Articles

Thinking Outside the Blog: Three Other Ways to Engage Your Target Audience

by Courtney Myers Professional Writer and Editor

When it comes to marketing to your core audience, content still reigns supreme as the way to do it. Even amid developments in automation, digital tech, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and more, nothing will replace the effectiveness and power of good, old-fashioned data delivery. If you can answer a question for your readers, alleviate a pain point, or open their eyes to something they didn’t know before, your chances of conversion are infinitely higher than if you chose to remain silent and let them figure it out for themselves.


Still, with so many virtual tools at our disposal today, traditional blogging has given way to a more advanced form of communication. Visual-heavy with less emphasis on black-and-white text, this type of dialogue is more engaging, more understandable, and more easily digestible than scrolling through a tome-length blog post on your company’s latest software update.


Forward-thinking companies are those that leverage these tools to create and deliver the content that their readers crave. Today, let’s take a look at three platforms that may change your blogging game forever.


1. Informative, Visual-Centered Websites


There’s a reason your Facebook News Feed is full of slick graphics and videos that are so well-produced you can’t look away. We’re visual creatures, and most of us retain what we see for far longer than if we’d just read it on a page. In fact, studies reveal that a staggering 90% of the information that your brain absorbs is visual and that content with accompanying visuals receives 94% more views than one with text alone.


From entertainment-centric sites like Buzzfeed to journalistic outlets like Time, start by researching what others are saying about your industry sphere. For instance, if you own a dental office, you might be hard-pressed to come up with interesting blog topics every day of the week. Yet, hop on Buzzfeed and run a quick search for “dental” and you’ll likely find dozens of offbeat stories and interesting facts that your readers would love to learn about. As an added bonus, you’ll appear in-touch and relevant, and send the message that you’re frequenting the same sites as your audience is.


2. Social Media Channels


Another place to look for great content to share and make your own are social media channels. From influencers on Instagram to pinners on Pinterest, there are likely plenty of people talking about your industry and doing some pretty creative and informative things with it. For instance, if you work in the veterinary field, you might find some adorable DIY pet craft printables on Pinterest that can offer your readers a breath of fresh air in between talking about the importance of brushing your dog’s teeth and why you should always spay and neuter your pets.


The takeaway? As long as you’re not re-tweeting or liking a direct competitor’s post, this can be a great way to build your social media following, grow your brand community and discover new talent along the way.


3. Video Interviews


Especially if you offer a service or operate within a complex niche (think IT technology, biological sciences, engineering and more), your readers may have some confusion around what you do, who your core team members are, and what you can offer them. Sure, you can sit down and write a long blog post, or even break up the information into several posts over the course of a few weeks. Or, you could sit down with some of your employees and ask them some of the burning questions yourself! You can even turn the camera on you to offer a more personalized approach.


Videos like this are also easy to share on your social channels via a simple link and with most platforms, you can easily track and analyze the number of views you receive to gauge the effectiveness of your campaign. This makes them one of the most valuable parts of your social media content creation strategy. You can even host a company roundtable and allow it to be videotaped in real time via features like Facebook Live, giving your audience members and up-close and personal view of just how you do business.


While these channels won’t (and shouldn’t) totally replace your routine blogging, they may offer a change of perspective and a new direction to take every now and again. After all, your customers want to know that you’re an industry leader and they’re interested in hearing your thoughts. Yet, if you can provide that same information in a more informative and engaging way, it only makes sense that you pursue that route every once in a while. By integrating some of these more visual approaches into your standard blogging schedule, you’ll both surprise and intrigue them all at once.


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About Courtney Myers Freshman   Professional Writer and Editor

1 connections, 0 recommendations, 28 honor points.
Joined APSense since, February 24th, 2018, From High Point, NC, United States.

Created on May 21st 2018 16:36. Viewed 435 times.

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