{"id":1304,"date":"2017-05-23T15:56:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-23T15:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commarts.pleather.us\/2017\/05\/23\/how-to-do-effective-content-marketing-use-empathy\/"},"modified":"2017-05-23T15:56:00","modified_gmt":"2017-05-23T15:56:00","slug":"how-to-do-effective-content-marketing-use-empathy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.valdosta.edu\/m2\/2017\/05\/23\/how-to-do-effective-content-marketing-use-empathy\/","title":{"rendered":"HOW TO DO EFFECTIVE CONTENT MARKETING: USE EMPATHY"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

In 2015, branded content output climbed 35% per channel<\/a>,\u00a0but content engagement decreased by 17%.\u00a0What does that say? More content doesn\u2019t<\/em> mean more engagement.<\/p>\n

As a founder of a content marketing agency with a decade of experience, I know this firsthand. You can make all the content you want, but if your audience isn\u2019t connecting, it won\u2019t help your cause.<\/p>\n

Successful content marketing is about attracting people to your brand through content\u2014be it educational, inspirational, or entertaining\u2014with the goal of turning them into customers over time. Ultimately, it\u2019s about engaging your audience, not selling to them.<\/p>\n

<\/b>Too often content marketers ask, \u201cWhat kind of content will help me\u00a0sell<\/i> more?\u201d when\u00a0they should ask,\u00a0\u201cWhat kind of content will provide high value to readers so it will attract<\/i> customers?\u201d\u00a0The answer to that is simple: Focus on solving their<\/em> problems\u2014not yours.<\/p>\n

A friend recently said to me, \u201cWhen you\u2019re thinking about content, consider the hell that your clients are trying to escape from and the heaven that you want to deliver them to.\u201d\u00a0While this might be a dramatic statement, it certainly works for content marketing, especially if your goal is lead generation or increasing sales.<\/p>\n

If you can clearly communicate that you understand your audience\u2019s struggle and have the expertise to help solve their problem, your audience sees that you really care, which makes them more eager to form a relationship with you.<\/p>\n

The key to creating that type of content? Empathy.<\/p>\n

WHAT IS EMPATHY?<\/b><\/h3>\n

According to Merriam-Webster, empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others.\u00a0As Dr. Brene Brown notes<\/a>, empathy is \u201cfeeling with<\/i> people.\u201d\u00a0In the context of marketing, feeling with<\/em> people is about putting your audience\u2019s needs before your own, putting yourself in their shoes to understand the challenges they face. In short: Empathetic marketing considers your audience before your messaging.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but isn\u2019t content marketing about educating others?\u201d Sure\u2014about the things they need\u00a0and want to know. When you follow the empathy paradigm, you ultimately make your job easier. Create content that helps reduce your audience\u2019s pain and frustration, and your brand automatically\u00a0becomes the hero.<\/p>\n

Empathy is not talking about yourself, your services, your pricing, and how great you are. It\u00a0is not trend-jacking\u00a0in a desperate attempt to create relevance.\u00a0(Does a SaaS company that operates in the financial service industry need to be commenting on what Kanye West and Taylor Swift are up to? Probably not.)<\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t mean that you can\u2019t ever promote or sell your company, but there is a time and place for this type of content (usually in the form of sales collateral). Empathy means meeting your audience where they\u2019re at.<\/p>\n

HOW TO INCORPORATE EMPATHY INTO YOUR CONTENT\u00a0MARKETING<\/b><\/h3>\n

To inject more empathy into your marketing,\u00a0there are three simple steps you can take. Consider how you might adopt these practices into your current process.<\/p>\n

1) DEVELOP MARKETING PERSONAS<\/b><\/h4>\n

To understand your audience and what will appeal to them, you need to know who they are. Creating customer personas, also known as \u201cpsychographic mapping,\u201d involves asking and answering a series of questions about who your customers are and what makes them tick.<\/p>\n

Direct conversations with existing customers can help fill in these blanks. The more information you gather about your audience, the better you can identify opportunities to create:<\/p>\n