Is Good Content Enough? How to build an audience in 2018.

Where are we with content today? It’s no surprise that getting the attention of the average internet user is challenging as behavioral patterns continue to change at a rapid pace.  Users have grown accustom to automatically tuning out by swiping, exiting and skipping anything that isn’t relevant - it’s get to what you need and ignore all distractions. While social worked in the past and still has a place, it is no longer dependable as algorithms have changed.  Users expect social to continue to be just social as it was first intended, and social platforms have responded. 

Marketers are now even more hyper focused on their core audience as the days to just throw stuff and see what sticks is over.  Content creators are building omnichannel messages that include success with the comeback of “old school” email newsletters and direct print mailing.

It’s no secret that if you offer content or product that users want, you will earn trust and loyalty to your brand, when delivered to the right place, at the right time.  The trick is to really understand your core users, so you can figure out what they want, provide it and gain trust as a reliable source.

Gaining trust comes from consistency across touchpoints, creating a seamless branding voice from campaigns to social and every point of communication. It’s imperative for this communication to look, feel, and sound like it’s coming from one place; so that the audience comes to rely and know what to count on from the brand.

Here at WeConekt our approach is to see things through the eyes of the user - looking first at the brand’s core users, then a brand’s business goals and lastly the competition. It’s then onto the brand’s differentiating speak and matching that to what the audience wants to hear about. Content that a brand can usually speak on is wide, however most audiences only want to hear a focused sample from any brand. In order to do this, you must must be very clear as to who you’re trying to attract and why. Ask what it is you want the audience to do when they reach your brand.

When developing your plan, start with what works as a test and then build on those tests.  Remember, creating beautiful content means nothing if it doesn’t connect with your audience or worse if nobody sees it. Stay tuned in to the people that count – begin with your core users and develop a laser focused strategy to only serve them what they want and where they want it.