SPRING INTO ACTION - TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE CONTENT, PART I

Spring is in the air, at last. It feels like a time to look forward confidently to brighter days.

This a series of suggestions I posted on LinkedIn in April 24. They are aimed at making your marketing communications and content more effective.

What are you selling?

Let’s start by looking at what it is you are selling. Once you have identified that, you can use this knowledge to influence the way you speak to your potential audience.

It’s too easy to think we are simply selling a product or a service.

I’d argue that what you should focus on is the difference your business activity makes to the lives of those who invest in it – and you.

For instance, if you’re a builder, you construct houses. But what you are selling is the quality of life that your excellence delivers to the buyers of those homes.

The overwhelming majority of businesses sell the same thing, which is peace of mind.

We’re here to take away the pain points, the pressure that our customers feel.

So get ready to focus your communications on the benefits you bring, rather than the vehicle used to deliver them.

Who are you selling to?

Let’s ask a simple question: Who are you selling to?

I always ask new clients who they most want to read their words and decide to invest in their products and services.

Very often, the answer is: “Well, anybody really.”

It’s great to think that what you do could be of benefit to a vast and varied audience.

But within that diverse throng, there will be particular types of potential customer you really want to attract.

Identify your most valuable customer groups, and visualise them by creating personas of the typical client.

Once you have done this, you can work out precisely how to talk to them in a way that will resonate and create that all-important emotional connection. 

You will have a clearer idea of the tone of voice, and the content you should use, that is most likely to influence a decision to purchase.

If you’re selling dental equipment to dentists, your language will be completely different to what you’d say if you were selling toothbrushes on the high street.

So, get a clear view of the answer to that question: Who are you selling to?

Work out where your customers are – and go there

Having worked out exactly what you sell and who you are selling it to, the next step is to identify where your customers are.

If you were selling bagpipes, it’s unlikely you’d open a premises on the South Coast of England.

If you were selling mountain climbing gear, I doubt you’d set up shop in the Norfolk Broads.

So, using the same logic, your online marketing materials should be created with your target audience firmly in mind.

Do some research to find out where your customer base hangs out – then, hang out there with them.

A business offering professional services is probably going to get most traction on LinkedIn, but also on specialised forums.

Similarly, if your products and services are designed for teenagers, you’d better get yourself an account on TikTok.

Whatever you are selling, and whoever you are selling it to, put some thought into the destinations where your buyers are going to be – then go there.

Draw up a content plan

Now you know what you sell, who you sell it to and where they are, it’s time to draw up a plan for your content.

Yes, really, a content plan. It’s not enough to make a vague promise that you’ll write a blog every so often.

A promise that, let’s face it, we’re never likely to keep.

Open a blank page and write down your content plan for the next six months or, if you’re feeling bold, a year.

Decide where you are going to post. Will it be a picture a day on Instagram? Or a post each week on LinkedIn? Or a blog on your company website once a month?

Decide too what you’re going to talk about. Evergreen subjects that will always be relevant, valuable and – crucially – showcase your qualities are ideal.

By mapping out your plan for the months ahead, you’ll feel incentivised to stick to it.

By deciding what your subject matter is, you should have a consistency of style and content that adds to your stature as a subject matter expert.

That’s the plan, anyway…

Get straight to the point

When you have something to say, don’t waste any time in saying it.

You have precious little time to capture and hold the attention of your audience, so make the most of it.

Front-load your content with the point you want to make – ideally, an expression of the difference your product or service makes to your audience.

That’s a tip specifically for your marketing materials, but it applies to all forms of communication.

If your audience’s attention isn’t caught by a crisp, sparkling intro, they will go elsewhere.

So that’s how to start… how about the finish?

Sum up the point you want to make – and always end with a call to action.

What do you want your audience to do next? Presumably, it’s to get in touch with you. So, invite them to do so.

In the spirit of this blog… if you want to talk about how I can help you to make your content more effective, please get in touch.