In today’s online, social-media-driven age, nothing attracts potential customers to a business quite like content marketing. Whether it’s a humorous video, an educational blog post or just consistent, engaging social media posts, content that grabs customers’ attention and keeps them coming back for more is the secret weapon of any successful business.
But if you want to amass a large following, you have to get the content marketing right. It’s about creating it well — not just creating it for the sake of it. To ensure you’re on the right track, consider the advice of Rolling Stone Culture Council business leaders. Here, they offer their best tips on content marketing and how to make sure you see the benefits of your efforts.
Offer a New Perspective on Consumer Passions
When focusing on entertainment-based content marketing, deliver consumers a new perspective on their passions. Brands need to dive into consumer passions and create content that shows them sides of their favorite stars they haven’t seen. Accomplish this by highlighting pairings with other artists, showcasing their favorite things, making them curators and more. Tell your story through their story. – Glenn Minerley, Momentum Worldwide
Get Feedback From Diverse Voices
Share your content marketing plans with a diverse group of advisors, team members and confidants. Be open to feedback from folks with distinct cultural, spiritual and professional backgrounds. The value of unique perspectives will be apparent when you receive their affirmation or opposition to an approach. This will help align your core marketing objectives with your intentions. – Jahan Marcu, Marcu Enterprises
Solve a Customer’s Problem
When writing content for your business, you must first and foremost solve one of your customer’s problems. This will help you be seen as a problem solver. It will also create the mindset that you are interested in helping people — and not in selling them a product or service. – Matthew Campbell, My Wedding Songs
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Put Yourself in Your Audience’s Shoes
Tailor your content in terms of format, style, tone, topic and so on to provide maximum value. When you prioritize this over SEO or aesthetics, you’ll be more likely to create high-performing content. By consistently delivering what your audience finds valuable, you build trust and engagement — key elements in successful content marketing. – Dan Serard, Cannabis Creative Group
Tell an Engaging Story
Content is about telling a good story. Imagine that someone who knows nothing about your brand or product is going to see your content. Will they understand it? Will they be interested enough by the hook to want to learn more if they don’t know your business? Is the story alone engaging enough to make them want to share it with someone else even if they don’t plan to use your product? – Vanessa Nornberg, Metal Mafia
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Find a Style That Speaks Loudly and Stick With It
Find that one thing that speaks loudly — humor or seriousness or the way a product or service solves a problem. Really, really stick with that message style. Our attention spans are dwindling like ice cream on a summer day, so make sure the message style stays on point. If your message and the message style are simple and consistent, you have a chance to really make a splash. – Scott Cowperthwaite, AfterFiveMedia
Ensure You’re Providing Relevant, Valuable Content
Don’t post content for the sake of it; make sure it’s actually relevant and valuable to your audience. No one wants to see another generic sales pitch clogging up their feed. Get creative, personal and, most importantly, get to know your target market. Remember: It’s not about quantity — it’s about quality. Don’t be afraid to take risks and try new things, as that’s how you stand out in the sea of content. – Mark Paulda, Mark Paulda & Co
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Build Trust by Becoming a Resource
It’s more effective to first build trust and then try to sell your product. For example, survey your audience and find the five most important things they want to learn. Then, create educational content around helping them solve those problems. Once a lead thinks of you as a resource, they’ll be much more open to paying for your products. – Gregg Lehrman, Output
Stay Real and Authentic to Your Brand
Content creation needs to be real — not overly produced — and reflect what’s going on in your business now. If it’s a product launch, addressing a problem or question, it needs to be communicated honestly and effectively. Don’t be afraid to have some fun! – Karina Michel Feld, Tallulah Films
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Nail Down Your Brand’s Story
Before you begin publishing content, take time to nail down your overarching brand story. What is your brand promise to your customers, and what is the one-line rallying cry for your brand that will drive your content team over the long run? With this in place, your team will have a clear launching point from which to build engaging content that unifies around the brand. – John Tabis, M13
Leverage Visual Tools for Planning
It’s critical your marketing aligns with your brand story. One technique to help you organize your story is to create a visual narrative on a wall. This approach can help you gain clarity, identify the key moments you want to emphasize and streamline your marketing for maximum impact on your audience. It can also be a great way to plan out the next chapter of your story. – Michael Klein, cannabisMD
