Coming up with new and original topics for content creation can be a daunting task. The blinking text cursor, the writer's block, the blank page, and a pressing deadline. You might be a creative person, but you're also a professional. This means that you cannot sit around waiting for inspiration to magically strike.
Whether you're creating blog posts, articles, social media posts, videos, newsletters, or case studies, you need to bear in mind that content creation is all about communicating an idea through storytelling.
Your content is the tool that will improve your marketing efforts and strengthen your brand positioning.
However, before embarking on your topic search journey, you need to ask yourself:
Who am I creating content for?
What problems can I fix for my audience?
1. Content creation addressed to everyone, means creating content for no one
The golden rule is to acquire a better knowledge of your customer persona, find out all about their needs, and how to connect with them. Doing so will give you more space to develop your products and adapt them to your lead’s desideratum.
To do so, start by creating your user pen portrait.
Creating a user pen portrait is almost like creating an imaginary friend, you keep adding more traits and details to this persona until you can almost hear them speak.
However, you should back this process up with some permission-based data collection that can be obtained through surveys and newsletters.
By knowing who your typical reader is, you can determine which tone of voice to use, how to connect with them, which channels to use to reach them , and how to spark their interest.
As an example:
A 47-year-old businesswoman and her 18-year-old son do not share the same interests nor do they have the same online behaviors. Although Maria, as we’re going to call her, shares her son Alex's passion for ancient history, their browser histories could not be any more different.
While Alex is spending most of his time online on TikTok and Instagram, Maria is jumping from meeting to meeting and networking on LinkedIn.
Every platform has its own “rules” in terms of content creation, from text length and picture size to tone of voice and messaging. It goes without saying that having the same content on all platforms is a wrong move, just as creating content for everyone and anyone.
The smaller the target group, the more valuable your brand will be.
2. Connect with your customers and address their problems
Now that you know who your customers are and how to reach them, try to understand their needs. Content creation is the bridge between your business and your clients: educate through it and show your audience what it is that you’re offering that can help them make a decision.
Let’s take the example of a watch brand. They are launching a new series of watches for 20 somethings, with the following features:
Waterproof 5m
5mm thick glass
Spherical interface
Comes in Blue, Pink, Black, and Yellow
Although these features are very important, the brands’ customers might find them too generic and not really appealing to what they’re looking for at that moment.
Focus instead on the benefits and respond to the pain points related.
By putting the solution of the customer’s problem front and center n you are proving your brand to be caring and trustworthy. You can find more examples of empathy in business in this article.
Content marketers are continually striving for the attention and recognition of their consumers. To be heard, you need to be authentic and straightforward and tell a story that appeals to your audience. Aim for the content creation that resonates with your prospects. Make it full of empathy, and solution-oriented.
Your ultimate goal as a content creator should be to make human connections and stay true to your brand’s values, for that is how you’ll be differentiated from your competitors.