Creating & Distributing Phenomenal Content — Part 3: Focus on the Audience

We know: not everyone is a writer. Granted, some professionals believe they are great writers, but unfortunately, their perception is often not quite aligned with reality. Writing is a talent and a learned skill that doesn’t develop overnight. But even if you can’t afford to hire a trained and experienced writer, there are a few tricks you can use to help make your wordsmithing more engaging.

The best thing you can do is to write like a reader. Think about the kinds of things you personally like to read. What attracts your attention at first glance? What hooks you? What keeps you reading? What makes you want more when you’re done? What tone of voice do you relate to? Do you like a long-winded academic essay with lots of citations, or do you like to cut to the chase via a snappy infographic? Consider what appeals to you, then write that way. Chances are your audience shares your taste, and even if they don’t, your message will be more genuine and authentic if your voice matches your own reading preferences. But keep in mind what people seem to want: for example, longer-form blog content generates nine times more leads than shorter-form pieces.

Next, consider the topics that will gain traction among your target population. Use industry insights and your own experience to generate ideas for content. Identify what the key messages will be:

• What does your audience currently know?
• What do you want your audience to know?
• What do you want them to do as a result of having consumed your message?

Be sure to outline your quality standards: create a basic style guide so that your own content creators, or those you contract with, can identify and understand how you want your brand portrayed.

Also, save time and resources by repurposing content whenever you can, such as rewording an existing blog post to publish in a different venue. According to LookBookHQ, over 60% of marketers reuse content two to five times. Just be sure to change up the language enough to avoid getting dinged by Google for duplicate content.

Meanwhile, plenty of content channels involve writing, but writing (and reading) is not everybody’s bag — and often it’s just not the most effective or efficient mode of messaging. Check out what BombBomb’s VP of Marketing Ethan Beute has to say about the power of video over writing.

Putting yourself in the shoes of your audience and keeping in mind these essentials, you’ll be better prepared to provide content that really appeals to the right people at the right time as you build relationships and build your reputation.

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Want to learn more? Get all this and much more in our FREE eBook, Creating & Distributing Phenomenal Content, available here.