It’s not just about the message!
So you’ve identified your objectives, figured out who your target audience are and set an end goal.
All great so far, but ultimately we want our content to convert and it’s at this point it has the potential to fall flat on it’s face.
The thing is, if we are to create impactful content that connects with our audience, it’s vital that we talk to each end user in their language – the language they use every day, the language they use when they interact with each other.
Message is one thing, how you say it is another!
Go to your audience…
They’re the best research you could ask for. Find out what they are saying and how they are saying it. As we mentioned in Tip 2, social media, blog posts and forums are a great and accessible resource and invaluable in giving us all the clues we need. Check out posts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn and find out not only what your audience are talking about but importantly what words they are using to say it.
User-generated review sites are also a good source of rich research material to find out what the current “buzz” words are.
Not just that, but this kind of research also gives us a good look at what has worked before and what our audience has responded to in the past – the topics, products and services that are most popular, and even trending.
Talk the talk
Take these cues, buzz words and audience-speak and it will help you target the language you use when creating content.
Tailor your tone of voice to resonate with your audience. Throw in some of the choice buzz words and you are far more likely to connect and engage with your audience (not forgetting the obvious SEO benefits of using commonly used, plain English!).
If, for example, you are talking to a tech savvy audience about the latest tablet device, then you will quite probably include relevant jargon and a fair dose of tech talk to capture their attention.
Whereas if you are promoting a luxurious holiday resort your language will be seductive, alluring and elegant, with plenty of descriptive and sexy adjectives, selling the dream, creating desire, firing the imagination.
Once you engage your audience, content is far more likely to be a contributory factor in converting even just a small proportion into the sale of a tablet or luxury holiday. And at a time when they are interested, receptive and “warm”.
Put simply, we want our audience to engage with our content. We want our content to generate a response. And one that will make a difference to the bottom line. But in order to do this, we need to win over our audience and speak their language!
10 tips to make your content convert
Over a series of posts I will be sharing 10 tips that you can apply to your content to make it convert.
Tip 1 – Define your objectives
Tip 2 – Understand your audience
Tip 3 – Use the language of your customers
Tip 4 – Concentrate on headlines
Tip 5 – Anchor products into content
Tip 6 – Calls to action and triggers
Tip 7 – Visual impact
Tip 8 – Add value
Tip 9 – Never stop testing
Tip 10 – Play to win
