Nowadays, content creation is an integral part of marketing and running a business in general. A lot of companies struggle to generate the engagement between brand and consumer that content is supposed to. What can you do to create the most engaging content for your brand?
Here are 7 things we’ve found to be absolutely essential to making effective content:
Know Your Audience
The content you create for one audience can be very different from another. Understanding your WHO is the critical first step.
It can be helpful to think of your audience as a single person, your ideal customer. Instead of trying to appeal to a bunch of people, instead you’re making content for that ideal customer. A lot of companies do this by making a buyer persona. That way you can think, “Would my buyer persona like this?” which is far more efficient than, “Would each of my individual followers enjoy this content?”
Draw Out Your Battle Plan
There’s nothing more overwhelming than trying to consistently post content across multiple channels without a plan. It can feel like juggling snakes. Making a plan can be as simple as figuring out what types of content you want to post and when it would be best to time to post it. The more specific your plan is, the more confusion and time you take out of the equation.
Outline a schedule and angle for upcoming content.
Part of making a plan is planning out your message and angle. Now that you know who your audience is, think about what type of content would appeal most to them. Knowing what you want to talk about can make it easier to figure out what types of content would be best. Would your audience benefit from long form blog articles, or would a TikTok series be more helpful? Both of those types of content take a lot of effort, so planning ahead of time is invaluable!
Company Personality
The sheer amount of products, companies, and information out there is staggering. Just a good product doesn’t cut it; your brand’s ideals need to be in line with your customers’. According to a recent study, 56% of Gen Z consumers say that having shared perspectives is a major factor when it comes to their engagement with a brand.
Keep in mind that consumers are fantastic at sniffing out inauthenticity. Your brand personality and ideals need to actually be what you say they are. Actions speak louder than words!
What are the advantages of having a well-defined brand personality and ideals? Giving your company a “personality” makes things like content creation a lot easier. Knowing your ideals can also help you decide which direction to go.
Keep It Simple
Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. No matter who your audience is, needlessly complicated language doesn’t work. Being straightforward and honest is always better.
Remember why you’re making the content. Is it to promote you or your brand? If so, then the tone of the content should match your voice. People can sense if the tone is inauthentic, or even just off. It’s easier to connect with a brand online if you feel like you’re interacting with a real person. Make sure your content is simple, transparent, and relatable.
Remember the Big Picture
Once again, why do you want to make this content? Keep the big picture of your content in mind, as well as the goal for each individual post. For example, if one of your videos is trying to promote a specific product or service, include a call to action. A call to action will accomplish the short-term goal of that content, as well as the long-term sales goals of your company.
Think of how the content you’re producing fits in with your long-term goals. If it’s not relevant to your brand personality or business goals, it’s not worth posting.
Take a Step Back
The longer you work on a piece of content, the easier it is to miss mistakes. You’ll be surprised what you find when you come back with fresh eyes.
An old copywriting trick is to proofread backward. Instead of starting at the beginning of your content, start at the end. Because your brain is following a different path through the information, it sees things in a different way. Knowing your content is edited well will make you more confident in posting it, and it will make your buyers see your standards for quality.
A big part of taking a step back is revisiting old content. Repurposing or adapting finished content is an excellent way to stay inspired and productive. In addition to keeping your message up to date, another pro of recycling content is that it gives more people an opportunity to see it. Even if someone has been following you for a long time, there’s still a chance that they didn’t see the content the first time around.
Consume Other Content
One of the best ways to keep your own content sharp is to look at what others are doing. Doing this can inspire you, help you keep up with current trends, and sharpen your skills. It also allows you to mimic what works well. Change your scenery, have conversations, read books and articles, and watch movies and shows in your free time. Healthy creative input will restock your productive juices.
Posting engaging content is essential to crafting an effective online presence for your business. In the digital age, there are countless opportunities to get exposure on social media and to pull traffic from sites such as YouTube, Instagram, and Medium. By applying these tips, you’ll be able to pinpoint your audience, build your brand, and get quality content in front of the right people.Unlock 7 Proven Tactics for Magnetic Social Media Content
