3 Ways to Get Up Close and Personal with Content Marketing

The school of hard knocks is probably the most expensive education anyone can get. But in marketing, such an education could cost you even more. In a recent study, it was revealed that most marketers don’t have formal training, with a whopping 82 percent learning on the job as they go.

Coupled with the fact that 76 percent of marketers think marketing has changed more in the past two years than in the past 50, this makes for a dangerous combination. Among the many hard lessons learned over the years, three fall into the “I wish someone would have told me” category.

Content is a conversation

The rate at which content is created is a direct result of the desperate attempt by marketers to figure out what the reader wants. Creating engaging content is seen as the priority, and creating enough content is the driver. In this desperation, marketers set the wrong priorities. Instead of starting with “create engaging content,” start with the reader. Who are you trying to reach? What do their professional situations look like? When reading your content, what problems are they trying to solve?

These should be the questions that drive engagement and dictate content standards, not the concern of creating something viral or engaging. If you know your customer you will know what they need, and the subsequent content will serve that purpose with the reader deciding if it is engaging. When having a conversation, is it polite for the person listening to simply give advice to the speaker about an issue they don’t fully understand? Consider the content you create to be the result of a personal conversation about a specific problem, and then present the brand as a solution.

Conversations are personal

Demographic data was one of the primary pieces in constructing a picture of the customer. Assumptions were made as result of where someone lived, their income level, and their age. When constructing a picture of your target customer/reader, relying on this data alone in the light of big data, social tracking, and consumer engagement seems almost irresponsible. To be personal, the marketer has to get deeper.

Before any content is written, do research to find the issues the targeted reader is trying to solve. Market research, persona creation and audience analysis are just a few ways to figure out the needs of the customer and how to address each one.

Additionally, social media has provided an avenue by which every emotion, thought and life event is shared and discussed. Applications like Topsy help marketers tracking the ongoing social dialog and fit said dialog into a framework that’s the result of the implied need.

Personal is a story

Reaching the consumer on a deep, emotional level has always been the goal of every marketer. But tapping into the emotional side of the consumer is difficult, especially when the marketer relies on the aforementioned demographic data as a roadmap and has to compete against the deluge of content being produced every day.

Over the last year, the power of storytelling has entered into conversations associated with content marketing. Speakers harken back to classic novels and how we make the connections to characters within the tale, and then how the process of story is the answer to problems in marketing overall. This summation is incorrect.

Story is the branch of the marketing tree whose roots are found in the research (laddering interviews, focus groups) and time with the consumer. This root is personal and considerate, and in its creation a relationship is formed and trust is established. From trust there is acceptance. From acceptance, recall. Problems are personal.

The story behind them can be anything and depending on the person, can act as a burden. The job of the marketer is position to brand in such a way as to alleviate that burden and in doing so, serve the consumer. It is the same with content. Content that tells a story must be inherently personal and in the process, serve the customer.

Understanding that content is a personal, problem-solving conversation is one of the many first steps truly understanding digital marketing. Getting to know your reader through research and understanding their need is the first step to creating the content/story that will convert.

In accepting these truths the marketer will be better equipped to learn the ancillary skills and tools that are invented every day. This foundational understanding provides a lens by which marketers can look through and make their content stand out.

Image credit: sumall.com

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