BusinessOnline :Adding Pizazz to Your Online Marketing Materials

By Carolyn Cohn

You may have marketing materials that are extremely well written (hopefully) and you probably put a great deal of time and effort into making them just so. However, are they spicy enough to not only grab the attention of your target audience members but also keep their attention on a much more long-term basis?

Your content marketing materials should be all that and then some
The truth is that you have a lot of marketing content that is necessary to populate your website as well as the other elements of your online presence. With such a volume, there is a tendency (or at least a potential) to churn out the content without worrying too much about how exciting that content is and how appealing it is to the people who will be reading it. Well, sadly, that is a mistake. You owe it to your target audience members and to your brand to spice your content up as much as you can so that it compels your readers to not only read one piece of content but to stay hungry for more.

Undoubtedly, you want your unique voice to come through in all of your writing. However, that doesn't mean that all of your writing seems identical, with no interesting variation. In the mind of the person who will be reading your content, what is the point of reading more than a small amount of your content if it is all the same? From that person's perspective, it is a huge waste of time and effort. That is time that your reader probably doesn't have to spare.

Another negative result of your content being unimaginative is that readers will not stick with you for too long. They just don't have the patience and their loyalty to you and your brand will only take them so far.

Give new life to your research
Before you are able to write any content at all, you will have to do your homework. Your content marketing strategy must be based on what you have learned about your target audience members. You need to focus on what they want and need and exactly how you are able to solve their problem(s). You must write your content from that perspective, their perspective.

When it comes to finding those answers about your target audience members, you will discover what you need to know through thorough research. You don't want to be stingy with the time and effort that you put into research. On the other hand, you will know when you have done enough research to be able to find the answers that you seek.

A good indicator of whether your research is spot on is if your content is lackluster. The first thing that you will want to determine is exactly how your content is doing. It will be pretty easy for you to gather metrics so that you can figure out what needs to be tweaked, what is working well, and what isn't working at all. Since there is always room for improvement, whatever is working well can still be enhanced for even better results. Of course, whatever isn't working at all should be abandoned and new ideas should take its place and what needs to be tweaked is easy enough to accomplish. Once you have done all that, you should look at the analytics again to see if your efforts are paying off.

Try to see things from a fresh perspective
There is certainly nothing wrong with your perspective; however, it is generally valuable (for your target audience as well as for you) to try to see things from a new perspective as well. In fact, it is a testament to your openmindedness and ability to be flexible. That will certainly go a long way with your target audience, which is what you want. You want to build a strong relationship with your target audience members that is mutually beneficial, solid, and one that will endure for a very long time. A good way to freshen up your perspective is by focusing on areas of your niche or industry on which you don't normally concentrate. Of course, you also need to keep it relevant at all times but if you can find a way to tie those areas to your normal focus, it will be compelling and really educational for anyone who reads your content.

Don't lose sight of your marketing goals
As you are wearing your marketing hat, there are specific goals that you have set up that need to be accomplished. You will need to capture the attention of your target audience members. You will do that with your content, which must be relevant to the people who are reading it.

You will also need to engage your target audience and this is exactly where the concept of demonstrating to the other person exactly how you will be able to solve his or her problem comes in. Once you have established that sort of relationship with the other person, you will hopefully be able to convert him or her to a client. It is really important for you to convince the other person that you are the best person to provide him or her with whatever he or she needs.

Listen to the other person
It is really important that you keep in mind that listening is just as important as speaking. In fact, in some cases, it is even more important. You need to let the other person be heard and to tell you clearly what he or she wants and needs. Keep in mind that you are connected because you are both human beings with shared experiences (the memory of those experiences are based on emotions). You will want to share your story with the other person but you will also want to hear the other person's story. It is that interaction that forms the foundation of your relationship with the other person and it is the reason why you have a relationship at all.

Conclusion
Adding pizazz to your content marketing materials will make a tremendous difference to the results that you are able to achieve for your brand. With so much information at everyone's fingertips, it is important that your content is memorable and one great way to accomplish that is by spicing it up in as uniquely as possible. Remember to share your story in a way that truly touches the other person. If you do that, he or she will be able to relate to what you are sharing. You want your content to connect with the other person in a profound way and you want your content to stand out enough to be top of mind for that person whenever your brand comes up.

Carolyn T. Cohn is the Chief Editor of CompuKol Communications. Mrs. Cohn has a wealth of experience in managing people and projects. She has run several editorial departments for various companies. Mrs. Cohn has 25 years of editorial experience and her expertise covers a wide range of media, such as online editing, editing books, journal articles, abstracts, and promotional and educational materials. Throughout her career, Mrs. Cohn has established and maintained strong relationships with professionals from a wide range of companies. The principle that governs her work is that all words need to be edited.

Mrs. Cohn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo.

Mrs. Cohn is a member of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA).