stand out. Happy writing!