There once was a boring brand that needed to find a way to stand out in a competitive market. They tried social media, email marketing and paid ads, but nothing seemed to work. The brand was stuck selling a commodity product that no one wanted to buy.
But then they found a way to change their strategy. They started creating funny videos and memes that poked fun at themselves. People started sharing these videos and memes online, and the brand began to see a rise in sales.
Now the boring brand is known for being funny and quirky, and people love buying their products. Thanks to their clever marketing strategy – and winning content – the boring brand rose above its limitations and is now one of the most successful companies in its industry!
Customers are bored with “boring” and can quickly spot a fake. They’re a lot suaver these days. And what they want, above all else, is something real. They want content that speaks to them personally…something familiar. They want candid stories that show how your brand understands them, their lives and their problems.
When you offer your customers a slice-of-life realness, it resonates.
Below are four principles to follow when it comes to content marketing. Hold fast to these and you will drive brand awareness, stand out from the crowd, and achieve your goals, no matter the business you’re in. (Public service announcement: If resonance isn’t one of your goals, it should be.)
- Authenticity. Keep it genuine. It sounds obvious, but there is tangible proof that realness rules. At the end of the day, “truth” is about getting it right for your audience.
- Sensory. The more senses your content can engage, the more attention it receives (and the more information is retained). Our culture has caved to information overload, but our senses still long to be turned on.
- Archetype. Throughout history, archetypes have been used as the principal components of storytelling. Tailoring content to include personality (and personality traits) allows us to use our senses to boost recognition and foster connections.
- Relevancy. Cultural relevance is on everybody’s minds and lips, and your content should connect with your audience. If you know them and trust them to open their minds, then delivering localized content in real-time will keep your brand on top and ahead of the game.
To wrap this up, here are the key takeaways: While Bill Gates penned the classic opinion that “content is king,” our updated take on the phrase is “resonance is everything.” Remember, keep it relatable, build intrigue, create personas and be in the moment. Content that resonates with your audience will make your brand their favorite. And isn’t being their top pick the goal?
If you’d like to partner with a team of content strategists that are hyper-focused on telling stories that resonate, give us a try. After all, to us, Content Matterz!