We all know the importance of great content in helping your marketing, but there is so much out there already. You may have created hundreds of social media posts already; how do you keep creating content that engages and converts?
We create content for hundreds of different businesses, so we face this issue every day. When we do, we always revert to one thing: focus on the customer!
With the help of our team and Chat GPT, we have put together a helpful article to get you through these challenging content times.
Instant Connection
Have you ever met someone new, only to find you have plenty in common—favourite coffee spots, shared hobbies, or even the same taste in shoes? There’s an instant connection that sparks conversation and curiosity. In the world of marketing, you want that same spark with your target audience. If you treat them merely as a demographic—“females aged 25–34 with a mid-level income”—you risk missing the deeper, more personal details that could make your content resonate.
As Seth Godin famously said, “People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.” The first step to creating truly compelling, or “killer,” content is to see the real human being behind the marketing metrics. Here’s why—and how—you can do it.
1. Understand the Human Element
Behind every email opened, blog clicked, or social post liked, there’s a person making that decision. They have beliefs, aspirations, and concerns that shape how they respond to your brand’s messaging.
Tip: Instead of picturing your target audience as a broad collective, visualise a single person. Ask yourself:
- What are their daily challenges?
- What excites them?
- Where do they shop, and why?
By narrowing your focus to one (hypothetical but realistic) individual, you’ll find your content becomes more personal, empathetic, and ultimately more engaging.
2. Avoid the Danger of Over-Generalisations
It’s tempting to rely on generic data to define your audience. Demographic breakdowns—like age, location, and income—are crucial starting points, but they don’t tell the full story. In fact, a study by HubSpot found that targeted and personalised content can increase engagement rates by up to 54% compared to more general messaging. That’s a substantial figure that highlights the power of specificity.
While it’s important to know whether your target group is predominantly Gen Z or Baby Boomers, don’t let these statistics box you into tired stereotypes. Today’s audiences are more multifaceted than ever before, and your content should reflect that.
3. Observe How They Actually Live (or Shop!)
Sometimes, the best research happens offline. Take the example of a national shoe brand with multiple brick-and-mortar stores. If you were to visit one of these stores and observe how people shop, you might notice patterns you’d never catch in a spreadsheet:
- Many shoppers are wearing athleisure from a popular fitness brand, suggesting a collaboration opportunity.
- A large portion are carrying a coffee cup from a trendy local café.
- Some bring their dogs along, indicating they’re pet enthusiasts who appreciate pet-friendly environments.
In mere minutes, you’d have discovered that your customers might value staying active, enjoy local coffee culture, and love their furry friends. Suddenly, ideas for future marketing campaigns spring to life: a partnership with the fitness brand, a limited-edition coffee shop pop-up, and even pet-friendly store events or product lines.
Resource: For more tips on gathering qualitative insights, have a look at the Content Marketing Institute. They often share case studies on how brands gather and use first-hand observations to refine their strategies.
4. Ask the Right Questions (and Use the Right Tools)
a) Social Listening
Social media platforms are a goldmine for real-time consumer insights. Tools such as Hootsuite or Sprout Social can track keywords, brand mentions, and even competitor activity, helping you pinpoint trending topics and sentiment shifts.
b) Surveys and Polls
Short, frequent surveys across your website or email list can reveal what’s most important to your audience right now. According to SurveyMonkey, keeping surveys to under five minutes significantly boosts completion rates—so keep them concise.
c) Customer Service Interactions
Your support team likely has the most direct contact with your customers. Encourage them to note recurring questions or complaints. These interactions can highlight areas of confusion or frustration that your content can address.
5. Bring Your Audience into the Creative Process
Once you have a better grasp of who your audience truly is, invite them into your content creation journey. This could mean hosting a live Q&A on Instagram, letting your followers vote on new product designs, or even featuring user-generated content. A 2022 report by Edelman found that 68% of consumers trust peer recommendations and user-generated content more than brand-produced content. By involving your audience, you not only build trust but also collect creative input directly from the people you’re aiming to serve.
6. Data Meets Storytelling
People crave authentic stories that resonate on a personal level. Data should complement your narrative, not overshadow it. For instance, if you discovered that 70% of your customers are into fitness routines, don’t just list this statistic—paint a picture of what their day looks like: from morning yoga to picking up a post-workout smoothie and, eventually, browsing your shoe store.
Remember that your content’s primary goal is to engage, inform, or entertain. Data can add credibility and context but always bring it back to a story that your reader can relate to.
7. Testing and Iteration
Knowing your audience is an ongoing process. Tastes change, trends shift, and new competitor products enter the market. Keep testing different formats—videos, infographics, how-to guides—and track engagement metrics to see what sticks. Continuous feedback loops, whether from analytics or direct dialogue with your audience, will help you refine your approach over time.
Quote: Bill Gates once declared, “Content is king.” While that’s undoubtedly true, the real power behind content is its ability to connect on a personal level. And that connection can only happen if you understand the individuals you’re writing for.
Conclusion
Creating killer content starts with knowing your reader inside and out. Look beyond demographics to discover their true preferences, habits, and values. Take the time to observe your audience in real-life settings and involve them in your creative process. Use insights from social listening tools, surveys, and face-to-face interactions to continually refine your strategy.
By going beyond surface-level data to understand what really makes people tick, you’ll create content that truly resonates—and, in turn, drives loyalty, conversions, and long-lasting brand love. After all, every piece of marketing you send out into the universe lands in the hands of a human being, and when you speak directly to that person, the magic really begins.
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