Content is king, or so we’ve always been told.
We’re led to believe that customers have an attention span of zero – stop entertaining them and they’ll find another business that does in the click of a button.
So the response is content, content and more content.
Blogs, social media, whitepapers, infographics, videos – whatever your weapon of choice, keep throwing it out or people will lose interest.
And therein lies the problem.
Dealing with content shock
With so much information screaming at them from every corner of the internet – their inbox, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter – customers switch off.
Completely overloaded, they stop reading or actively ignore it all.
They’re suffering from ‘content shock’ and, as the negative Nancys of the world are keen to point out, it makes it increasingly more difficult for marketers to grab and keep customers’ attention.
Some are even predicting that it spells the end of content marketing.
The difference between good and bad content
But whilst it’s true that customers are inundated with information, that doesn’t mean the demand for content doesn’t still exist – it’s there and as strong as ever.
People have just learned to be pickier about what they read online.
And that means you need to clearly differentiate between good and bad content.
If you have something useful and entertaining to offer, then your customers will want it.
Churn out any old rubbish and no one’s going to be interested.
How to create compelling content
Anyone who’s sat down to come up with a year-long calendar of irresistibly shareable blogposts will know it’s easier said than done.
Creating compelling content that stands out from the crowd is difficult.
It’s why you’ll find digital marketing firms that specialise in content marketing pooling together experts with years of experience in copywriting and SEO, all to make sure they’re producing work capable of waking up fatigued customers.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t also do it on your own, you just need to follow a few basic rules:
- Identify your customers: who is your ideal customer? Knowing the basics like age, gender and income is essential for digital marketing. As well as helping you create the right tone of voice in content, understanding your demographic also makes it easier to target ads.
- Speak to their interests: you don’t always have to go for a hard sell, you can simply share a story that speaks to your customer’s interests (e.g. their hobbies, their favourite TV shows, their idols). It’s a great trust-building exercise that’ll keep them coming back for more.
- Show some personality: whatever you’re saying and whoever you’re saying it to, make sure it sounds like you. Showing a strong brand voice across all content keeps it interesting and builds authority, helping customers to recognise your business and expertise.
It’s may not be easy or quick, but with compelling content marketing, you can stand out from the crowd and win yourself some new customers.