With such an abundance of digital content at our fingertips, it can often be overwhelming and downright intimidating to publish material that represents your voice online. What is trending one day seems to be irrelevant the next. If you’re feeling lost with what to post on your website or social media platforms, fear not. There are a variety of ways to stand out from the crowd and deliver content that both informs your readers and engages them to learn more about your brand.
Below are three key components to keep in mind when it comes to content marketing.
1. Exclusivity and Inclusivity
People want to feel like they’re receiving fresh, unknown information. With so many recycled versions of the same article found online, what we crave is newness. We want to be informed, enlightened, and feel like we’re hearing or reading it first. That being said, it’s important to craft your content in a way that invites new visitors to learn more. Think about a time when you felt like the obvious outsider in a group conversation or social gathering. Chances are, you still remember the discomfort and would do just about anything not to recreate that feeling of isolation. Don’t let your content do the same. While your material doesn’t have to cater to everyone’s interests, be sure that you’re not excluding members of your own niche market with content that lacks context.2. Your Narrative Matters
Often times, we remember information not necessarily by what we were told, but how it was written. Storytelling is a key component in sharing content and lays the foundation for establishing an audience and building your brand. Marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and bestselling author of Contagious, Jonah Berger writes “Stories can act as vessels, carriers that help transmit information to others.” We often retain information about brands, ideas, and even current events not listed in a series of bullet points, but delicately woven into a story that generates an emotional impact in some shape or form.3. Bring it Home
Suspense can be a beautiful thing in a true crime TV series or murder mystery novel, but when it comes to content marketing, your readers need to be guided to an endpoint or you’ll lose them entirely. Failing to include a CTA (call-to-action) in your writing or misguiding your viewers on what they can expect to learn in a subject line that doesn’t deliver are two of the easiest, and most often made mistakes when it comes to distributing valuable content for profit. If you want your readers to know more about your brand or to make a purchase, you need to navigate them exactly to where you want them to go. If we don’t create the map, we can’t expect our viewers to follow it. When it comes to incorporating a strong CTA in your content, be sure to let your prospective customers know what your services or product can do for them. Where there is no direct benefit, there is no sale.
With the right approach, any content can be engaging content. Consider your end goal, identify your target audience, and share your story authentically to leave your readers informed, intrigued, and understood.
Are you ready to share your story but don’t know where to begin? We can help. Contact us for more information on building online brand awareness.
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