Have you ever tried to read a website’s content, but it just didn’t hold your interest? Content that is flat and uninspiring can feel like it is written by a robot. This may leave you wondering who it is written for. Your content needs to connect with your target audience in order to be successful.
Every brand has a human at its core that is passionate about the brand’s industry and their area of expertise. Those who read your content need to connect with that human. Content that is authentic is essential to your marketing strategy.
If your brand doesn’t give your audience the feeling that they are engaging with a human being, they will be unable to form a connection. Without a connection to your brand, you will very likely lose your audience and they will go in search of a brand they can relate to.
Social media and content that is repetitive and feels as if it was programmed displays a lack of effort to connect with your audience. If you’re not making the effort, why should they? Content marketing is the perfect opportunity to make that human connection between your brand and your audience.
Know your Audience
You will eliminate any chance of making a human connection with your audience if your content only focuses on sales and conversions.
In order to make that human connection with your audience, you need to identify and focus on their behavior, needs, and goals. Create content that is relevant to your audience, which they will find useful and interesting.
Google Analytics or YouGov’s profiler are great tools for learning more about your audience. Once you get to know your audience, it will be much easier to create content that will interest them.
Tell a Story with Your Content
With multiple online platforms for publishing your content, it’s important for your brand to tell a story that is relevant to your audience. Quality and meaningful posts are vital to your content marketing strategy.
Unlike traditional TV and print ads, social media marketing focuses on how people use your products, rather than simply the products themselves. Blogs, videos, pictures as well as live engagement allows your brand to tell a story.
Your content is the perfect place to show the human side of your brand. The strongest human connections to your brand are made through content that generates an emotional reaction and social engagement.
Maintain Engagement
While social media is a great platform for self-promotion, don’t forget the 80/20 rule. 80% of your content should focus on your audience and only 20% on your products. Constant self-promotion can drive your audience away.
Consistency is important in how and when you interact with your audience as different people will use different social media platforms to engage with your brand.
Let your brand’s human side shine and build relationships with your audience through social media. Make a meaningful connection with them through your content marketing.
Create Journalistic Content
With content marketing, thought-leaders within different industries are provided an opportunity to share their expertise by communicating directly with readers.
Authoritative content that focuses on current trends and news that relates to your brand will provide your audience with information that they find valuable.
By creating this type of content, you will present your business as knowledgeable and personable thus encouraging engagement and making a human connection with your audience.
Create Content for People
How do you connect with family and friends? You talk to each other. Granted, it’s often through text or social media, but you talk. Via your content, your brand needs to do the same thing with your audience.
You are writing content for human consumption. In the effort to increase SEO, you can diminish the value of your content by focusing too much on keywords and headlines that don’t deliver. Writing strictly for SEO purposes will lose the human connection to your brand.
Your audience needs to find your content meaningful and informative. This will keep them returning to your site and ultimately result in conversions.
Use Content Marketing to Create Experiences
Providing information that is of value to your audience is great, but entertaining and connecting with them will keep them returning to your site.
Engaging visually with pictures and especially videos is a great way to share funny, interesting, or touching moments with your audience. Creating an experience that tugs at their heartstrings or makes them smile or laugh will bring out the human aspects of your brand.
Not only are you entertaining your audience while increasing awareness of your brand, but your efforts to connect show them that your business values their relationship with them.
Don’t Just Listen, Respond
The best thing about online marketing is that it is interactive. Your audience can comment, reply to others and share your content with their online community.
While listening is always important, it is paramount that you reply. Even if it’s just a “thank you” to let them know you are paying attention, it shows that your business values them.
Whether you are simply answering a question in a timely manner or responding positively to feedback, responding will gain your audience’s trust and respect. More importantly, it will help to solidify brand loyalty.
In today’s world of digital marketing, the squeaky wheel isn’t always the one that gets the oil. You have to connect with them on a human level. Once you’ve identified your audience, think about who they are and talk to them like a friend. Let them know you are listening by responding. Keep the tone and value of your content consistent. This will make your brand recognizable and familiar, just like the voice of your best friend when you answer your phone.
A cutting-edge digital marketing firm based in Central New Jersey, Creative Click Media focuses on producing high-quality websites, internet marketing, and consulting services. We believe that a passion for innovation is key for creating digital strategies that generate ongoing success. Contact us and learn how we can enhance your digital presence.
