All marketers know that content has to be a major part of their strategy. The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) reports that the number of marketers stating content marketing is a vital aspect of lead generation has risen 9% since last year to 76%. The same report showed that 63% use content marketing for nurturing engagement while 50% claim it’s perfect for building loyalty.

But what can you do to create content that converts? With the right techniques, you can launch content campaigns that drive ROI through the roof.

Nail Your Audience Before You Start on Content Marketing

Content marketing strategies aren’t about just throwing a few blogs together and hoping for the best. While you’re the expert on your organization’s offerings, you can’t craft content solely about that forever. So, before you start, make sure you’ve got your target audience absolutely nailed down.

Create ideal customer profiles (ICPs) that show exactly who you’re marketing to. That way, you can figure out what sort of content they’re interested in and create better versions of that than what’s already available.

Get Storytelling: Write Compelling Content

Now that you know who you’re marketing to, think about what stories they want to hear. Storytelling is a vital aspect of marketing, whether you’re placing your reader/viewer in the role of the protagonist or creating conflict and resolution narratives.

With the former, you create situations that revolve around someone in the same position as your ideal content consumer. You might create videos about people with similar pain points or blogs highlighting solutions to common industry challenges.

The latter revolves around showcasing situations and how they get resolved. These are an ideal opportunity to create compelling CTAs to see how your solution offers the best resolution — without being overly “salesy.”

Visceral Visuals: Create Imagery that Grabs Your Audience

Written content is effective but great marketers should also explore imagery and video:

• Visual content is more accessible

• It’s easier to process

• It’s more shareable across multiple channels

• B2B buyers consume more visual content than ever — for example, 88% of B2B decision-makers use videos to research products and services.

• By combining text and images, you also reach a wider audience.

Final Word

Our final consideration for great content is that you need to keep it personal while respecting privacy. Data privacy and security are becoming top considerations for buyers, with HubSpot reporting that at least 47% of marketers are finding new ways to gather data that don’t involve cookies or other potentially invasive methods. Take a marketing audit to find out how you could hone your content creation strategies. Book a free 15-minute introductory call to find out how.

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