Digital transformation is shifting marketing and content practices. And, with more than three-quarters of marketers planning to invest in digital marketing this year, it’s only getting more important. But, despite the urgency, many marketers are still feeling overwhelmed.
After all, they have to produce and publish content on a regular basis in order to stay relevant and present their business-value propositions. How can you be sure you’re creating content that’s as Relevant, Valuable, and Meaningful as it can be?
Read on to discover the 5 essential strategies for creating content that is both useful and compelling for your marketing campaigns.
Topics Covered
1. Define your audience
First, you need to define your audience. Who are you writing for? What are you writing about? Once you’ve pinpointed your target audience, it’s time to get specific.
- Which topics will you write about?
- Which audiences will you write for?
- Which tone will you use?
- Which visual styles will you use?
Once you’ve defined your audience and chosen your content topics, it’s time to think about your reader. What do you want them to feel, think, or learn while they read your content?
Defined Your Reader, It’s time to think about your reader’s journey.
- What are your reader’s needs and goals?
- How will you meet those goals through your content?
Once you’ve defined your reader’s journey and mapped out the flow of your content, it’s time to think about your readers’ needs and goals. What do you want your reader to get from your content?
2. Create a why
What’s your why? What’s the why behind the content you’re creating? Why are you writing this content? Your why will guide and drive every aspect of your content. It will help you create a why for your content and determine what your content will cover. It will also help you create a why for your reader.
Because without a why, your content is nothing more than a string of facts. What’s the why behind the content you’re creating? Once you’ve identified your why, it’s time to get specific. What will your content cover? What are the topics you’ll cover? How will you sequence them? Which audience will you write for and what will be the tone of your writing?
3. Incorporate storytelling
Stories are the heart and soul of human communication. We tell stories to make sense of the world. We reflect on our past and imagine our future through the lens of a story. And, as a marketing strategy, storytelling helps you create and tell your brand-story. It helps you to tell your company’s story — which is often your main goal when it comes to content marketing.
Stories are more than just facts and data. They’re often rooted in human experience and archetypes, making them Relatable, Memorable, and Exciting. Stories are often the best way to communicate complex ideas. They help people to understand and relate to each other.
They create a shared experience that draws people in and makes them feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. Stories often expose your business-value. They show how your solutions benefit your customers. And, most importantly, they inspire action.
4. Incorporate your audience’s voice
We’re all fundamentally social creatures. We crave connection, and we crave community. We, therefore, crave the opportunity to share our stories and experiences with each other. This is why user-generated content (UGC) is so powerful. It gives your audience the opportunity to put their stamp on the content you create.
It gives them the chance to share their voices with you. And, in turn, it gives you a greater chance of connecting with your audience. UGC has several advantages.
First, it gives your audience a chance to shine. They get to tell their stories and share their opinions with you. Second, it gives you a better chance of connecting with your audience.
For example, if a reader likes a particular photo you’ve shared, they have a greater chance of clicking on that photo and learning more about your business.
Finally, UGC is often more authentic than traditional forms of content because it comes straight from your audience’s perspective. Use UGC whenever you can. Make it a big part of your content strategy. And, most importantly, make it your audience’s voice.
5. Always follow up
Stay in touch with your audience. As the content creator and leader of your marketing campaigns, you must stay in touch with your audience. Follow up with your audience. Send them messages, continue to interact with them on social media, and, most importantly, keep in touch with them after your content has been published.
It’s important to let them know how they can get in touch with you, what the best way is for them to get in touch with you is, and what it is you want to discuss with them. Follow up with your audience to stay connected with them and make sure you’re creating content that’s valuable and helpful to your readers.
Follow up to stay connected with your marketing campaigns. Make sure you’re following up with each piece of content you create and publishing. This will give you the chance to make sure it’s Valuable, Helpful, and Relevant for your audience.
Wrapping up
Content marketing is a strategy that involves creating and publishing relevant and valuable content. When done well, it can be an extremely effective way to generate leads and build relationships with your target audience. It can also help you earn more sales and build brand equity.
As you can see, creating compelling content for your marketing campaigns can be a challenge. It takes time, effort, creativity, and skill. And, as we’ve seen, it takes a lot of work to succeed. With all of this in mind, you may be wondering whether or not it’s even worth the effort.
Shouldn’t you just post whatever content you can find? Isn’t that what content marketing is all about? The answer to these questions is no. While yes, you can create content by simply posting whatever you find, it’s not a good strategy. You should, instead, be creating and publishing relevant and valuable content so that it drives your marketing campaigns and increases your sales.
