You spend hours creating content every day. You squeeze out every ounce of your creative juice just to write a post. Your boss reads it and luckily, he likes it. You feel on track...
... until the post is live, and nothing happens.
Let's say:
Nothing is wrong with the copy;
The visual is on point;
You posted it according to the peak times of when your followers are online;
You have utilized appropriate hashtags;
It has a clear CTA;
The product you're selling is genuinely helpful;
And it delivers the brand message.
So, what went wrong?
What is target audience?
Fast Fact
Key takeaway
It's easy to fall into the trap of creating content that's too broad or generic, rather than targeting a specific audience. In this blog post, we'll explore the importance of understanding your target audience and creating content that resonates with them.
Recommended Tool List:
 Audience Intelligence Platform - Audiense |
1) Are you creating content your target audiences are looking for?
Because your boss is not your target audience!
I can guarantee you that 9 out of 10 times it is because your boss and yourself have mistakenly presumed that you belong in the target audience group. You think if the post looks good to you and is approved by the boss, it should interest your potential customers. This is not the case!
Pro tip - Type your industry keyword in https://answerthepublic.com/ and do a quick search. See if your content is answering the questions they have!
2) Does your content sound relevant to your target audiences?
Are you using their language and speaking like them?
A superb content creator is like an actor/ actress. They know their target audience from top to bottom through thorough research, and they can step into their shoes while they write. Unless your boss or yourself is the target audience, your subjective approval does not promise performance!
Pro tip - Go on forums such as Quora and Reddit and see how people talk under relevant topics and in groups. Are you using the same words as they are?
3) Is your content genuinely solving target audience's problems?
Give them practical, valuable, and actionable takeaways!
Many big brands have misunderstood that successful start-ups are successful because they are agile and responsive. Though both factors are important, the main reason successful start-ups are successful is that their founder is the target audience all along! Their brand was founded based on the need to solve a problem that they have.
Pro tip - If you're creating blogs, refer to this amazing resource article by ahrefs, where they break down different outlines that ensure audiences (and even search engines) can find answers in your content!
By avoiding the mistake of creating generic content that fails to connect with your target audience, you can create content that truly resonates and drives success. By understanding your audience's needs and interests and creating content that addresses those needs, you can establish your brand as a trusted authority and drive conversions.
How do I know this?
Because I was once a social media manager myself, and I realized what I was doing was all wrong. I was so focused on pleasing my boss, I completely forgot about my audience. The content was a waste of time. In particular, a red flag went up when my boss stared asking me, "why aren't I see our ads on my feed?"
The point to content creation in the content marketing sense is not to create content for the brand but for the people. And most of the time, the brand has gotten the wrong way round. They speak like corporate press releases when they should connect with their community in an intimate, relevant way. They try to reach more people by hijacking trends instead of genuinely helping their audiences with valuable content. Their content, at best, can only be one-hit wonders.
To create consistently effective content and be able to justify content efforts, any company must invest in a strategy. They must align target audience understanding with brand proposition to create a well documented content strategy:
"Document, document, document! Having a formal process for content marketing was a tactic that the most successful content marketers shared in 2021. The next priority involves the continual improvement of the quality of your content. Focus on improving personalization and humanizing your content, while making sure it’s backed by solid research and an understanding of who your customers are. Don’t be afraid to show the personality and voice of your brand, all the while giving your audience a reason to engage with you."
- Miné Salkin, 40+ Content Marketing Statistics to Power Your 2022 Strategy, Semrush
If I got you to rethink about your content, or you have questions to ask, why not schedule your free 30-minute diagnosis session with me below?