How to "Content Differently"?

Over the years with changing market scenarios, most companies today have started investing in content marketing. However, what most companies miss out on, is to set a trend and not merely follow the ongoing trend. The recipe to content production sounds simple, all you got to do is find a few writers, find a few topics and write. Doesn’t sound like a right thing to do or does it?
But guess what, that’s exactly what’s happening in most organisations. So, how do we make the process more dynamic while making the content more valuable? The process will require a little bit of effort, but trust me it will pay off. I have curated a list of “Do’s” which might provide you some direction, if you are willing to take this daring path as well.

1. CURATE AND CREATE:
Why do the work alone? Involve the teams and you could be shooting for the stars. Expertise comes with experience. If you are about to generate content which is specific to a certain domain, why not get the content from the ones who actually do the work. This will provide more light and defined opinions about the topic being spoken about. It also helps skip the research and helps design more optimised content. Better knowledge of keywords, automatically comes with enhanced learning of a certain subject.
For example, you are about to write a piece on the latest technology advancements that your product has undergone. You might be aware of the changes at a superficial level but your buddies from the technical team would definitely be able to give you detailed insights. Why not make use of that then writing yet another generic piece of junk that nobody would read!

2. CUSTOMISE YOUR CONTENT:
Before going ahead with actually creating content, it is important to define the audience. Ask yourself the question, who are you writing for? If you have successfully defined your audience, you would realise that there are three types of audiences you cater to: 1. the general public and 2. Your clients and customers 3. Your prospects. All the audience groups, desire different types of content and it’s only fair to not shove unnecessary content in their faces.
Your general audience, isn’t looking for industry jargon or details of a report that your company has the capability to design. They are looking for generic content which can help increase their knowledge about a certain domain. On the other hand, your clients/customers/prospects are more concerned about how your company can benefit them, what your company’s stance in the market is or what the latest developments in your company are.
In fact, it’s even better if you can figure out the pain areas of your prospects/clients and provide them with content which talks about the same and possibly provides remedies as well. Who doesn’t wish for some good done at no cost!
3. SPREAD THE WORD:
Once your content is ready, it is time to get it out for criticism. But how do you make sure that your content is feeding maximum minds? Not every one of them would be an avid reader or not all of them would be willing to watch you 2 minute long, 15 slider presentation! This calls for being a good usherer and catering to all their needs as and where they wish for it. This can be easily achieved by making use of multiple mediums. For example, if you are a clothing brand and you have launched a latest line of clothing, where could you possibly talk about it? Create a video ad, get a celebrity blogger to write about your clothing line, promote on social media, display newspaper and magazine ads, create a radio jingle and the options are endless!
More popularly known as 360 degree communication, is what you need to really do. If you manage to get your marketing right, there’s no stopping you.
4. MIX AND MATCH:
All work and no fun can make life boring, same goes when it comes to content. You need to make sure that your audience stays interested in what you publish. If you inject them with similar content, all the time, it definitely gets boring. The solution is just like cooking an Indian dish, add some “masala” to your content.
Let me give you an example, if you are a technology based firm and you are constantly writing posts (blogs and other forms of content) related to the latest technology in the market or how your company has been advancing in the same field, it might start to get boring at some point. If you find an alternative and start writing about more fun topics, like how to add a funky look to your office or how to exercise while you work on those tedious codes, you could be attracting another set of minds to your readership group.
This in fact not just increases your content’s reach but also in some way adds to your marketing benefits. As they say, no advertising is bad advertising.
5. PERSONALISE:
Your content is craving for attention, if you can find yet another way to grab some, why not make use of it? One of the nicer ways of doing it would be by adding a personal touch to your marketing strategy. Oh no, I don’t mean targeted marketing here. Let me explain. You design content for various audience groups, existing customers/clients, prospects and general audience as mentioned earlier. However, since not everyone is interested in reading all forms of content, how about you segregate the content and make it simpler for them.
For example, add a pop up login section to your website, especially for your clients/prospects, who would like to know deeper details about your brand. Add an easy sign up option and the next time they need to browse your content, they know exactly where to go!