Marketing trends change the way brands operate everyday. So
why do businesses use content to build an audience? The reason
is that it reaches a large segment of where their audience is:
online.
Recent quarantine measures have led to many daily tasks being
digitized, resulting in more time spent on their devices. The
ideal way to approach this audience is through their screens.
What’s more ecommerce is becoming a trend in the Sri Lankan
business landscape, and by the looks of the current pandemic,
it is one of the most effective means of doing business. One
of the key components of ecommerce is having an online store,
as it enables customers to make a purchase online. But the
real hidden gem to drive your business comes from producing
regular and engaging content to connect with your audiences.
Creating content is not a one-time thing; it requires regular
engagement that also takes feedback and creativity into
account.
So, what do we mean by “creating content”?
To put it simply, creating content is how a brand communicates
with the goal of engaging, inspiring and prompting audiences
towards a desired action. It's a known fact that customers are
regularly bombarded with information online. The key lies in
creating content that is unique, timely and adds value to your
target audience in order to grab their attention. If the
content is created appropriately, it will help foster
relationships, inspire your audience and help them relate to
your brand.
Here are 5 steps that you can start implementing immediately
to create amazing content no matter what business you are
currently in:
Step 1: Identify the Content Objective.
The first thing is to have a clear goal. Begin with a broad
paragraph or list down your objectives in point form, being as
specific as you can. Each goal might require a different form
of content.
We recommend using the "SMART" format to help finetune your
goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable,
Achievable , Realistic & Timebound
Specific :
Define your goal as distinctly as possible, with no ambiguity.
Measurable:
Identify how you can gather evidence to prove your progress
towards the goal.
Realistic:
It should be a realistic yet attainable goal.
Timebound:
The task completion dates should be realistic and timebound.
Step 2: Listen
Paying close attention to your target audience either through
personal experiences with them or through their public social
media behaviour patterns. Being able to anticipate and respond
to their needs with your content is important.
Try answering the following questions:
1. Who is most likely to consume this content?
2. Will this content help my audience?
3. What types of content do they prefer?
4. What is going to make my content stand out?
5. What are the main channels used for sharing content?
Step 3: Decide on the types of content topics.
Your goals can help define your content topics. Try creating
content that resonates with each stage of your customers
journey or find ways to answer common questions during their
journey to purchase and beyond.
Below are 4 segments that can be followed to help deciding on
topics:
Awareness :
Is there an interesting fact or feature of your business that
you would like to announce?
Interest:
Can you get your audience interested by hosting an online
event like a sale or free give away?
Purchase:
Is it possible to make the sale by creating more ways to buy?
Could your content provide a link to the checkout page for
instance?
Post purchase:
Turning customers into repeat customers happens when you check
in regularly and keep your brand top of mind. Even when you
don’t have a specific announcement to make, you can offer free
tips and downloadable material
Step 4: Create & Share
A mix of content types is sure to keep your audience engaged. Experiment with a variety of content types to find out what works best and repeat it over a period of time. Also make sure your content is posted across channels and is shareable. The content types you can use include articles, case studies, landing pages, email campaigns, instant messages, social media posts in the form of videos, infographics, text and images.
Step 5: Measure
Ideally, finding out if your content is working well means it should have generated leads that could be converted into customers. In certain instances, there is a definite link between the content created and revenue earned, but there is also a possibility that a relationship with some audiences takes longer to build. This would create an indirect link to the sales performance.