Three Golden Rules for Digital Content Marketing
In today's post, we will introduce you to the three golden rules of content to help you transform your marketing strategy
Introduction
Content! That is what drives every effective B2B marketing strategy and helps fuel brand loyalty and trust. At Goodbrand, we believe that the foundation of successful marketing lies in the content you create. But not just any content works - you have to be disciplined when writing your whitepaper, article, or blog post. Most content that is written today will not reach its intended audience and will fail to create meaningful engagement because the authors didn't follow three simple rules.
In today's post, we will introduce you to the three golden rules of content, which will help you transform your marketing strategy by building a stronger connection with your audience and leading to more engagements and higher conversions to paying clients. Every piece of content you create should follow these rules. Ignore them at your MQLs peril!
Let's dive in!
Rule 1: Create Content with a Specific Audience in Mind
It's crucial to know your audience before you create your content. Ask: Who am I writing this for? Why do they care?
If you find yourself simply talking about how great your products or solutions are, without considering your audience, your content will fall short of making the kind of impact you need.
Your intuition might suggest that you appeal to a wider audience instead of a specific target persona. You might think that if the content is less focused - everyone will read it.
But it actually works in reverse, if you are not speaking to anyone specifically, no one will read it. Speak to a narrow audience and you will be surprised how much your readership will spread beyond. Also, thinking of a specific audience helps you empathize with them and leads to more engaging content.
By understanding your prospects' needs, workflows, and pain points, you can tailor your content to resonate with them and convince them that you understand their problems.
To create content for a specific audience, follow these steps:
a) Identify your target audience: Determine who you want to reach with your content. Consider factors such as age, occupation, role, seniority, and industry.
b) Research your audience: Dive deeper into understanding your target audience. Some marketers use surveys, polls, interviews, and analytics tools to gather insights on their customers' objectives, preferences, and challenges.
c) Create buyer personas: Develop detailed profiles of your ideal customers, outlining their demographics, business roles, and work-flows. This will help you visualize your audience, empathize with them and consequently create content that speaks to them.
d) Tailor your content: Now that you know your audience, ensure that your content addresses the needs, preferences, and challenges of your target audience. Use language and tone that they can relate to and find appealing. After all the voice that you will need to reach a Hedge Fund manager will be different that speaking to an Ice Cream parlor manager.
Rule 2: Always Talk About a Problem, Pain Point, or Gap
Your audience is more likely to engage with your content if it addresses a problem, pain point, or gap they are experiencing. Remember, painkillers always sell better than vitamins. By focusing on the "painful" aspects of your prospects' workflow, you can organically position your brand as a helpful resource, building trust and credibility.
To implement this rule, consider the following:
a) Identify common problems for your target audience: Understand the issues your audience faces without explicitly stating how your product or service can help resolve them. This should be implied as a natural consequence of them reading your piece.
b) Offer valuable insights: Share expert tips, advice, and solutions that can help your audience overcome their challenges. If you create cyber security software, consider sharing industry best practices in cyber security and warn your readers of what might happen if they do not follow industry best practices.
c) Use storytelling: Humans love stories. Always remember - you are selling to humans, not companies. Craft compelling stories that weave cause and effect, depicting a known challenge and then showing (in a subtle way) how your product or service has helped others in similar situations. This not only humanizes your brand but also makes your content more relatable and many times more memorable.
d) Keep it relevant: Ensure that your content remains up-to-date and relevant to your audience's needs, in a shifting environment. Even though you should have some content that will remain "evergreen" for years, also consider creating content that is more topical. Even though it will have a lower shelf-life, it will make up for it by attracting more eye-balls to your brand.
Even this blog post opened up with a reference to a clear problem - not all content is reaching its intended audience. If you have made this far it means you may at least recognize the problem or have dealt with it in the past.
Rule 3: Always Have a CTA
A Call-to-Action (CTA) prompts your audience to take the next step, whether it's signing up for a newsletter, downloading an eBook, or making a purchase. By including a clear and compelling CTA, you increase the chances of conversion.
Here's how to create an effective CTA:
a) Be specific: Clearly state what action you want your audience to take, and make sure it aligns with the content's purpose.
b) Create a sense of urgency: Encourage immediate action by using phrases like "limited time offer" or "act now."
c) Make it visually appealing: Design your CTA to stand out and grab attention. Use contrasting colors, large fonts, and whitespace to make it easily visible.
d) Test and optimize: Regularly test different CTA placements, wording, and designs to see which performs best. Use A/B testing to continually optimize your CTAs for better results.
Conclusion:
By following the three golden rules of content - creating content with a certain audience in mind, addressing a problem, pain point, or gap, and including a clear CTA - you can elevate your marketing strategy and foster a deeper connection with your audience leading to more MQLs and conversions.
At goodBrand.io, we are committed to helping you create impactful content that drives results. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can support your marketing efforts and help take your growth to the next level.
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