Would you like to read the mind of your customers? Of course you would!
Who wouldn’t like the ability to peer into customer’s minds to figure out what keeps them up at night so they can provide the perfect solution to a problem? Customers can be finicky, shifting their tastes and likes, but this makes each one unique and special.
Busy marketers often struggle to create quality content that attracts potential customers. A quick Google search reveals numerous articles on every topic and while some of the content is good, there is a lot that’s not. Helping your potential customers separate your content from bad-quality content on the Web takes more than just a hope and prayer that they’ll intuitively choose you.
Here are four powerful tactics you can use to create the kind of quality content that hungry prospects want, and will more likely convert them from window shoppers to customers.
1. Create Content that is Optimized for Search Engines
In a sea of information, finding the right information is dependent upon search engines, and search engines are dependent upon content creators writing content correctly. A 2014 survey by Advanced Web Ranking reveals that the number one search result will capture 31.24% of the traffic from a search. From there it drops off quickly, with search results on the second page getting less than a half a percent of the available traffic. To be found, your content needs the right keywords, Meta tags and descriptions, so make sure you write with the keyword and your audience in mind. Your Meta title should be compelling enough to get the reader to want to click on the link to learn more.
Just as important as the behind the scenes optimization is the relevance and quality of the content because Google favors fresh content from reputable sources in its search rankings. Remember to write your content for your ideal customer and not search engines, meaning your style or tone should be conversational and your information helpful.
2. Use Social Media Effectively
Social Media provides an excellent way to reach customers that are interested in having the same conversations you are. Choosing the right channel to listen to the discussions that are occurring will provide you with a wealth of valuable insight into customer tastes and behaviors.
A recent trend in creating valuable content is to curate content from other sources for distribution to those in your circles. This practice accomplishes three things. First, it relieves some of the burden from you to always be in content creation mode. Second, it positions you as an expert in the industry because you are bringing the “best” of what’s out there to your customers (saving them time and energy) while adding value to the relationship. And third, it improves SEO on your site by providing fresh and relevant content in an organized way.
An easy way to do this is to sign-up to receive newsletters or blog post notifications from companies and other thought leaders in your industry via email or RSS feed. When you see something you like, share it with your fans and followers. Just remember to add your own personal comment or thought to the social share so your customers know you give it the stamp of approval.
3. Blog to Answer Customer Questions & Share Information
Blogging creates a platform for you to interact with your customers and share information and resources that are valuable to them. It also drives long-term results and helps position you as a leader in your industry. River Pool and Spa was a struggling pool company until they began blogging. Using every customer question they had ever received as blog topics, they began to write.
Within a few months their website traffic from web searches went from 176 to 6,903 visits per month. They credit their success to answering customer questions and sharing as much information as they possibly could about the industry and their products.
What are some frequently asked questions your customer’s want answers to? You can respond just like River Pool and Spa and turn each answer into a blog post.
4. Email Marketing
Email marketing is considered to be a very personal form of marketing because your customers have given you permission to market to them directly. Email should be used to nurture the relationship and help move customers through the buyer’s cycle.
By sending emails that provide value to your customers, you’ll strengthen your relationship with them and lessen the chances they will unsubscribe from your list. Having a strong subject line from a recognized sender will help get your emails opened, but clear, concise and personalized content leads to greater interaction with the offers inside.
This kind of content could be the latest article published on your blog, a special promotion coupled with a free content offer that provides value in the form of free information, or a coupon incentivizing them to buy from you.
Creating quality content that attracts your target market can be challenging. Not only must it meet their needs, content must also provide enough value for it to be shared with others. Shareable content adds value because it is backed by keyword research, buyer interviews, questionnaires and surveys.
Anyone can put images or words together and distribute it online to others in a variety of ways, but it takes in-depth knowledge of your ideal customer and dedicated effort to create quality content that is sought after by those you are trying to reach. Invest the time required for producing valuable, high-quality content by getting into the mind of your ideal customer and creatively solving their problems to keep them coming back for more.
