It was long some years back when content writers were given stiff targets of writing approximately 2500 words per day! It seems unreal today. The change in perception is largely due to how content is perceived by the search engines. Previously digital marketers felt compelled to create and publish content pieces by the dozens to satisfy the perpetual hunger of the search engines. These days, search algorithms are now gunning for quality, not quantity. It means that there is no point in producing a large volume of content today. A few well-written pieces will do fine.
Content Perspective today
The perspective of the content marketer has changed drastically since 2015. As I mentioned earlier, the shift is not just from quantity to quality. Another major shift has been the realization that content is written nowadays from the customer or client’s perspective. Content marketers are now aware that no reader out there wants to know about a brand or the products unless it does something for them. Online time is valuable and unless that time gives back something significant in return, online readers are not interested. The tilt in the narrative style is in the favor of the reader’s perspective of a situation as opposed to that of the writer.
The Idea of Premium Content
A significant change in the attitude to content marketing is the concept of premium content. It is more than the customary content pieces that are published online. Premium content is developed with the sole idea of converting interested minds toward a particular brand or product. It is to stoke that latent desire to purchase in the reader and make them think seriously about your product or service. If you are in the business of brand building through your content, the reader should develop a favorable and enthusiastic idea about your brand. Premium content can be demographic in nature. It is not enough that you shift the narrative in this manner. You have to tell a story.
Stories Sell, Dry Information Does Not
When writing for online readers, especially in the B2C market, stories are what sell. People are saturated with information. They do not want to know any more tips and tricks or other such supposedly eye-catching headlines of content pieces. They want to know about user experiences, even personal brushes with a brand. They want to hear what other buyers have to say.
They want to hear what the industry experts want to say. They want to hear stories about how a particular brand has shaped lives or changed them for the better. They want to know how the brand’s product or service will enable them to lead better lives. They do not want dry facts and information set pieces. They do not want to know salient features of a product unless it helps their lives. Give them that and they are happy readers.
Taking Content the Sharing Way
That brings us to the point of social media sharing. This part is crucial in making content pieces tick. Without social media mileage, content will not be able to gather steam or reach out to a wide network of readers. The insistence on story-telling works on social networks as well. In fact, the number of shares goes up drastically if the content is a story or personal experience of a customer. People want to know about other’s lives and share them online. Other factors influence why a piece of content is shared and why others are ignored. For example, the length of content can influence how many people actually go through the content instead of simply glancing through.
The Final Word
In this arena of competition, emotion can be a powerful tool in deciding which brand walks away with the revenue pie. People will pick their choice emotionally. To tug at those strings, you have to tell stories through your content and ensure that you give them something they can take back after reading a piece. This is the best way to engage readers and nudge them toward your brand.
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