Guest Author: Disha Dinesh
Several factors play into creating successful content: a clearly defined outline, quality writing and value. But most importantly, you’ve to wait for content to make its impact on your marketing field. Content as a strategy isn’t short-term, it is means for you to construct a loyal following of potential leads over a period of time, we all know this. For maximum ROI on your content strategy it is logical to invest in writing a good amount of content with long term value for your subscribers.
Look at content like your marketing currency – a dollar today is worth more tomorrow. Money appreciates and ideally, so should the kind of content you write.
How to write content with long term value
Essentially, you have to aim at writing something that your audience will return for, it is as simple as that. You can begin by defining what that could be.
Pick a strong premise
What kind of content would be useful always? The way you answer this question will decide the outcome of your long term value content piece. Why should your audience view your content?
Neil Patel has 6 questions to answer this question.
“What topics are always relevant?
What goals are always in place?
What controversies never go away?
What problems always need to be solved?
What skills do people always need?
What qualities of the industry are always important?”
Base your blogs, videos, infographics on topics that fit any of these descriptions and you’re good to go. For instance, I wrote a blog on the 7 types social media content that drive most engagement. Although engagement is evolving on platforms (like the new reactions on Facebook), ways to drive that engagement will remain unchanged and social media managers will always want to read it.
Create a Comprehensive Piece
Given that your content will have to be extra-comprehensive, navigating through it without a roadmap will result in chaos. A detail oriented outline can make your writing process more organized, efficient and complete.
Start at the top
A great piece with a boring headline is a disaster, you’ll lose out on click-throughs if you don’t grab your audience’s attention while you can – with your header.
Your header should communicate 2 things – value and context.
I’ll reiterate this: Why should your audience read your post? Effectively answer that in your title, and directly address your audience in it – this is a great idea. For example: How to Capture Your High Value Target Audience – for Social Media Managers. People want to feel important, and like you have written or made something specifically for them.
Your headline should also sell your content.
Social media and marketing experts have always discussed the prominence of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – the base laws of human motivation – in using motivation to encourage a certain kind of behaviour. To understand how to write a headline that compels someone to click you could adapt the laws of this pyramid.
State your takeaways
I’ve found this more useful than focussing on subheads because it takes the process one further. Instead of formulating what you’ll put into your sub paragraphs, write down the central ideas
or takeaways of each paragraph. This can help you craft a more useful and effective piece. Ask yourself, would you want your readers to know?
Title: How to Capture Your High Value Target Audience – for Social Media Managers
How to find your high value target audience – 1
What are the best ways to engage with them – 3
How to bring them to your page – 2
How to convert them into leads – 5
Which tools or KPIs to use to monitor conversions – 6
How do you build good, long-term relationships with them – 4
You can do this quickly and as the ideas come, because you can always reorganize them to form an easy flow. Remember to direct each takeaway at insights that can prove viable over time, in keeping with your long term value theme.
Add substance to each takeaway
Do you remember your high school chemistry manuals? Colorimetry is a procedure to measure the concentration of substances based on light absorbed by them. This procedure was founded by discoveries that go back to the 1720s! A lot of scientific procedures remain firmly based in the fundamentals.
This is precisely what you want to create for your audience. Sound knowledge that focusses on logic and the science of marketing. Don’t hesitate to do extensive research and find your facts, figures and functions that can support your content. Write to guide your audience to understand fundamental concepts. The result is more permanent and they’ll return to your “marketing manuals” for help.
It is important to note that long term value is created by whole efforts. You’ll have to go deep into the subject. Your subheads should ideally have further divisions and so on to explain every last concept encompassed within the subject you choose to write about.
Title: How to Capture Your High Value Target Audience – for Social Media Managers
How to find your high value target audience – 1
1. Listening in on social
……Platform wise social listening
……Case study
2. Tools that help
……How to leverage each tool to identify important conversations
……Case study
3. Analyzing buzz
……Case study
Explaining each concept with examples and images – graphs, charts, or procedural images can further add value to your content.
Make necessary updates
For your content to have relevance always, you may have to make inclusions or edits as things progress with your industries. Neil Patel suggests 3 substantial (para edits/additions) edits every quarter and also points out that Google loves fresh content and favors it, if but marginally, in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
You could also add notes, or simply supplement your content with well curated content (content curation platforms like DrumUp help you find specific and relevant content). Add strategic links on your long term value content to these fresh pieces and you can instantly build reserves for your audience.
Finally, remember not to compromise on writing and content quality. Make it an enjoyable read. If your content is top-notch, google’s algorithms will place you well, if your content is a great read, your audience will place you as a permanent go-to. Both extremely valuable positions to hold.
Author Bio: Disha Dinesh is a social media and content marketing enthusiast who writes for Godot Media, a leading social media marketing firm.
Lisa Chapman serves her clients as a Business and Marketing Coach, Business Planning Consultant and Social Media Consultant, specializing in increasing revenues.