Give your key audience what they want. It’s probably one of those phrases you have heard over and over. If your content doesn’t deliver the kind of results you are looking for, it’s likely that there is a disconnect between what you are sharing and what your target audience is hoping to find.
So, how do you determine what your key audience wants? How do you deliver the kind of content experience that may result in loyalty? How do you ensure that more praises and bravos keep coming from your audience?
Well, that’s why we are here. To answer such pertinent questions. To help you learn how to create and deliver compelling and engaging content. Let’s dive in and explore:
1. Read what your peers are writing in your space
It starts with doing your homework. Take time to learn from those already doing better in your space. Analyze the kind of content the industry leaders in your niche share and how they do it. Since you share a niche, it’s likely that you serve as an audience with the same characteristics. Whatever is working for their audience is bound to work for your audience too.
Observe how their audience engages with the content. Read the comments and questions coming from the audience. Read in-between the lines to identify gaps you can fill in the narrative.
Remember learning from others does not mean copying. Authenticity is vital in delivering compelling and engaging content for your key audience. So, shadow your peers, mirror their techniques, but in the end, provide authentic content.
2. Consider what has already worked for you
Walk down the memory lane and see what has worked before. What has worked before may work again with the right improvements. So review your past top-performing articles and update them. This saves you the time and pressure of trying to deliver fresh content every time. Sometimes fresh content is just old content presented in a better way.
3. Pay attention to what’s not working
Monitor the performance of your content. Identify the topics and format of content delivery that works and those that do not work. Instead of only focusing on what works, take time to identify what is not working for your key audience and eliminate it.
By eliminating what is not working you get more time to deliver effective content. Content delivery is not just about dishing out volumes of content. It is about offering effective and quality content that resonates with your audience.
4. Keep up with trending topics in your space
Curiosity and FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) has increased the demand for new information. No one wants to miss out on what is going to happen in the future. We all want to know how emerging trends will affect us. Keep up with the trends in your space through social media aggregators like curator.io. The aggregator helps you stay informed through relevant hashtags notification. You just key in the hashtags to look out for, and the aggregator will do the rest. You will be able to get fresh information on time and deliver to your audience while it's still hot. It sets you apart from your peers as a reliable source of fresh content.
5. Ask your key audience questions
Besides taking questions from your key audience, you can also ask them what they want. Questions will help you get inside the minds of your audience. The questions should be as frequent as possible and easily accessible. From the questions, you will be able to create targeted and compelling content.
If you have an email list send out an email with a link to a brief online survey that you made. Here you can ask them which topics they mostly enjoy from you. Also, ask about the specific topics they would like you to handle.
If you are on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, you can create a poll with a few listed options. If the polls are missing critical information, your key audience can chip in.
6. Respect your readers’ time
Deliver short and precise content.Your audience wants to learn from you efficiently and simply. Therefore avoid technical jargon and bombastic words that end up confusing your audience. Avoid using a lot of words for concepts that can be explained in a few words.
For example, it would be a bad idea to create a three-minute video, if the message can be communicated in a 30 seconds video. Respect your key audience's time, and they will give your content sometime of their busy schedules.
7. Put yourself in your audience shoes
Take time to evaluate your content through your audience eyes. Are you happy with what you see? As I would rightly guess, you’d want useful content. Not just comprehensive, but also entertaining content that is customized to your interests. Your key audience wants the same.
8. Be an Authority in your space
People respond well to people who are perceived as an authority. Your content should portray you as a person who knows what they are saying or doing. Show how much you know about the topic you are handling. Include important stats in your content to offer insights. React to the current news about your space as well as other pertinent discussions that will shape the future of your industry. As an authority, your key audience will build trust in you and your content.
9. Tell a good story
It’s no secret that the most engaging blog posts or videos are the ones drawn from real stories. Reel in your key audience through compelling and educative stories that would inspire them to learn more, ask questions as well as share your content. Exceptional stories integrated with data, images, and testimonials go a long way in making your content more engaging.
Final word
In a nutshell. Giving your key audience what they want involves two critical steps. First, research to understand what kind of content works for them. Next, deliver an engaging experience that enables you to understand your target audience in a more meaningful way.
With the right tools and information, you can tailor exceptional, engaging content for your audience. If you would like to get the best fixes for your content marketing problems, feel free to contact us here.