The marketplace is competitive, so what will give you the cutting edge? How will you be heard above the cacophony?
First off, pack away the megaphone, and stop talking to the masses and start talking to your specific audience. Your unique voice is what you use when communicating with your target audience on social media or via any other content your push out into the market. Be the voice that listens, that offers one-on-one communication, that speaks to custom- ers like they are unique. When next you prepare content, be it a social media or blog post or a monthly mailer, imagine your customer is sitting opposite you, and talk to them.
Don’t baffle your audience with industry jargon, or long unpronounceable words in an attempt to impress them. Do use humour and compassion to get your stories across. Emotions are powerful, and human beings relate to what moves them. Also, it’s important for customers to see that there are real people behind your company, so share behind-the- scenes events with them, like what your company got up to on Mandela Day, or some special feat one of your staff pulled off.
Don’t shy away from asking customers questions about their experience of your services, products and company. Any sort of healthy discussion you engage in online has the potential to create topics for future conversations. New topics mean more original content that targets a subject your customers want to know about. It’s also important to deliver well-researched, sustainable content, that your customers can turn to more than once. It establishes you as an expert in your field and creates authority.
Content marketing is not limited to social media, it is not a junior or intern’s job, it is also not the odd blog post. It needs to be treated like any other marketing endeavour, that stands up to measurable results. Content agencies can guide you to develop and maintain an effective content marketing strategy.