{"id":1175,"date":"2017-05-04T15:02:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-04T15:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commarts.pleather.us\/2017\/05\/04\/5-ways-to-educate-your-customers-through-content\/"},"modified":"2017-05-04T15:02:00","modified_gmt":"2017-05-04T15:02:00","slug":"5-ways-to-educate-your-customers-through-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/m2\/2017\/05\/04\/5-ways-to-educate-your-customers-through-content\/","title":{"rendered":"5 WAYS TO EDUCATE YOUR CUSTOMERS THROUGH CONTENT"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article originally appeared on\u00a0Column Five<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Content marketing is not about talking about yourself; it\u2019s about creating content<\/a> that delivers true value to your audience\u2014the content they need and want. No matter who your audience is, I can guarantee that what they need and want is information that helps them learn, grow, and improve in some way.<\/p>\n

When your brand provides that information, you\u2019re providing an education\u2014and that is a truly valuable service.<\/p>\n

\u201cEducation\u201d through content marketing can take many forms: practical (how-tos and tutorials), theoretical (deep dives into specific subjects), or brand-specific (product information and features). Most importantly, it delivers useful information in the right context, at the right time.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, over the last decade, we\u2019ve seen too many marketers focus on what they want to say instead of what their audience wants to learn. This is a huge mistake; if you want to succeed in content marketing, focusing on education is crucial. It\u2019s also not that hard. Here are five ways to create education-based content that delivers great value to your audience.<\/p>\n

1) PROVE THAT YOU FEEL THEIR PAIN<\/strong><\/h3>\n

People want help from those who know what they\u2019re going through, who can help them navigate those issues. Therefore, the best way to make yourself attractive to a customer is to help solve their problems via content.<\/p>\n

An added benefit: Creating this type of content not only shows your audience that you care about educating them but proves that you can educate them, positioning your brand as a helpful resource.<\/p>\n

How do you get familiar with your clients\u2019 pain points? Ask. Email them. Call them. Take them out to lunch, dinner, or drinks.<\/p>\n

Whichever way you do it, use this information to fuel your content.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve created audience personas with the information we\u2019ve gleaned from our conversations with clients, which we reference during every brainstorm. This helps us ensure that each idea addresses as specific pain point. (Here\u2019s how to m<\/a>ake your own personas<\/a>\u00a0if you haven\u2019t done it already.)<\/p>\n

2) LET THEM LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In addition to wanting help from people who understand their problems, your customers want to know that you have personally overcome their struggles (or personally know how to solve them).<\/p>\n

Customers respect industry leaders who can speak authoritatively on the issues they face. Yes, \u201cthought leadership\u201d is a term that gets tossed around a lot, and so it has been cheapened, but the original idea behind it is to showcase your experience, share the lessons you\u2019ve learned, and prove that you know your stuff.<\/p>\n

Seth Godin has said<\/a>, \u201cThe lessons we remember are the lessons we learn the hard way.\u201d Even if you don\u2019t think you are the expert, you probably still know more than your customers and thus are in a good position to educate them.<\/p>\n

On that note, if you feel like an impostor because someone has 10 more years of experience than you do, here\u2019s the good news: Everyone deals with this syndrome\u2014myself included. (Here\u2019s a great piece to help you overcome impostor syndrome<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

3) HELP THEM GET TO KNOW YOU<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Showcasing your unique point of view is truly the only way to stand out from your competitors. No one has had the same set of experiences and life lessons you\u2019ve had, and this is truly your best value prop.<\/p>\n

Sure, there\u2019s a company with more website visitors than you have. Sure, they may have more e-books than you do. And, sure, they may have more speaking gigs than you do. But what they don\u2019t have is your exact experience or perspective. They don\u2019t have your same personality, values<\/a>, client service style, or goals.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t try to be Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, or Tony Robbins. Learn from them, but forge your own path.<\/p>\n

The more you can showcase who you are through content and educate your audience through interaction with your brand<\/a>, the more your audience will forge a more unique, personal connection with you.<\/p>\n

This content will also attract people who have similar perspectives or philosophies, which means that audience is more likely to convert (as opposed to other methods, such as paid search or radio advertising, which reaches broader audiences).<\/p>\n

At Column Five, we produce informative content for our clients, but we also create content to showcase our company\u2019s values and personal passions (e.g., our People for Periods interactive infographic<\/a> to help destigmatize menstruation).<\/p>\n

4) TEACH THEM A PRACTICAL SKILL<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Thought leadership is important, but sometimes brands get a little too esoteric, musing in long blog posts or philosophizing on a podcast. That knowledge is valuable, but if it isn\u2019t immediately applicable to your audience\u2019s life, it can take a backseat.<\/p>\n

Instead, try repackaging that knowledge into smaller, shareable content your audience can put to use. Even a small tidbit via a tweet can help. Seek to educate through tutorials, how-to guides, hacks, and tips, but remember that practicality is key for this type of content.<\/p>\n

You can also use this type of helpful microcontent<\/a> to promote your larger pieces. For example, we created this infographic<\/a> on how to optimize your blog for publishing to help promo an e-book<\/a> on content distribution.<\/p>\n

5) LEARN TOGETHER<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You are an expert in your industry. You know your stuff. But you\u2019re also eager to expand your knowledge to give your audience the best information possible at all times. Demonstrating that you are also an active student teaches your audience that you aren\u2019t just resting on your laurels. It helps them learn new things, too.<\/p>\n

To help educate ourselves and our audience, we conduct Q&As<\/a> with industry leaders we think are doing great work and are successful in their own lanes. For example, a few members of our team were so enamored of PopSugar\u2019s Snapchat stories, we interviewed them<\/a>\u00a0to find out everything about their production process and provide a few tips to our readers.<\/p>\n

REMEMBER: VALUE COMES FIRST<\/h3>\n

Expanding your reach, exploring new ideas, and fostering a learning community through content can only help your brand, as long as you\u2019re focused on providing value. Remember the wise words of Zig Ziglar<\/a>: \u201cYou can have everything in life you want\u00a0if you will just help enough other people get what they want.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about creating better content, check out our team\u2019s top tips to make you a better content marketer<\/a> and take a look at our\u00a0best fixes for your biggest content marketing problems<\/a>. Of course, if you need help with your content efforts, we\u2019re always happy to chat<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Source: Visual News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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