- If readers don’t trust the message you’re putting out there, then your content marketing efforts are wasted.
- When it comes to making content more authentic, finding your voice and maintaining it is key.
- There are plenty of places to advertise, and your content shouldn’t be one of them.
- Get involved in social media conversations with your customers, and you’ll be seen as a real person who cares rather than just a business.
As we’ve previously talked about, posting content that entertains your audience is key to effective content marketing, but it isn’t everything. If your readers don’t trust the message you’re putting out there, then your content marketing efforts are wasted.
If you think about it, it makes sense that readers are generally wary of what they read these days. While it’s amazing to have unlimited information literally at our fingertips, with so many sources, it’s hard to know who to trust. You could be the most knowledgeable and credible writer out there, but if your readers don’t already know that about you, you have some work to do in winning them over.
Keep It Really Real
When you’re promoting a business or product, it’s only natural to want to embellish a little. Even when you’re trying to be subtle by only briefly mentioning your product in a general blog post, it’s easy to go a little over the top in extolling the benefits of your offerings.
There are plenty of airbrushed advertisements and pretty Instagram photos out there. Be the one that stands out by being real. Take potential customers behind the scenes of your business in some manner and let them see what you’re truly about.
Establish Your Voice
This goes along with really knowing your audience. Some services/products have a wide range of clients from all walks of life and age categories; others fit neatly into a certain section of the population. Once you know who you’re speaking to, you should have a better idea of how to address them.
Some businesses want their blogs to have a fairly serious or formal tone; others want something casual and conversational. In fact, if your customer base is really off the wall, you can even create a completely quirky blog. The important thing is that you speak in a way that you know will connect with your audience. Once you’ve established your company’s voice, stay true to that so that your customers begin to feel that they know what you’re all about.
Know What Your Customers Want
Before you start writing, you need to do your research. Find out what your customers are curious about as far as your business is concerned and check online to see if there is a lack of content in these areas. Do your keyword research too so that you know what topics potential clients are researching.
You even have the opportunity to get direct input on what topics your customers and potential clients are looking for. Put the question out there on social media and let people tell you what they’re hoping to know more about. In this way, you’re showing customers that you want to help and that you’re willing to listen to their input. The interaction also puts a human feel behind the brand.
Ease Off On the Advertising
There are plenty of places to advertise, but in your content shouldn’t be one of them if you’re trying to make your content more authentic. Instead of creating posts about how wonderful your product/service is, turn your focus to what the customer needs.
If you address an issue that prospective customers are facing and answer their questions without trying to pitch your product, you’ll win people over. Further, if you feel that a potential client would be best served elsewhere, it’s best to steer them in the right direction rather than trying to oversell yourself; you may not get the sale this time, but you will leave a positive impression overall.
Join the Conversation
Yes, businesses are in it to make money, but no one wants to feel that a company is cold, unfeeling, and just reaching into their pockets. If you’ve reached out for topic suggestions (or even if you haven’t yet), be sure to share your content across multiple social media platforms. Doing so maximizes the number of people who see your content. It also gives you the opportunity to interact with a wide range of current and prospective clients.
Post your content and ask questions about what people think about it. Get involved in the conversation and you’ll be seen as a real person who cares rather than just a business.
Keep Them Engaged
Once you’ve started a conversation with current and potential customers, you need to keep up with it. If you’ve caught their attention, they’ll want to keep checking back to find out what else you have to say.
Staying silent for too long leads followers to believe you’re no longer accessible and causes your business to appear less authentic.
Be sure to post content often and interact with your audience as much as possible.
Invite In Trusted Customers
If you have some loyal fans of your brand who are willing to add a bit of content for you, this can be a clever strategy for lending authenticity to your content. Potential customers love to hear what others have experienced in their dealings with your business. As long as the content provided by your customers fits within the image and voice you’re created, allowing them to submit reviews, stories, etc. can really boost your credibility.
Of course, authenticity is just one aspect of creating effective content marketing. If you have questions, we’re here to help. Reach out to our team of experts today.
