There is some truth in ‘Content Shock’ after all!
Defined by Mark W. Schaefer as – “the emerging marketing epoch defined when exponentially increasing volumes of content intersect our limited human capacity to consume it “, Content Shock makes it impossible for content marketers to publish content that can be processed quickly by the human mind.
Even the numbers indicate that we live in an era of digital content oversaturation, making building trust and relationships with readers a Herculean task for content marketers.
Because online content will always be overabundance, here are some tips for marketers to build trust and relationships in this age of content oversaturation.
#1 Take branding seriously, very seriously
What comes to your mind when you think of a brand?
The tagline? The logo? The colour scheme? Nothing but the content. And this is what needs to change because the content has the potential to be a powerful branding tool. Entrepreneur.com has a fascinating take on creating a brand through content. Here are three-pointers which will help you create a brand through your content.
- Differentiate between what is branded content and what is branding with content.
- Know your target audience and brand your content customized to meet their perspectives.
- Define your brand values and make the content marketing team understand the values.
- The content may not substitute the brand but can become THE BRAND.
#2 Interact with your target users
With endless social media channels, consumer-centric forums and websites such as Reddit and Quora can offer tremendous benefits.
To begin with, you can use these platforms to interact with your target user base, often on a one-to-one basis. These platforms are also helpful for consumers, or potential consumers, to voice their opinions, ask queries, share honest reviews and post their grievances.
You can earn their trust by answering their questions and replying to their posts. For instance, take the case of Realtor.com, which has a section dedicated to addressing common questions posted by end-users. This crucial step allows it to demonstrate its experience and expertise in a particular niche and adds to its reputation. ‘Nuff said!
#3 Find out ways to be unique
In the age of ‘content saturation’, it is difficult to be unique. But as the Latin saying goes – “I’ll either find a way or make one “– you must find ways to be unique and stand out from the competition.
A significant step in this direction is to refresh your content for your target audience.
How about offering your target audience the same content in a different package? Begin with sharpening your storytelling skills and include it in your content marketing mix to see a significant difference. Also, try to go interactive, and you will create a win-win situation regarding being unique in content.
The crux is creating attention-grabbing, share-worthy content that people would love to discuss in their circles, making it viral and popular. And this is something that you can achieve by making the content engaging. Content Marketing Institute provides a list of ways to create content engaging for your end-users.
#4 Be the early bird
Agreed, everything has been done to the death when creating content and marketing. But as we progress into the future, many new opportunities are being developed for content marketers to explore. In other words, there are ‘plenty of fishes in the sea’ when it comes to content publishing, creating or marketing.
Periscope’s Livestreaming advantage, Facebook and YouTube’s 360-degree videos, and Pinterest’s Rich Pins are all examples of opportunities which are yet to be fully explored by content marketers this year and in the years to come.
The future seems incredible for content marketers who can use these new features and functionalities and add to their expertise.
#5 Rev up the promotional strategies
Great content, even though published, is of no use if content marketers don’t promote it effectively. There are opportunities galore for marketers who want to effectively promote their content and get it noticed by brand advocates, influencers and, of course, their target audience.
There are numerous ways to promote your content effectively. Sharing it with your followers on social media, attending conferences and meetups, creating podcasts, participating in trade fairs and exhibitions, and anything else guarantees your brand’s and your content’s visibility.
You will not hold a placard containing your content and take it everywhere. The idea is to give your brand visibility, make it known, and the brand’s popularity will eventually trickle down to the content. People will be curious to learn more about the brand, the work done, or the products and services offered. This will lead them to search for your brand online and, eventually, drive them to notice your content.
#6 Know what is popular
One of the shortcuts to make your content exciting and refreshing for the users is to know what is popular or trending. Think of the top-rated HBO series – Game of Thrones. The show has a massive fan following and keeps its audience on tenterhooks with cliffhangers, which increases its ratings. Why not ride on the popularity of such trending shows and topics to derive benefits?
For this purpose, make sure that your content connects with the pop cultural references by, say, creating a meme, or a parody video, developing fan theory, writing a fan-fiction or even developing an app related to it. People will flock to your content because it connects to a topic of interest.
Conclusion
While these tips will help you create trust and relationships in the era of content oversaturation, you can’t ignore hard work. Strive to better your content, however short it may be, and you can deliver the best job that brings results. Cheers!