When it comes to your customers do you know where their struggles are? Understanding what keeps them up at night will provide insight into how you can offer assistance by way of personal introductions, what content you write, and determine how your product or service will help with their situation.
Use your content as a way to spark friendly conversations between your business and its customers. Encourage discussion about content as it relates to their situation on social media, reply to comments, use examples. By doing so you exhibit confidence in knowing that what you have to offer makes a difference.
In one of the newsletters we write for our client Shannon Staley & Sons, we talk about one of their core values, highlight a current project, spotlight one of their employees, and recognize employee anniversaries within the company. This practice helps their contacts to not only see the type of work they do but also brings in a human side to their business. Employees also appreciate the recognition the company shows for their efforts.
When you help and don’t sell in your content marketing, you also make your brand and your company more human because you are thinking about ways to assist your customers. Why is this important? It demonstrates your human side and increases the admiration for your empathetic brand.
Tips to make your content more emotionally gripping.
- Write the first draft of a blog post as if you’re addressing a friend
- Use relevant imagery that inspires smiles
- Create your content by playing off emotions your customers are feeling – mention their fears, then how your product helps ease those, for example
- Use a survey to ask for feedback
You can also brainstorm emotion-inspired content by thinking about what adjectives you want to describe your product or service and how it makes your customers feel. Use the stand-out descriptors to guide your content strategy, and strive to evoke related emotions with every piece.
As we prepare for business growth in 2021, companies have shifted to new ways of doing business. One lesson learned is compassionate leadership brings about the human side of how we’ve adapted to business.
About the Author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior-level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business. Contact the Edmiston Group today to learn how we can bring fresh ideas to help grow your business.