by Fauzia Burke, in Author Branding , Social Media Tips

If your business blog is all about what you want to write about and what you want to market and sell, your blog, as they say, could be an epic fail. While it's great to generate regular content about your business and its niche, the driving factor for your content creation -- whether your blog or your newsletter content -- has to be centered around what your customers' want. To create compelling content your customers can't wait to devour, always ask yourself: Is this providing value to my customer base?

Here are 4 ways to ensure you are generating content that resonates with your target audience.

1. Tune in to the social media channel. How do you find out what your customers want to read, you ask? Social media provides ample opportunity to listen in and hear what people are talking about in your niche. What's going viral in your business space? What is getting a ton of LIKES on Facebook, numerous SHARES or an abundance of comments? Listen in on Twitter and see what people are talking about and retweeting. See what hashtags are trending in the general category of your business. Pay attention to the comments section of your blog, and find out what your customers want to know. Always aspire to make your customers' lives easier by answering their questions, solving their problems, and aiming to be the go-to source of information for your industry by staying on top of trends.
2. Turn questions into answers. I bet a week doesn't go by without receiving a question from one of your customers. In fact, I am sure you can easily tell me a question you are asked repeatedly in your business. Take that question and turn it into a blog topic. If a few people in your customer base have the same question, you are on to a topic that resonates with your larger audience. Take that topic and run with it. You will be building relationships and rapport with your customers as you strengthen your brand.
3. Solve your customers' problems. Identify the biggest problems your customers face and create content that shows your customers how to resolve those problems. Behind any successful business, you will probably find a product or a service that solves a problem people have -- and the same goes for your content. The more your content provides value to your customer by making their lives easier -- with advice, a solution, tips, strategies -- the more your content will be in demand. You can talk about your product or service that you provide, but do so in a way that offers your reader value, don't offer a thinly veiled marketing pitch for your business. When you constantly create content of value, you will become the go-to source for information in your field, positioning your business and brand as the expert source.
4. Show, don't tell. Infographics are increasingly popular because people are visual learners. People are more likely to remember something if it is shown to them visually than if it arrives under their eyes in a blur of text. What cool industry stats can you share with your audience? What facts and figures would your audience love to know? Create an infographic and send it out as a blog. Your blogs don't always have to be a certain word count -- go for the visual angle too.

Along the same lines, consider doing a V-log or video blog instead of the standard text only blog. Short videos allow your audience to connect with you personally, and they are often shared more on other social media platforms -- so as you create and share amazing content with a video, you also can be expanding your audience base at the same time!

Epic win!

In the end, in order to keep your brand vibrant and relevant, you need to have a content marketing strategy. And with that strategy, you should always make sure that your content entertains, informs and delights your readers!

© 2013 Fauzia Burke. All Rights Reserved.

Author Bio Fauzia Burke is the Founder and President of FSB Associates, a digital publicity and marketing firm specializing in creating awareness for books and authors. For online publicity, book publishing and social media news, follow Fauzia on Twitter: @FauziaBurke. To talk with FSB and ask your book publicity questions, please join us on Facebook.

Prev Next