In this blog, Gill Hoyle, Head of Content at Rose Media Group, explores three steps to kick start the creation of compelling content that will keep your audience engaged and coming back for more…
1/ Create content with intention
Start by asking yourself is this content necessary? Is it needed? And how will it be helpful to the customer I want to engage and inspire? Next, decide the primary purpose of the content. Is it to build brand loyalty or to help educate customers to keep them informed? Or, is the main goal to drive increased web traffic to a specific campaign landing page? Defining intention, purpose and measurable goals from the outset will provide focus that informs content development.
Working through this process can also help decide the type of content you want to produce with the target audience in mind – be it video, infographic, press release, blog, case study or social content to name a few – as well as deciding the channel you plan to publish on.
2/ Discover what makes your audience tick
To create action-inspiring, quality content that your audience will be drawn to, it’s important to define and get to know your primary target audience.
Determine demographics and think about the psychology of your target market, their values, their interests and where they usually ‘hang out’ – both online and offline – to consume their content.
Keyword research tools like Google Trends, Google Ads Keyword Planner or AnswerThePublic can provide valuable insights on what your audience is interested in and also indicate demand for content relating to a specific topic. Harnessing this data will help produce optimised content that drives wider audience engagement and delivers an uplift in web traffic.
3/ Shout about what makes your brand different
Shining a light on your brand’s key differentiators can be the deciding factor that sets your company apart and inspires people to do business with you. Use content to explain your brand’s niche including how your unique business model, ways of working and product offering will benefit your customers.
Research what your competition is talking about – or importantly – not talking about to uncover industry conversations you can look to own and lead based on topics you know your customers really care about.
By equipping yourself with meaningful data led insights via competitor, social and client listening you can bring your brands key differentiators to the forefront of content to help your business stand out.
In summary, a content strategy that consistently delivers considered, creative, data driven stories that showcase what is truly unique about your brand will build trust, brand awareness and an engaged community, helping set your business up for short and long-term success.
