Many businesses are constantly trying to produce something to engage people, whether it’s an insightful article, a blog post or a social post. However, a recent study by Marketing Week found 60% of the content produced by 1,500 of the world’s biggest brands is “just clutter” and has no real relevance to anyone.
Creating content for the sake of it can fall flat and do more harm than good. So how do you make your content have purpose?
What is purposeful content?
Purposeful content has actual meaning. It’ll be relevant, resourceful and likely contain a call-to-action for your audience to do something – whether that’s to buy a product, read more content or share on social media. However, it’s important to differentiate between the types of content your brand will be producing.
- Functional content exists to inform consumers about the products you sell or the nature of your business.
- Creative content will shout about your company and offer everything from fun competitions and engaging videos to insightful data pieces, with the aim of getting you noticed, and it’s something we’ll be looking at more closely in this blog post.
Am I just adding to the noise?
It’s easy to get stuck in your brand bubble and think that everything you love about your company, everyone else will too. So if you’re writing content which just repeats what someone else is saying, or it’s repeating a point your brand has already made, its likely no-one will take notice.
Click-bait headlines are also worth considering carefully. Capturing your audience’s attention is one thing, but using misleading titles can increase your bounce rate and impact your audience’s perception of your brand. If you’re a fan of click-bait, you need to make sure it’s backed up by insightful content which is relevant to the headline.
It’s easy to go off on a tangent when producing content, but when it’s not focused enough, you could see your audience drop off. Similarly, if your content is not aligned to your customer journey, you could be alienating your target audience and putting them off your brand.
So how can I make my content have purpose?
Here are just five of the ways to make your content have purpose.
Know your target audience
Who are they? What do the like? What kind of content do they read? Creating tailored content is important for engaging your audience, so you need to know these people inside out. Look at whether they’re active social media users or prefer to get their information from a blog, if they love stats and data or just want short snippets they can easily digest – essentially you want to know these people like they’re your friend.
Create something unique
Instead of saying the same thing over and over again, shout about something new. Whether it’s the results from a survey you conducted or an exciting new product launch, tell people about it and address the reasons why it matters to them.
Make a point
Don’t put pen to paper just for the sake of it. Think about what you want to say and communicate it effectively. If it’s just one line which needs no explanation, try tweeting it. Or if it’s something which needs explaining, do it in a concise way which will keep people interested.
Provoke emotion in your audience
People are more likely to share or talk about something they’ve felt some sort of connection with. Try using emotional storytelling – that way, if it’s relevant to your audience or makes them laugh, cry or anything in between, they’ll be more willing to share it with like-minded people.
Inspire them to find out more
A well-written article can create a light bulb moment for your audience, inspiring them to take a more in-depth look into a subject, purchase a specific product or contact you directly. Take time to craft your article, blog post or tweet and look for ways to engage the reader’s mind.
Writing with purpose is important and having something new and interesting to say is the best way to cut through the noise. Take your time, stay focused and think about what your audience really want to read, after all, they are the key to your piece being successful.
