[BLOG] Engaging your customers with quality content

Content is paramount when it comes to engaging your customers online. You cannot have a great online presence without sharing quality content. Your content carries the message you want to communicate online.

Every day on the Internet, more than 168 million DVDs of content are consumed, two million blog posts are published which can fill Time Magazine for 770 years, 100 hours of videos are viewed on YouTube, and over 300 billion emails are sent.

How then can your content attract the attention of online consumers, including your customers?

Formats of content: Selecting the audience preference

There are different types of content namely text, images, audio and video. The web was first text-based during its early days and with the advancement of technology different format of content is now possible. Now, you say or show your intent or message in images and videos online either on your website, blog, social media accounts or on mobile.

Each of the content formats has varying power in engagements between you and your target consumer of the content you share.

Text is used to explain and express your thought to readers who can read and understand what you write. Audio comes in handy for those who want to listen to whatever message you have without reading it.

Images speak a thousand words so you can decide to use a strong picture or visual to depict your intent or message. A picture of someone smiling can be understood by more people than trying to explain it in text.

Video is a game changer in content development. So instead of just telling it in text, saying it audio or showing in images, you want to take it a notch up. You want to demonstrate it in motion pictures. You give a real life treatment to your message. Video has the powers of images and audio. Your target consumers can see and hear what you want to say. You can add some text as well.

The choice of which format of content to use depends on your target consumers, their level of literacy, content format preference and the online channels you want to use to reach your consumers.

Choosing the right content format to broadcast your intent through the appropriate online channels delivers great return on investment. The online channel or platform also selects which format of content to use.

YouTube and Vimeo use video; Pinterest and Instagram use images; Twitter is text; Soundcloud is audio. However, some online platforms have multi-format content giving you more freedom to use any of the content formats. Facebook is one of them. Your functional website can also be a multi-format content channel.

Themes of content: Selecting the right subject

The theme of any content is the subject area it can be classified. It can be sports, entertainment, music, arts, culture, politics, relationship, education and democracy. Importantly, each theme must come in a particular content format. Choose the right content format.  

Quality content starts with choosing the right format for theme of your message. Video can show soccer skills better than writing it in text. Audio can push the power of inspiration or poetry more than text. Newspaper headline in text can also attract readers more than just a picture.

Context of Content: Powering “meaning transfer”

Every content derives its core meaning or relevance from the context it is positioned. You cannot tell, say, show or demonstrate the meaning of your message very clearly, if you do not position it in the right context.

Many content developers get it wrong here while others turbo-charge their content by using the right context.

The theme of your content is a guide to the context to position it. If you select soccer, the context can be the ongoing tournaments, the teams and players involved in the game, style of play of the teams, and the historical records (contexts). Know your audience and their preferred context.

10 Bs of Quality Content Broadcasting

I have realised that whatever you post or share on your website, blog or social media can be categorised into what I call “10 Bs of Content Broadcasting”:

Boast: You boast about the benefits of a product, abilities of a person and advantages of a product, person, brand or place have over others. Businesses, brands, celebrities and individuals boast about the differentiating value they have as against their competitors.

Bait: Sometimes, boasting is not enough to draw people’s attention to a particular content. You can use baits to ‘lure’ them to interact or engage on pages or with your postings.

Offer them freebies, giveaways, and exciting ideas through promos, adverts or sales on business, brand or organisation accounts.

Bash: People show their dislike, hatred and opposition to the behaviour of a person, negative situation or conditions of a place, or a perception. They make their dislikes known by bashing them. They sometimes bash politicians for looting or any act of corruption on their social media pages.

Blend: We want to be associated with a product, person or place we share common identities, interests and connections with. Connect with consumers with common interests. They easily associate themselves with people, businesses or brands who share similar identities and interests.

Bless: Showering positive emotions and goodwill on friends, followers and fans (customers) are common on social media. Use inspiration, motivation, insights, wisdom and humour to bless your online consumers.

Battle: Sometimes, you must ‘fight’ the ideas, opinions, perceptions, values and beliefs of other people with yours in a courteous manner. Declare your stands on issues strongly. But make sure you can defend your stand strongly and wisely without causing emotional harm.

Brandish: Show off your achievements, abilities and uniqueness without obvious sense of arrogance. When your football club wins a tournament broadcast, it is not meant to spite the losers.

Balance: Offer balance to extreme views, opinions, ideas and perceptions of other people. When people broadcast contents which are not presented fairly, you must come in to offer the balance. Broadcast content in the right context to avoid misunderstanding or misinterpretation.

Buy: Do not only post, share or comment online or on social media. Market your products or services by posting content on them once a while. People buy based on social recommendations and reviews using social media platforms. If you have goodwill, make use of it to sell.

Broach: Start a discussion on relevant issues on your blog or social media pages. Facilitate the conversations in order to lead it to an expected understanding. If you manage a fan page, you must be able to always bring up new topics for discussion which must be relevant to a majority of the community members.

Conclusion

The quality of your content positioned in the right context for interested community of consumers (customers) will trigger interactive conversation which will result in quality engagement. It takes engagement to convert your conversations into negotiations and deals.

By Maximus Ametorgoh

Technology Consultant, Social Media Strategist, Advertiser & Speaker

Twitter.com/@maxihere

WhatsApp: 0264887887