Content is the present and future of marketing. It is the way we are learning to communicate, reach and build relationships with our potential customers and clients. It’s our way of selling ourselves and products without directly asking for the sale. We create a dialogue and potential ongoing relationship by empowering interested readers with shared knowledge, best practices, real-world case studies and other content that can help them learn something new, work smarter and be more productive. What makes content marketing so successful is the way the messaging is crafted; it motivates people to want to read it, share it and ultimately buy or act through the digital relationship you have sprung. If you take a glance at successful businesses’ websites and social media pages, you will find a presence of blogs and conversations ignited around much more than products. Lowe’s is posting Vine videos of other uses for everyday objects, Grey Poupon has a “Members Only” club on Facebook that was defined by their reputation of finer taste and based on members’ grammar. These are just two examples of unique, creative content that has helped broaden messaging to reach new or untapped demographics and create engagement for our brands.
So what does content need in order to gain readership and create a buzz?
- A strong headline. They won’t read it if you can’t grab their attention from the start.
- How-To’s and Lists. People want to learn something and they want to learn it quickly with simple steps to follow.
- Stats and Facts. Readers want facts and stats over opinions – if you have them, share them.
- Make it easy to share. If you want your readers to share your content, apply a sharebar with social media buttons to the pages you want passed along.
- Remember: Quality over quantity. Be relevant, Be valuable.
- Infographics. People absolutely love infographics. Our minds naturally remember graphics and images over text.
- Tell stories. Tell the story of how your business began or the tale of the first company picnic when you burned the burgers because you were busy playing horseshoes.
- Be unique, but buy into the trends. This is an ongoing struggle, but it can be done.
- The power of humor. You’ve seen a viral cat video, admit it, and it was funny.
- Be positive.
- Be interesting.
- All posts do NOT need to be about business. Your readers know you’re a person; don’t make them doubt it.
- Timing is everything. When posting your content, do some research. Check out when your competition is posting, use the free social media analytics tools available, compare similar content when posted at different times – see what works. If you have a piece that you believe deserves extra attention, post it twice at different times, but promote it with a different headline.
Your readers want to know what you know. With the ever expanding use of digital communications, rich media, social media and interest in blogs, you can build relationships and share why your business beats the others with crafted content. Follow the tips above and watch the impact.
For more tips on creating content for social media look here.
Graphic Source: http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/07/24/10-insights-on-how-to-attract-more-traffic-with-distinctive-writing/
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