How to Use Content Marketing to Engage Your Target Audience

Traditional marketing isn’t what it used to be, that’s for sure. Through social media, people have found ways to avoid paid ads, which has surely changed the marketing world. Thus, to keep up with increasing demand, content marketing is the next step businesses need to take. What exactly is content marketing, you ask? Well, the Content Marketing Institute (yes, there is such a place) defines content marketing as a “strategic marketing approach of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience.” Basically, it means connecting with your people and opening a channel of dialogue to your audience, instead of using gimmicky ads and ploys to attract customers. Here’s some ways to use content marketing for your business:

1. Develop your story.

Before you can attract customers, you have to develop your brand. Who are you as a company? What is your purpose? Who are you trying to help? What makes you unique? And most importantly, why are you trying to help them? Providing your clients with this information helps build a relationship between you and your consumers. By telling your story, your clientele can associate your company with honesty and openness, two traits that are important for customers.

2. Throw out a larger net.

To get your name out there as best as you can, try to use different means instead of sticking to one. We can see with platforms like Myspace that social media can thrive one day and drown the next. So, use multiple channels instead of being stuck in one. Learn the ins and outs of each channel as well so you can utilize each one to its fullest potential. For example, Instagram is better suited for visual content, while Twitter is more useful for business to business type conversations.

3. Create a conversation.

Customers respond to open and honest communication instead of being “sold” into consuming your supply. A faceless enterprise is much less likely to develop a loyal fanbase than a friendly and relatable one. Luckily, social media allows even the biggest names to communicate with their fans. However, communication is two-fold: talking and listening. It is the company that listens and responds that attracts allegiance. Furthermore, you can use the feedback to help build your enterprise.

4. Use visuals to engage your audience.

The Content Marketing Institue has some great tips involving the use of visual content to entice your audience, such as depicting different and unique ways of using your product, and providing a human face for your brand. Create original work, or use the creativity of your customers and have them submit their artwork, which also allows for further interaction with your company. We’ve got tons of tips on visual content here.

5. Analyze and Reflect

After implementing your new content marketing, you have to step back and see what works and what doesn’t. Not everything will connect to your target audience, so analyzing what you have done can break or make your success.   So, establish a system of measurement that works for you.

As always, for more help on getting your audience to engage and listen to what you’ve got to say, drop us a line!