Tell, don’t sell, your content

Marketing content, simply put, is created to help customers make an informed decision about the brand or product they are reading about.

It’s about establishing a relationship with the consumer through quality writing, informative graphics, solid images and overall consumable and engaging content. Consumers want to be educated and informed. They really don’t want to be pushed.

contentmktg_artIn other words, tell, don’t sell.

A sponsored content story, blog post or item that comes off as a written version of a cold call – “This is our product! Buy it now! You will not be disappointed!” — will divert the consumer elsewhere, especially a consumer with a smartphone and limited attention span.

Giving them information in consumable bits that keep your brand in mind, as well as move the conversion factor in your favor, is effective. Sometimes the customer wants to know more about the product, not just what it is, but how it relates to their daily lives, and the experiences others have had with it.

This article by Business 2 Community has a few straightforward tips about content marketing strategy and avoiding the product-pitch approach:

  • Be an effective storyteller. Draw people in, and engage them.
  • A content marketing relationship takes time, so be patient and consistent.
  • Put away the sales script. Come up with content that humanizes the company.
  • Set aside the ego. Think like the demographic you are trying to reach.