A new year has well and truly started and you’re ready to tackle your business website. Perhaps you’ve been thinking for a while that the content on your website needs a good overhaul. Or you think it’s time to finally start writing to your customers using a regular email or blog.
And you’re getting excited about the possibilities of expanding your social media audience.
Creating valuable and relevant content is the aim of effective content marketing.
But how do you write something that people actually want to read?
Before you even start writing (or briefing a copywriter), nail these two steps:
STEP 1
What’s the goal of your content marketing?
The first step in creating any content is to think about your goal.
- Are you looking to generate more visits to your online shop or leads for future sales?
- Are you planning to educate people new to your products or services?
- Do you hope to build relationships with your customers by showing you’re an expert in your chosen field? This might lead you to provide them with information that will help them on their business or life.
- What is it you want to say? How can you help build trust? What do you want your customers to DO with that information you’re about to tell them?
- How will your content fit into the overall goal of the business?
Which leads us to think about…
STEP 2
What’s happening in your customer’s life: step into their shoes
Knowing what makes your customers tick is essential before you launch into any content.
It’s worth brainstorming your assumptions and digging into any data you might have to confirm if what you think you know to be true is actually true.
What do they look like? Where do they live?
- What are their goals and challenges? Their values and fears?
- Consider what they value when thinking about a product/service like yours.
- What doubts might they have to take that next step?
- What drives them to make or put off making a decision?
Then… put yourself in your customer’s shoes and ask yourself – WHY would you want to read the content you plan to create?
One of the most useful questions when writing content is to ask – SO WHAT?
Why does what you’re telling your audience matter to them? Why should your customer care at all about your product or service?
Keep asking ‘so what’ until you drill down to what really matters to the reader.
Your opportunity is to create marketing that has real value to your customers. It answers your customer’s burning questions. Creating valuable and relevant content is the aim of good communication and effective content marketing.
Especially those questions that might stop them from deciding to buy your product or send an enquiry about your services.
Great content reflects what matters to your reader
Effective content respects the audience. Solves problems. It avoids being too ‘salesy’.
Empathy rules supreme.
Two things to keep in mind:
- Your content must have empathy with whatever challenges they’re facing. Make it clear that you understand what their world looks like.
- Don’t forget to think about the different stages of the buyer journey. Some of your customers will know you well; others might need convincing. You’ll need to create different content for different audiences.
For further inspiration on content marketing and writing great copy, I recommend reading Ann Handley’s book Everybody Writes.
Get in touch if you need help crafting content your customers will read.
