A great content strategy can give you an edge over your competitors. It can also help build relationships with prospects and customers. That’s because people don’t just buy from brands – they buy from people. If you can build a connection with them emotionally and create stories that are meaningful to them, then you can turn your audience into customers and advocates.
What drives content marketing strategy? Your customers. As a marketer or product manager, if the driving force in your strategy isn’t the customer, you’re dead in the water.
So let’s talk about how to talk to your customers and make them a part of your content marketing strategy. I have three simple steps for doing this. Let’s dive into them.
How to make your customers part of your content strategy
1. Ask your customers questions.
What do they want to learn more about? What are their experience with your product or service? How could you improve your product?
These questions can help you create content that addresses the specific needs of your target audience while also giving them what they want from their relationship with your company — namely, relevant information that helps them make better decisions about their lives or businesses.
If customers are going to spend time on your website or engaging with your brand on social media, they need to feel as though they’re getting something out of it. Use surveys and other tools to get insights into what they want most from their interactions with you.
2. Bring back content that is popular to your audience.
If you have customers who love a particular piece of content, re-publishing it can be an effective way to get their attention again without having to spend a lot of time creating something new. Just make sure that it’s still relevant and interesting for your audience, and add more value to the conversation.
You can also repurpose old blog posts by turning them into podcasts or videos. You can also consider publishing “best-of” lists or roundups of popular articles from the past year or two. These lists can be compiled by your team or by readers themselves who shared their favorite stories online (and why).
Any time readers share their favorite pieces of content with each other, they create an opportunity for engagement with those who aren’t already fans. They prove that there is value in what you offer, which increases your chances of getting more clicks from people outside your existing audience.
3. Share customer stories.
What are the wins that your customers are having? What are their successes? Give customers a voice in your brand’s story and content strategy by letting them tell you what they like about your products and why they keep coming back.
Tell stories that add humanity and value to your brand. Tell real stories, with real people, with real problems that you’re helping solve.
People love hearing stories, especially those that feature themselves as the hero! When customers see themselves reflected in your brand’s story, they feel like part of the community and are more likely to engage.
Conclusion
It’s important to let your customers know that they’re being heard. What they say, will affect how your brand develops. You want to make sure that they feel like they’re a part of the content strategy process, rather than just an observer.
Aim to build a lasting relationship with them, keep them engaged, and get them involved. Remember, customers are the lifeblood of any business, and satisfied customers are even more valuable.
So, please send me an email at [email protected] letting me know what content you find valuable and what you want to learn more about!
