The primary purpose of your content is to engage your audience. To do this, you must offer what they want to read, not simply what you’d like to write about. So, how do you continually offer information your audience will read and love?
There’s an easy trick; if you keep this in mind, you’ll never run out of great ideas: Solve your audience members’ problems.
Creating Content
Creating content that captivates and engages your audience is essential for building a loyal following. The key to achieving this is to focus on what your audience wants to read rather than just what you want to write about. But how can you consistently provide content that your audience will love? Follow these steps and advice, and watch your audience grow!
How Does Your Audience Look for Information?
Put yourself in your audience members’ shoes. You have a difficult problem you’re looking for help with. No matter what you do, you just can’t find a solution.
You’d naturally search online to find answers to this question. How would you feel if you found a piece of content offering a simple, easy-to-understand solution you can implement now and get results? You’d remember the website where you found the information and see what else they have to offer.
This is the kind of reaction you want to get from your content.
The next step is to keep this person with you and start to build a relationship. Again, think about your audience’s perception. Once they start following you, they come to see you as a go-to source for help with their problems. They know they can find the assistance they need from your content.
Learn About Your Audience and Their Problems
In order to solve your customers’ problems, the first step is to get to know them.
Start by creating a target customer profile. This should include demographic information about your ideal customers and their attitudes and values. It should also include specific problems they seek help with.
The best way to create this profile and keep learning about your audience is to research online. Find out where they hang out and connect with them there. Follow them on social media and read their comments. You can also reach out to them and ask about their goals and challenges.
Pay especially close attention to the problems they face and the questions they ask. Make a list and see if you can provide solutions through your content.
Building a Relationship with Your Audience
You don’t have to solve every problem your audience faces through your free content, and you can’t. But if you can provide some help they can implement and get immediate results, you can start building a relationship with them. Consistently provide the help they need and somewhere down the line, they’ll buy from you when needed.
Each piece of content should include a call to action where you offer further free content and other types of help. Ask them to connect with you on social media, sign up for your email list, or download your free information product. Keep them engaged through helpful content, and you’ll develop a strong relationship that will lead to sales.
Read our post 5 Keys to Build Your Social Media Audience.
Are you ready to learn more about creating content that sells? Our course Content Marketing: The Key to Building Your Brand will teach you how to master content marketing and create a powerful brand.
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