When we talk about content marketing strategies, it's amazing how often people think it means:
I can haz the Moar people!
(English translation: How can I get more traffic to my website?)
It's not new - the quest for eyeballs is as old as online business.
And it's very important. It's important to have a critical mass of folks who know your presence. Ask anyone trying to get the business off the ground with 34 people, 8 of them on their associated mailing list.
You need an audience large enough to allow meaningful responses when you try out new content ideas, or formulate offers that fit your product or service.
But there is no shortage of online publishers for any large audiences and small businesses. If all you do is stand on the information highway trying to flag people down, you'll get squashed.
Instead, develop a thoughtful, well-designed path. From the noise and clutter of larger networks, solve their concerns with the prospect of continuing, valuable connecting wires.
Savvy merchants aren't getting a huge amount of attention. It's about getting the right kind of attention to the right people...and continuing the journey from there.
Copywriting formula
When you want to persuade, it's very useful to look at the classic "formula" of copywriting - because copywriting is just persuasion, which happens (in part or in whole) without the help of a human salesperson.
Most of these formulas start with the letter A - which stands for concern . And that's exactly what most marketing strategies tend to focus on: how to get all the attention of people all over the web zoom.
The originator of persuasion is AIDA. this means:
Attention - Interest - Desire - Action
Back when the copywriting was very, very hard, you had to do all these steps, a piece of content, often something printed on paper and served by mail.
Today, we got a lot Latest Mailing Database more shots. We can process each of these elements individually. Even better, it can help us create multiple copies of content to serve different functions.
So, if you need to spend more time addressing this topic of interest to your audience, you can create a content series or even an entire content library.
Another time-tested formula is PAS.
Problem - Stir - Solve
This one doesn't start with, but it kicks off a compelling audience question, which in itself tends to attract attention. The churning device gets into the problem, in a deeper, more emotionally resonant way...and then the business can step in to fix that.
These are good formulas and they still have their place. But in a content marketing environment, they tend to greatly underestimate the complex role of these middle letters.
What will happen in the middle?
Attention strategies are interesting to learn. Powerful headlines, great pictures, killer hooks.
But when you're working on a landing page, video sales letter, infomercial, or 15-second radio commercial, the middle can be the hardest part.
The middle starts to look like actual work.
The relationships you cultivate. This means that a significant part of the "middle" of your content marketing is generously offering value and being a decent human being.
You nurture a relationship with your audience by providing:
Interesting material to help them do what they want
Content showing your audience who you are and who you believe
Small chance, low risk commitment, scout, experience what you have to offer
Where are the rough patches?
Most of the paths have some rough spots - it's not easy to navigate.
When we talk about your content marketing path, that includes the opposition your audience will have moving forward with your offer. such things as:
It seems expensive.
It looks complicated.
It looks like this is only for other people.
It seems difficult to get started.
It seems like a long time before I will see results.
A smart, well-structured content path will include work that directly touches these objections.
You might tell a story to show the audience how others have figured out the problem. Or provide clear, simple explanations of product features - perhaps an infographic or explainer video - showing how your solution overcomes the problem.