I am open to hearing from friends, marketers, and fellow citizens. As we move into the next year, we see our mechanical cousins gaining impressive skills. From drones that deliver mail to Artificial Intelligence (AI), which predicts the winner of the US Presidential Elections, Augmented Reality Apps and Virtual Reality Apps are also gaining ground.
There are incredible opportunities for technological innovations that were never thought possible. The fundamental building block of ‘establishing a human connection’ with our audience remains the same.
We can learn about someone’s interests by having a conversation. This will eventually lead to a relationship. Content marketing is all about reaching a specific audience through compelling content. Knowing their interests and hobbies allows us to target and market to them.
“You can make friends in two months if you are interested in other people more than in two years if you try to get others interested in you.”
Dale Carnegie, How To Win Friends and Influence People
Dale Carnegie’s book explains how to build relationships with people and be successful by being interested. These tips help you establish a rapport with your audience today.
Write as you speak
Imagine sharing a story about a recent football match with your friends. What if the story was different? You don’t have to write to someone you know. This approach allows you to adopt a more relaxed tone and create a unique writing style.
Finding a way to communicate the message and story in speech can be helpful. Although academic writing can sound dull, sharing easily by considering your audience is possible.
“One day, I will find the right words, and they will be easy.” — Jack Kerouac of The Dharma Bums
Jon Acuff employs the conversational style to communicate his message easily. Keep your content more user-friendly by reducing jargon and sticking to simple sentences. You will not be dull or lifeless if you tell a story to convey a message. Look out for stories that are real and use them to create magic.
Straightforward and simple
Refrain from confusing the reader by explaining too much. Writing that is clear and concise conveys a concept. It makes it easy for readers to understand the message and combine the pieces.
Do not act like a graduate student trying to finish project work by writing fluff. Fluff is a way to make something appear more complete and add value. Fluffing can cause readers to lose interest and make them never return to you. Instead of writing five more lines and not offering anything worthwhile, it is better to provide examples.
Simple and concise content can still be powerful. The readers will lose interest in complicated words that are difficult to understand if the message is not easily communicated. Identify and replace dull terms to bring more creativity to your content.
Get your audience to think.
Are you asking questions in content pieces? Is your audience in agreement or disagreement with you? Are they able to understand the subject being discussed?
Asking questions can help you convince your audience to think.
To keep your readers interested in your content, it is essential to ask them questions. Once you have identified their stance, you can list what they know. Then you can work with them on what they don’t know and how you can make it enjoyable.
Time to Unlearn
Instead of sticking to a one-dimension approach, inject personality into your content. This is how you can make your brand stand out from the crowd of information overload.
Your personality can help you build trust and likeability with people. Show off your unique characteristics to make your style stand out, whether you are writing blog posts, emailers, posts on Facebook, or web pages.
Your story and the mistakes that you made to create your identity. You are unique, and no one else can copy you.
Avoid writing clickbait material.
While shortcuts may seem appealing, remember that you are writing for people. Sharing content your readers like will result in sharing it on social media.
Sensational headlines such as “Companies Hate Him” or “Number Three is My Favorite” might appeal to some, but it isn’t the best way to reach more people.
Hemingway is remembered for his mastery of writing. J.K Rowling created the magical world of Harry Potter, full of magic and witchcraft, using only the power of words. Instead of writing clickbait content, register for real people. Although it may seem faster to get traffic, it will not be the best content, damaging your credibility as an authoritative source.