What is content, and what does it mean today? The word is now ubiquitously used to describe just about any media on the internet. There is an ocean of “content” on the web today, and it is growing larger every day, sometimes with little or no thought given to crafting it carefully.
The word itself even sounds empty and non-specific, which is exactly how I would describe most content that you’ll find on the internet these days, and that is just what you want to avoid when designing content for your readers.
Here are some new ways to look at how you produce your own content, that is actually made for your target audience.
Don’t be generic. Be specific, and be original.
The first thing is that you don’t even really have to try to stand out when you’re writing and organizing media that is geared towards your specific desired audience.
Here’s the reason:
Most of the content out there is generic. There are actually companies who have farms of prefabricated material that, if you use their service, they will give you for a fee.
This material was produced before they ever knew it was for your audience, so there’s no way it will target your audience, specifically, and especially if your company does something obscure, like manufacturing craft beer bottles or something.
Now, if you’re designing and promoting content that was created specifically with your target audience in mind, it is automatically going to stand out because it was not meant for any other audience. But how can you find out what this content will look like?
Start a dialogue. Feedback from your customers is important to discover what they are interested in.
If you want to know how to reach your customers, then you have to learn a little about them. This can be done in two ways:
1) Direct feedback from your readers and customers.
If you have people commenting on your web posts and social media, then you’re already ahead of the game because many businesses cannot even get the conversation started. This is information you can use to design your content campaign, in addition to stimulating comments by asking for feedback through email campaigns or “suggestion box” forums, for example.
2) Data procured through analytics.
There are a number of powerful tools that you can use to gain deeper insight about what your audience is looking for. Resources like Google Analytics and Ahrefs are great places to start learning more about what your visitors are most interested in, as well as which content is performing more effectively than others.
This kind of information is invaluable to discovering what the potential customers, who are finding your content, are really interested in. This is so important because you don’t want content that is directed to anyone and everyone.
[clickandtweet]You could be drawing huge traffic to your website through content, but none of them are converting because they were not your customers to begin with.[/clickandtweet]
What you want is to generate traffic that is composed of people who are your potential customers because they are already looking for a business like yours.
Media that describes your product, targets your customers.
Though not all of your content has to be product-related, it’s a great way to educate your existing customer base while attracting new customers at the same time.
Let’s say your business manufactures automotive parts. When you write articles about the latest designs in the world of automotive parts, or even just informational posts about how it works, that is going to draw in people who are already interested in your field.
Not only that, but that audience is going to spread and share the content with their friends and colleagues who, in all likelihood, are interested in the same.
You know your customers, and a blog in which you write regular posts, yourself, is a good idea.
There’s a certain kinship between the seller and the customer. Both have a mutual investment in a specific area of interest, and a relationship can be derived from this mutual interest.
If you work in any given industry, then it is an area of expertise for you, at least to some degree. Even if you aren’t the best writer in the world, publishing regular content yourself about your industry is a good start to appeal to the right audience.
Of course, you should eventually come up with a well-laid content marketing plan, but it’s a start.
Find those who are crazy about what you do—the fanatics for your product or service.
Direct a content campaign towards the fanatics for your product because they are the ones who will be truly interested in what you say, and these people will spread their enthusiasm to others.
These are the people you want to spread word-of-mouth about your company because they are actually excited about what you do. That kind of energy is infectious; that kind of energy is what will get the right people interested in your content.
Online content has become one of the main drivers of profit for businesses in the digital age in which we now live and work, so this is an area that you cannot afford to approach haphazardly. There is always power in focus, and your web content is no exception.
Make it a point to create promotional content with a laser-focus on your target audience, and you’ll be on the path to generating the right kind of traffic—the kind that converts.
Stephanie
Stephanie is the Marketing Director at Talkroute and has been featured in Forbes, Inc, and Entrepreneur as a leading authority on business and telecommunications.
Stephanie is also the chief editor and contributing author for the Talkroute blog helping more than 100k entrepreneurs to start, run, and grow their businesses.