What makes great content? Is it your storytelling? The topics you choose? Or is it the value you bring to the table?
Well, if you’re a marketing professional, you know it’s all of the above. You already understand that to engage your audience, you need content that resonates with them.
But this isn’t always easy to do. You need to know your audience. When you understand their desires and pain points, you can connect with them on an emotional level. This is vital because people’s actions are determined by emotions (not logic).
So first, you just have to find the perfect medium for sharing your content.
Today, more people are watching videos and listening to podcasts. Audio and videos are powerful ways to reach and connect with your audience. If you can use these channels to deliver value (and edutainment), you can build a list of customers and loyal fans. It’s brand-building at its finest.
Use these multimedia formats to tell powerful stories, convey humor, and show you understand their pain points (and how you can help).
Here are three ways you can build a strategy to accomplish this.
1. Find a Niche
You’re leaving the office after a hectic work week. You’re hungry and tired — the idea of going home to cook a meal is appalling. So you decide to eat out.
You take a quick ride and find two options: a fast-food joint and a dine-in serving vegetarian dishes.
In restaurant #1, you’ll find all kinds of people — different races, ages, and personalities. Folks are coming out with bagged-up meals, some already eating as they walk to their cars.
In restaurant #2, you’ll see a more defined group of people. Sure, there’s still a mix of demographics, but one thing’s for sure — they’re not meat-eaters. And they don’t mind waiting for their meals.
One restaurant isn’t better than the other. And it’s clear they’re both successful. This is the power of a niche. Both restaurants understand their customers and what they care about most. So they designed menus and atmospheres that cater specifically to them.
How does this translate to your audio and video content?
It’s about finding your differentiator factor and how it speaks to your audience, no matter their demographic. That’s what ties your audience together, the same way the restaurant’s unique differentiator attracts and ties their customers together.
So how do you go about finding your niche? Here are a few pointers:
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- Think of a unique way you can solve your audience’s problems through content
- Focus on your audience by imagining who they are and what they believe in
- Speak to their needs and pain points and show exactly how you can serve them
- Communicate how you’ll solve a problem in a unique way
Maybe your customers lack time to craft content that converts. So you focus on delivering tips and strategies from experts to help them streamline their efforts.
Another option: use an explainer video to show how your product or service eliminates their pain point.
When you focus on a niche, chances are you’ll be creating insights for audiences that are underserved. Too many brands focus on being everything for everyone instead of what their audience actually needs. If you can be the brand that delivers education and relevance to your audience, you’ll build a connection through trust and admiration.
2. Give Your Audience Access to Experts
You’ve niched down to attract your target audience. The next step: Deliver effective content that answers their questions about different topics of interest.
Often, brands struggle to show they’re an expert in their industry. The key is showing you’re an authority. But what if you’re “meh” on a topic within your niche? Then you do the next best thing:
Partner with subject matter experts. Demonstrate their expertise through impactful interviews via your podcast or YouTube channel. Ask questions your audience cares about so they can have takeaways they can apply immediately.
Exposing your audience to experts they trust and admire builds trust in your brand and offers real value. Plus, it fills the knowledge gap and increases your reach.
Joshua Wales, the Senior Marketing and Events Coordinator at Janes shares similar sentiments.
“I would say networking is key to really elevating your podcasts. So if you have influences within your industry that are in reach, then absolutely utilize them and find a way to get more of them as guests on your podcasts. And then, what tends to happen when you have a guest on your podcast, your host will then be a guest on their podcast, and you get this kind of cross-promotion between companies or between organizations. And that can really double your reach,” Joshua said.
To find, engage, and effectively partner with experts for your content:
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- Identify the right expert based on your niche and audience
- Ask the best questions
- Engage the expert as a partner in your content strategy and development process
Doing these three things develops a mutually beneficial relationship with the experts that will, in turn, produce clear, concise, and effective content.
That’s what Terminus did when it incorporated audio and video content into its content campaigns. They’re not only creating thought leadership but are also using multimedia content to build excitement among their audience.
3. Entertain Your Audience
Consumers are constantly searching for engaging yet personalized experiences from brands.
In fact, 70% of the customer’s journey is based on how they feel they are being treated. And adding personalized consumer experiences can increase your conversion rate by 8%.
What does this mean for brands? It’s essential to create personalized, relevant, and engaging conversations around the products or services you offer.
How do you achieve this? Meet (or even exceed) their expectations. And look for unique ways to deliver your content, so it’s convenient to consume.
Janes does this by diversifying their content, which includes podcasting.
“I talk about diversity of content a lot, such as email, social media, videos, webinars, and so on, and they all have their own individual place. And podcasting is really just another form of content, and people have their own personal preferences of how to consume this content. So if we have more diversity of content, which includes podcasting, then we’re going to be able to reach more people and meet their individual needs.
“So I think it’s just a case of reacting to people’s preferences. And we can see that a lot of people do enjoy listening to podcasts. So we’re able to reach that new audience through this form of content,” Josh said.
With conversational or human marketing, it’s easier to provide entertaining experiences. It also shows your audience you’re all-in on serving them the way they want to be served (without shoving them down a funnel just to convert a lead).
Connect with Your Audience Through Multimedia
Using audio and video is a way to turn topics into compelling (easy-to-consume) content.
Leverage tools that take your audio and video content to the next level, and start building connections with your audience today.
Need help with that? Casted has your back. We’re all about building connections.
We’ve mastered the art of using conversational (a.k.a. human) marketing to create rich, relevant, engaging, and expert-driven content that delivers results — for you and your audience.
Find out how by scheduling a demo today!
