10 Content Marketing Tips To Spark Engagement

The marketing strategists nowadays know very well that viewers are quick to judge any brand by its content. A captivating piece of content that drives traffic can help any business reach soaring heights. Therefore, brands always want to stay ahead of their competitors in terms of creativity and audience engagement.

“The purpose of content is to create action.”

― Josh Steimle

Content that is consumed by your target audience can be a game-changer on how your business builds its brand. Purposeful content not only garners viewership, but it also fosters relationships of brands with their customers. Let’s tap into some brilliant ways that brands incorporated into their content marketing and got success.

1. Add value in peoples’ lives

Value-adding posts are certainly ones that kindle high engagement. Either informative posts or how-to videos, content that adds value in people’s life draw the audience for sure.

The brand must address the needs of their audience. Looking deeper into what your target audience wants will give you many great ideas for content.

2. Catchy headlines that will compel the audience to read further

In the world of content, journeys begin with “killer headings” that instantly grab the viewer. Either by giving them some solutions (E.g., “X ways to do something) or directly asking them a question (E.g., How to improve your productivity?).

According to an analysis of over 5000 Buzzfeed headlines, 90% of those that performed the best started with a number.

Titles should be well-thought and appealing. In a survey conducted by Buzzstream and Fractyl, over 1200 participants were asked about their content preferences. 78% among them stated the “headline as a deciding factor” whether they want to read an article or not.

3. Put efforts to come up with something unusual

“There’s a whole category of people who miss out by not allowing themselves to be weird enough.”

― Alain de Botton

Every brand’s content creation revolves around efforts to create something that will make the target audience respond with enthusiasm. Instead of playing safe by posting about generic stuff, you should be open to a few off-centre topics to create some buzz.

Before posting unique content, see to it that your competitors have never done it before. Otherwise, your post might go viral for the wrong reasons (for copying your competitors, maybe?)

4. Try to add good quality humour

Infusing humour in marketing campaigns always works well. Humour acts a spice to the content marketing dish that takes it to a whole new level. Not only it gives your audience a good laugh, but they will also feel grateful to the poster, which made their stress go away.

A humorist and Nova Southeastern University professor, Dr James Barry, says that brands frequently use laughter to leverage brand familiarity. They entertain and connect the joke to their brand image.

5. Add personalisation feature in your content

You should try and reach your target audience on a personal level through your content. You need to master the art of creating viral content that is shared and spreads like a virus.

Once your traffic converts into leads, nurture them with a touch of personalisation to build long term relationships. For example, Amazon tracks the past viewing habits of their customers and recommends related products to them.

6. Ace the art of storytelling

Storytelling, when done engagingly, boosts a brand by leaps and bounds. Whenever a post comes up that tells a true story in a clear, conversational manner, it immediately catches our attention, and we resonate with it. As an example, Air BnB has nailed the art of storytelling by diving deep into the desires of travellers. They have been able to reap considerable success from this marketing strategy.

7. Create content that impresses you as an audience

To be sure of what is in your content for the customer, try viewing it once from the audience’s perspective.

Laura Busche is right when she says,

“One of the best quality assurance rules of thumb is to avoid publishing content that you would not consume.”

When you act as a prototype for your viewers, chances are high the resultant content would get an enthusiastic response from them.

8. Post when the engagement is highest

Ever wondered why prime time shows get the most viewership? It’s all about the correct time when the audience is keen to consume content. Take help from social media insights that give accurate data about audience engagement. One of the insights includes the time when the engagements on your posts tend to be the highest.

To have a quicker response from viewers, schedule that fantastic piece of content to get posted on just the right time. A social media scheduler might help you with being consistent about timely posts.

9. Look for trending hashtags in your niche

If you are a marketer, much of your time should be dedicated to research in your relevant field. You must search for relevant topics and trending hashtags. Every content that you post must include these trending hashtags.

Never overlook the importance of hashtags that your competitors are using in their content on social media. You should also search who your competitors are, and what their campaigns are about if you wish to have the edge over them. Much of your content strategy might get finalised once you track your competitors.

10. Make an impact by thought-provoking campaigns

Have you ever saw an ad, or read an article that touched you deeply and triggered emotions? If your answer is yes, then there is a genius content creator behind that whose efforts evoked passion and thoughts in you. As a business marketer, your voice is heard around various platforms. If your campaign is for a cause deeper than product sales, it will work like a magnet to attract the audience.

Parting thoughts

Even if you ace all the above practices in your content creation, it might not gain much visibility. There is just too much competition. You should also maximise your content promotion efforts for more engagements.

Your content needs to be top-notch to connect with your audience and inspire them, Avoid click-baiting at all costs as that will damage the reputation of your brand beyond repair.

About the author

Mary Warner is an enthusiast blogger. Her compelling research and communication capabilities exchange offerings that have value for the reader. Her passion for writing has been an ever-evolving affair. She loves to share her views related to the latest trends in marketing, technology, eCommerce, and the like.

Tell us your story

Would you like to write for nichemarket just like Aneeq has? Find out how to submit a guest post and when you're ready, you can contact us.

Contact us

If you would like us to improve the content for your site or want to know more about digital marketing for your business, then don’t be shy we’re happy to assist. Simply contact us

Are you looking to promote your business?

South African Business owners can create your free business listing on nichemarket. The more information you provide about your business, the easier it will be for your customers to find you online. Registering with nichemarket is easy; all you will need to do is head over to our sign up form and follow the instructions.

If you require a more detailed guide on how to create your profile or your listing, then we highly recommend you check out the following articles. 

• How to create a nichemarketer profile 
• How to create a nichemarket business listing 

Recommended reading

If you enjoyed this post and have a little extra time to dive deeper down the rabbit hole, why not check out the following posts on content writing.

• How to Align Content Writing and SEO for Ecommerce
• 10 Content Marketing Ideas For Small Businesses
• 7 Copywriting Tips To Boost Your Conversion Rates
• 8 Headline Formulas That Drive Most Viral Blog Posts
• Get Better CTR's With 8 Headline Optimisation Tips
• 10 Tips That Will Set You Apart From Other Bloggers Online
• Common Fashion Blogging Mistakes That Affect SEO

Tags: Content Marketing, Guest Post