A common question I hear from clients who are blogging for business is: How do I come up with content that interests my target audience and motivates them to take action?
It’s not enough to start writing about what you think your audience wants to know about your business or industry. Researching and listening to your audience’s problems or questions are important steps before creating content. So here are a few tips to help you create the right content for your audience.
1. Listen to current customers. What questions do your customers ask you repeatedly (in person or online)? Keep a notebook of those questions and turn the answers into blog posts.
2. Search for questions online. Use Twitter’s Search/Advanced Search feature, Hootsuite’s search, Google Search, Quora (question & answer site) to find out what questions your target audience asks online.
3. Ask your audience. Ask questions directly on your social sites: Facebook questions, LinkedIn Groups, Google+ posts, Tweets or Direct Messages on Twitter (be careful about using direct messages – I don’t recommend sending out a mass of automated messages).
4. Create a survey. This can be as simple as a one-question survey at the end of an email, conversation or transaction. Or use a free tool, like Survey Monkey, to create a 1 to 10 question survey where you can track results online.
5. Hold a Q & A event. Some Facebook Page Owners host question and answer days, on a weekly or monthly basis, where they open up their Page wall for “live” questions or answer previously submitted questions.
6. Organize your data. Set up a system to collect the data you will use later to create the content your audience wants to hear. Whether it’s a notebook you carry with you or a tool like Evernote (which I recommend for all kinds of online content management), the more organized a system you set up initially, the easier it is when it’s time to sit down and write your blog posts.
Use these tips to learn more about your target audience and create the content that is right for them and your business.
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About Terry League