It’s noisy out there. There are now millions of pieces of content going out through various media channels from traditional media through to digital and social media. It’s easy for content to go un-noticed throughout the masses.
Yet, stand out content that’s ‘always on’ and of value to your readers, whether it’s lending advice, tips, recommendations or thought leadership, is one of the most influential aspects of your customers’ purchasing decision. 94% of B2B customers and 88% of consumers conduct some form of web research before buying, taking themselves far down the sales funnel before contacting you.
So how can you make sure your stories stand out, your expertise excels and your brand shines through to your customers and prospects? Here is a quick checklist.
Why would they care?
Check that what you’re sharing, whether it’s news, a blog, a LinkedIn live chat or a podcast, passes the ‘why would they care about this’ test? Is it telling your audience something they don’t already know? Why is it different and does it bring value? Does it answer their needs, meet their challenges, or address their concerns? Perhaps it’s funny, alarming or insightful? Whichever it is, it must make people sit up, listen and capture their attention. Otherwise, it is just noise.
Is it relevant to your audience?
There are various content platforms and social listening tools you can use to check what topics are trending and resonating with your target market. You can use these to produce content that’s engaging well with your target prospects and existing customers or, if budget doesn’t allow for such tools, try a simple sweep of social media and news platforms to get a good indication.
Tailor your messages
To ensure messages cut through, check they contain the tips, style and language that is relevant to your audience and the media you’re channelling it through. Is it relevant to the audience’s job role, how will it help the industry, the company but also the reader personally such as to help advance them in their career? Research has shown that personal gain is a big influencing factor in B2B purchasing. Tailored messages, with their open and direct communication, grab target audiences’ attention.
The beauty of backlinks and credible, trusted sources
Links back to powerful visuals and assets that illustrate, support or expand on your story can bring your story to life, take the reader further down the sales funnel as well as drive people back to your website for, in some cases, the opportunity to exchange data. From corporate reports, graphics to video – when done well, people will also want to share these assets with their connections spreading your story, insight and name even further and wider. And the best thing is this content is all evergreen – there for people to read and share for years to come.
Host these on platforms where you want to drive traffic to such as your website. The more credible links you have pointing back to your source from authoritative, trusted sources like traditional news platforms, the better for your page ranking and SEO, as well as your overall brand awareness and credibility.
Back up with fact and examples
Including facts and examples within your content helps. By providing your audience with evidence and statistics to back up your claims, ideally again using backlinks that point to your website, demonstrates that your insight is a credible source of information. Without these, how can your audience verify the quality of your insight?
Images, videos and visuals
Incorporating a visual element within your content is a great way to attract more attention to that piece and encourages further content sharing. A visual aspect can enhance the message and ensure it resonates with the media and audience, as well as get greater audience reach.
Choose the right channels
It can be very tempting to share all of your content on every channel and platform out there. However, choosing particular channels to share your content can have a better impact. Sharing your content on channels that are relevant to your target audience will ensure that the right people are viewing and engaging with you.
By using these suggestions, your content will stand out and attract your target market. These tips are not subject to one type of media. They can be used to ensure your content stands out across all sectors, including traditional, digital and social media.
For any questions on how to make your brand stand out and capture customer attention– new and existing – check out our Digital Media Room services or contact the HeadOn team here.
