Content is King. Yeah, yeah, we know it's the elusive life blood of business, but where do you start?
Here's my top 5 recommendations for creating content which grabs your audience and cries out to be shared.
1. Entertain
Before we got caught up in B2B or B2C debates, there was a world that worried about H2H - human to human. The technology may have changed, but people will always want to laugh and be entertained. Find a way to convey your message and make people smile and there's a good chance they'll pass that warm fuzzy feeling and your brand, onto their friends.
2. Educate
We all want to seem smarter than we are. Providing your customers with information which takes them beyond their original question, ensures at least a bookmark. It also raises their perception of who you are and helps differentiate you, from those who only provide enough information to make the sale.
This doesn't have to be complicated. My local estate agent uses their blog to talk about the housing market in general rather than just their services.
3. Inspire
We're all inspired by different things, but being inspired is such a great feeling we can't help but act on it. Brands know this. Pinterest reigns because of it. Make your customers feel inspired, sell them the dream, share the possibilities and the sales will follow. A great example here is The Monocle Order a company selling sunglasses, but blogging pure inspiration in words and pictures.
4. Inform
Provide the facts and information and let your customers decide. Content that is informative, gives it's source credibility and helps us justify our decision to spend. Charities often use informative content to convey the severity of a situation and appeal to our head as well as our hearts.
5. Blatantly sell
Use this one sparingly. Companies who beat down our doors, even if they are likely to be virtual ones these days, fast lose their appeal. We know you've got product to sell and sometimes it's ok to tell us directly why we should choose yours over the competition. Be warned though, content which simply states the features will almost always be doomed, (unless you've found just the right customer, at the right time, in the right place). Selling on benefits once in a while, can hit the mark.
Of course once you've created your entertaining, educational, inspiring and informative content, (with the occasional sales message thrown in), you'll have to decide which channels to use so your market hears your message. That's a whole other blog post.
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