We have all heard the saying “Content is King,” right? Even though content indeed rules, a king who fails to listen to what his people need and want is a king on the verge of being overthrown. The world has been brought to its knees by the pandemic, and nothing is what it used to be. Buyers are faced with a new reality, and your content should meet buyers where they are at, not where you wish they were. If your content fails to deliver what your audience wants, then your king will soon be left without a kingdom.
So, here are 10 secrets about what your audience wants from content.
1. Your Audience Wants You To Be Original
I get it. It is hard to be original. In fact, it is sometimes downright impossible. There is undoubtedly someone out there talking about the same thing that you are, trying to reach buyers using the same mediums and similar approach as you. Being original is the most challenging part of a content marketer’s job. When trying to stand out from the crowd, figure out what makes you unique. Nobody else is you, so use your personal touch and give your spin to your content. Sure, you can write about the same topics as everybody else, but you do not have to write the same way. Find your distinctive writing style and pour your personality into everything you write. This way, you will create a loyal group of followers and find your niche audience.
2. Your Audience Needs To See A Clear CTA
Nothing can be more frustrating than ambiguous content. Your audience needs to know what your purpose is for creating this content. They want guidance and a clear call to action; otherwise, you will lose your credibility, and they will lose their trust in your brand. After consuming your content, your audience must feel that they did not just waste their time but rather have an explicit understanding of their next steps.
3. Your Audience Wants You To Be Accurate And Objective
Your audience wants you to be accurate and objective. They want your facts backed up by research and statistics and your content to be a reflection of reality and not an amalgamation of personal opinions. You must therefore include research and prove your points using data. You must, however, be careful to source your information from credible pages and authority sites only. Sure, you can find statistics that suit your content. Still, if the research you reference was published on dubious sites with suspicious hostnames, such as www.thebombnews.com, you run the risk of losing your credibility and trustworthiness in the process.
4. Your Audience Wants A Story
People like accurate data, but they absolutely love a good story. It is easier to relate to a story, especially if the story resonates with them. The art of storytelling has become the new darling in the world of content marketing, as savvy marketers understand their audience’s need for connection. People will emotionally connect with other people, not with brands. If you manage to pass your brands’ message through a good story, you will have succeeded in giving your audience what they want.
5. Your Audience Wants You To Make It Interesting
Make your content interesting. Approach a trite topic from a new perspective. Find a way to make your content relatable to your audience. Your audience will be interested in content that matters to them and offers value. Interesting content will somehow improve your audience’s lives by providing them answers to their questions, solutions to their problems, entertainment after a long tiring day. Make it funny and interesting, and you have a piece of gold in your hands in terms of engaging content.
Your Audience Loves A Challenge Treat your audience like they are intelligent beings. Challenge them and provoke their thoughts. Prompt them to ponder over what you are saying. Do not spoon-feed them with information, do not expect them to accept what you say as the Holy Grail. Ask some questions with no definitive answers. Stir the curiosity in them, make them think. Do not give them the answers, but craft your content in such a way that will guide them to reach the answers that you want them to, but to do it on their own terms and time. Challenging your readers will also promote interaction in your comments section and boost your traffic.
6. Your Audience Gets Easily Bored: Mix It Up
People get bored quickly. They get tired when they are exposed to the same thing continuously.
Keep your audience alert and begging for more by mixing your content. Do no use the same mediums and the same channels day in, day out. This will bore them to death and earn you a spot on the ten top most unwanted writers. Instead, mix it up. Use different channels and different mediums. Try case studies, videos, audios, podcasts, social media posts, blogs, infographics, interviews, etc. Whatever you do, do not let your content get old and predictable.
7. Your Audience Wants To Read Compelling Headlines
You work hard to give your audience what they want. You make it enjoyable; you use a good story, mix it up, and challenge your readers. You have included everything that makes a content succeed and then hit publish. You send it out to the vortex and wait for it to become viral. And then nothing happens. Why? Well, before your content can be consumed, it has to get noticed. And it will not get noticed unless you use compelling headlines. Nobody will read further when your headline is “The best diet to lose weight.” Use the “Do you want to look irresistibly hot this summer?” headline, and you will have people clicking like crazy. Master your headlines, intrigue your audience with questions, add a dash of mystic and pique your audience’s interest enough to keep on reading.
8. Your Audience Needs To Read A Captivating Intro
Headlines are essential and will get your audience to click their way to your page. Awesome news! But guess what? If your intro is boring, dull, and drab, your audience will not stick around to read paragraph two. Hook your audience with your opening lines, engage them with a witty intro, intrigue them with your style, and they will be more likely to keep on reading till the end.
9. Your Audience Wants To Connect
Make your content personal. Add your personal touch, pour your personality into your writing, but also share part of yourself. Share your own experiences and show your audience that you have more in common than meets the eye. Show them that you understand their worries and concerns, that you have also been affected by this pandemic. Build a relationship with your audience by showing them that behind each word is a real person, much like them.
Final Words
Giving your audience what they want from your content is the only bulletproof way to ensure that your brand gets noticed. At the end of the day, the purpose of your content is to convert and push your audience through the sales funnel wherever they are in their buyer’s journey. You must therefore create content that will satisfy your audience’s wants and needs. Because if you don’t, your competitor certainly will.