Content has become the ruler of how we connect with people – especially customers – nowadays. Years ago, published content was limited to commercials, radio ads, books, and newspaper articles. Today, anyone can publish content with the click of a button.
But that doesn’t mean they should.
Content can be anything from a well-crafted blog post about vegan smoothie recipes to videos of a pug drinking from a garden hose at full blast. But creating scroll-stopping content isn’t always that simple.
Blogs, podcasts, videos, infographics, and social media posts are just some popular ways businesses implement content creation in their marketing strategies worldwide.
Anyone can publish content, but tasteful, relatable content creation is the key to keeping your customers. Here’s what you need to consider before you hit “Post.”
Content Creation Contributes to Culture
You no longer need a seat at The New York Times to get the inside scoop or millions of dollars to create your own publication. What you do need is something to say.
Thanks to social media’s powerful distribution and the magic of hashtags and search algorithms, anything we create has the power to reach anyone in the world – and consumers are gobbling it up. In 2020 alone, users watched 2.2 billion minutes of video.
However, for every thought-provoking piece of content, there is another piece that instills pain somewhere else.
For instance, one man on TikTok strongly disagreed with the #WomenEmpowerment movement, publishing several misogynistic TikToks explaining why women should submit to men. Naturally, commenters started a virtual riot in response to his content.
Did this harsh commentary contribute anything insightful to society? Absolutely not. On the contrary, it provoked anger without a purpose.
While I highly doubt anyone reading this article would even fathom the idea of posting deliberately defamatory content, publishing content devoid of value that simply takes up virtual space can also be harmful to your brand.
Before publishing content, think about how it will boost or hurt your brand. Businesses use content creation to promote their highest cultural values, so ask yourself how exactly your content promotes yours.
The Art of Content Creation
Rather than creating content just to put something out there, view it as the work of art it is. The purpose of art is to connect with admirers and those who feel similarly and want to feel in response to viewing the art. Content achieves the same goal if the creator has clear intentions in mind.
When it comes to the fine art of content creation, keep these three points in mind.
Create Constructive Content
The key to keeping your audience’s attention is to produce constructive content.
Think about it from a first-person perspective. How many times have you caught yourself watching a video or reading an article for just a few seconds before deciding your time is better spent elsewhere? Probably too many times to count.
And yet, there are surely times when you find yourself hooked and, before you know it, 23 minutes of video have lapsed.
What keeps you hooked? Remember: What works for you will likely work for your audience.
Creating content that helps people solve problems will keep people hooked while also creating a strong, positive association with your brand in the mind of your reader. People crave knowledge, so content creation for the sake of educating, informing, or motivating people will connect you with your customers’ deepest needs and leave them feeling satisfied, rather than disappointed.
Foster your Culture through Content
Once you feel good about publishing constructive content, it’s time to focus on content that promotes your company’s culture.
For example, Cornell Content Marketing promotes a culture of absolute excellence. We believe you don’t have to sacrifice quality in order to also increase sales, boost your SEO performance, and hit your KPIs. That’s why every piece of content we put out is created with the intention of equipping you – our dear reader – with tools and actionable techniques you can use to improve the quality of your marketing without sacrificing on efficacy, or vice versa.
A prime example of a company that uses content to create their culture is one of our wonderful clients, Kushae. Kushae, a women’s hygiene brand, consistently publishes blogs that talk about so-called “taboo topics,” like vaginal health, hormones, sex, and ingrown hairs. The creators of Kushae want to make sure their audience feels comfortable and supported in a vulnerable area of their lives.
When you know your customers and the information they seek, you can cater your company culture – and thus your content creation – to those interests. In doing so, you’re also creating a sense of community that will keep your customers coming back.
Craft Content that Connects
Do you remember learning about logos, ethos, and pathos in school? (Good ol’ 90s curriculum.)
If not, just know that each of these terms is a different way to connect with your audience. Logos is the use of logic; ethos is the use of credibility; and pathos is the use of emotions.
A major part of what we do at Cornell is help companies connect to the people who need their product or service. When I say “connect,” I’m not just talking about an impression on Facebook or Instagram. I’m talking about a deep-seated emotional bond that makes people say, “Oh! I like that brand!” anytime they hear your name.
Take a look at your business and decide whether logos, ethos, or pathos – or all three – is the most effective content connection strategy for your audience.
At the end of the day, connecting with your audience through their pain points, desires, and aspirations will keep your customers loyal. No matter how hard you work on your content, if it doesn’t connect to your audience, it becomes irrelevant.
The Responsibility is Ours
Content lives online forever, so make every word count. (Even if you delete it, there’s this nifty little gadget called The Wayback Machine that someone can use to dig up everything you’ve ever published.)
Today, people choose to work with or buy from companies based on their energy, culture, and values, so the type of content you share with your audience is key to keeping them around long term.
More than just counting our blessings and appreciating the vast cosmos that is the internet for what it is, we need to look at the content we’re creating as a responsibility.
Content creation shapes our culture, and today’s culture shapes tomorrow’s decisions. If we add a constant stream of useful information, inspiring messages, and intellectual dialogues, the world of tomorrow will be brilliant, beaming, and beautiful.
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