What is content?

Content is always being generated. When you write an email – that’s content. When your child sings you a song – that’s content. Content is a product to be consumed. It can be text, images, videos, games, articles, reviews, ads etc. If it is made for someone to watch/hear/read; if its purpose is for education, entertainment, persuasion, or promotion, it’s content.

Since the act of buying and selling began, businesses have been creating content (spoken word, pamphlets, sketches) to describe their products’ life-changing benefits. We still do this today. Audiences, however, have become more discerning about what content they choose to consume. Most people work hard to ignore ads seeing through their intended sales goal. Therefore, content needs to be crafted and curated in a way that attracts people who are interested in the specific subject you have to share.

Specialized content is an opportunity for businesses 

While almost anyone who could read once consumed the daily newspaper, now people only seek out the information that’s of interest to them. As a small business owner, this is your opportunity. You may have a smaller general audience, but you can appeal to a larger motivated audience by creating content specific to their taste (i.e. your niche market).

Many businesses, especially small ones don’t spend the time, energy and money on creating content because they don’t understand the value communicating with their niche audience brings. However, generating quality content AND ENGAGEMENT is vital to the success and existence of your business.

Quality content is important because it: 

• Raises awareness. Quality content can attract the attention of your audience, inform them of your existence and the benefits you have to offer.
• Establishes legitimacy. Regularly sharing information that is of value tells your audience that you are an authority in your field. They will begin to accept your information (and your business) as legitimate.
• Creates engagement. Audiences are more comfortable and more active with legitimate companies. Sharing information that is interesting, thought provoking and helpful will inspire an open two-way dialogue between you and your audience.
• Builds relationship. Like personal relationships, increased dialogue with your audience will help you build rapport.
• Forges trust. As your audience continues to engage with you and see you as legitimate, they will trust your information and your services or products.
• Motivates action (purchase). When your audience needs something they know you offer, the relationship and trust you’ve built will inspire them to seek the solution you provide and purchase your product or service.
• Expands your audience. If your client/customer’s experience was good (as it should have been), they will recommend, refer, and talk about your business to others in their networks. This goes without saying, but people are quicker to accept unknown businesses as legitimate when someone they know, and trust has recommended it.

Now I am simplifying a more complex concept here, obviously. Effective communication with your audience is not based on one piece of quality content alone; it’s a process, a back and forth, a system. This system ultimately leads to converting a passive viewer to an interested party, a trusted ally, motivated buyer, and finally a vocal advocate of your brand.

But this process begins with generating quality content. Whether you’re writing a blog, training your customer call centre attendants with a script, preparing a spokesperson, or filming a how-to video – the quality of your content is vital to driving conversions and inspiring engagement and action.

If you need help writing and optimizing your content to convert your audience, let’s chat.  We can build a content strategy and engaging content together.