5 Ways to Make Your Content “Connect” With Your Audience

When it comes to content, it is not only about creating  and floating it out there. To bring you expected results, it needs to reach your target audience and more importantly, “connect with them”. Consider that you spent 5 hours on a blog post, perfecting it from every angle, and put it out there, only to see zero likes and comments or traffic redirect. What must you do then to make your content more impactful so that it prompts readers to take action? Here, we suggest 5 ways you can “connect” your content with your audience.

1. Focus On Teaching Rather Than Selling

If you’re creating your content with the intent to sell your product, you are doing it all wrong. While marketers wish to increase their sales by directing content at target consumers, hoping for them to take action; it shouldn’t be done so forthrightly. If someone tells you “buy this”, it is unlikely that you will do so. Instead, if someone were to explain you “it helps you clean your home more efficiently because it’s a well researched product and gives the following benefits as well” you are more likely to proceed reading that information and taking action if a product like that is what you are looking for.

When your content “teaches its audience more than it sells”; they get  more connected to it, because you are not pushing them towards anything. You don’t tell them to buy it instead you tell how it can help them. This is more likely to have the desired and intended effect.

2. Add Emotion

If your content reads like it’s been written by a machine, there’s no chance that anyone will be able to relate to it, and even proceed more than two sentences into it. Connecting is all about writing with emotion and giving your readers a feel of what you are talking about. There are many everyday instances that you can use to create that emotional connection with your reader provided that they are relevant. It could be a personal experience, an observation, or an example that allows the reader to understand what you mean and what you are trying to relate to them.

3. Plain Text Doesn’t Cut It Anymore

There’s a reason why video content has become so popular and continues to gain fame, and that is because it allows an instant connection. Some of your readers may not be all that enthusiastic about reading through the text while others may not have the time for it. Making your content as visual and interactive as possible can help you connect with that target audience. Plain text can appear boring and adding images, a video, quiz or other things helps to make it more appealing, and thus, helps you make a connection that wasn’t there previously.

Even if it’s just a single graphic that shows what you are trying to convey, it helps the reader connect with your concept and often prompts them to read through the whole thing for more information. Remember, the key here is to make your plain text more appealing and that’s better done through visuals.

4. Paint a Picture

If you’re an avid reader, you might have experienced the film being created in your mind while you are reading a novel. While we read, our brain processes that information in the form of pictures that project in our mind like a movie. When you are able to process any kind of information in that way, that’s when chances of remembering increase. The same is true with content. The more comprehensively you can paint a picture for your reader with your content, the more it will help “connect” with them, thus increasing the chances of a response.

When your audience reads or sees something that benefits them, helps them, increases their knowledge or simply gives them pleasure, they are more likely to give their feedback or reward by proceeding to do the intended action. That’s the power you should be aiming for with your content, if you want to make it “connect”.

5. Involve them

A very important aspect of memorable and interactive content is- involving the reader. Involving does not only mean that you influence them to visualize what you’re trying to convey but it also means that you allow them to become a part of your business. Companies that are successful in doing this are better able to build and enhance their customer relations. In this regard, you can add a pop quiz, opinion poll or feedback regarding anything your content is talking about, allowing your reader to feel as if they are part of it.

For example, if there is a new product you are launching, having a poll about where to launch first can help your audience feel as if their opinion matters or asking them to send in their pictures with it can help generate a positive response.

On the whole, always remember the main aim of your content strategy is to influence your target market on its own. Your content should stand out for the value it provides and allow your readers to feel like as if it is talking to them, or solving a problem that they face for them alone. Also, it is very important to listen  anything that your readers may be trying to tell you and the sooner you can act upon relevant feedback; the better it can help you to craft your future content.

Content brings results but it’s not without consistent time and effort. Sometimes, companies forget this aspect when crafting their content and want to achieve quick results. But if you want to make valuable relationships with your target audience, invest time in creating your content and use it as a steady tool to build relationships. When your audience “connects” it will automatically bring results.