You’ve probably heard the saying by now: Content is king. But when creating a content marketing strategy, too many companies are unsure of where to begin and fail to gain traction from the start. Marketing agency Customer Communications Group (CCG) has recognized this need for direction in content marketing, and offers five tips for engaging audiences and building brand loyalty.
- Talk Sense
Much of content marketing boils down to the golden rule of writing: know your audience. Use language that your targeted demographic will understand and relate to; don’t use technical terms when addressing novice audiences, and don’t “dumb it down” for those that are more advanced.
- Solve Problems
Consumers turn to content to be informed about how to better solve their issues. If you’re able to provide audiences with the answer to their dilemmas, either personal or professional, they’re much more likely to return to your content stream on a regular basis.
- Make it About Them
Inundating customers with company promotion is a great way to turn readers away with a bad taste in their mouth. Some promotion is fine (content marketing is still marketing, after all!), but it should be limited to about 30-40% of content. The rest should be adding value; customers are acting in their own best interests, and will look to brands that offer them substantial information over promotional fluff.
- Mix It Up
In recent years, it’s become clear that one size certainly doesn’t fit all when it comes to brand messaging. Your audiences aren’t looking for a flood of plain text documents; keep things fresh by switching up channels and formats. Curveballs like a live Q&A session or an infographic can go a long way in keeping readers engaged with your brand.
- Fast & Easy
Now more than ever, content needs to be skim-able. Most audiences today simply aren’t interested in long-form works of text, and won’t hesitate to click away if they feel that the formatting is unwieldy. Break up lengthy posts with graphics, bullet points, and sidebars to keep the information bite-sized and easy to digest.
Content marketing can be the X-factor for companies looking to build a highly engaged base of loyal customers, and these tips from CCG may just be the head start that your business needs to hit the ground running and take your content to the next level.