Creating Content That Engages and Converts: A Step-by-Step Guide

Jun 5

No matter your business or industry, getting your products and resources into the hands of your unique audience and maintaining them as a customer requires compelling content that establishes your authority as an expert for your consumer base. With some simple planning, you can broaden your reach with engaging content and increase your chances of connecting with buyers who need exactly what you offer.

1. Identifying Your Audience

How well do you know your target consumer? Demographics like gender and age, as well as behaviors, motivations, common challenges and needs are critical considerations before you begin crafting engaging content that converts viewers to buyers. After you’ve established your customer profiles through research and analysis, you can segment into smaller groups to guide how you build messaging that reflects truly personalized outreach. This communicates an authenticity and level of trust to existing and potential customers because they can see you understand their unique experience and needs.

A recent Zendesk report found that post pandemic, consumers have way more clarity on what they want—so you need to know too. Think about when you receive an advertisement so frustratingly off base for you it makes you wonder, “WHY am I being shown this?” According to the Zendesk report, all it takes is one bad experience for over 60% of consumers to be turned off. This is why you need to make sure the engaging marketing content you spend time and money on building is making it into the hands of exactly who it’s meant for.

2. Defining Your Strategy

Now that you have buyer personas established, you can start strategizing how to meet them where they’re at. Think long-term, big picture planning for growing brand awareness and customer relationships that will result in conversion rate optimization. Defining your strategy also can bring clarity to the resources and tools you already have available, ensuring you get the most out of your efforts.

Outlining Your Goals

Start with developing a simple list of goals for your business. That might include targets like increasing or diversifying sales, enhancing brand awareness and generating leads. Your goals will be custom to you but the overarching themes for any business’ content strategy relate to increasing customer reach, awareness and sales.

Defining Your Unique Service Offering

Next, what makes you unique in your industry? Why does it matter to your target audience? How can you change their life with your product or service? Figure out your value proposition, because it will become the North Star of the next step—the development of your brand messaging and content.

Telling Your Story

With the context you’ve collected so far with buyer personas and a clear strategy, you’ll know exactly how your audience will best receive your outreach. A major benefit of advancements in the marketing industry is that you have so many options when it comes to what mediums you distribute your content through. For example, while an older audience tends to shy away from more modern social media apps, with a younger audience you better have some TikToks built into your content plan!

Across all buyer personas, however, is a common theme. Our culture is generally seeing and overwhelmed with content right at our fingertips every day all day, so yours must stand out regardless of if it’s a YouTube Short, Instagram Reel, email campaign or blog post. Keeping and capturing potential buyers’ attention is the challenge but is totally attainable if you’re speaking their language.

When it comes to creating your messaging, get excited about telling your story. Nobody knows it better than you.

Remember your North Star—your wow factor—and lead with it.

Follow with the why factor. You’ve studied your audience to know WHY your message matters to them.

Be compelling but brief, considering the shortening attention spans of our ever-consuming society.

Leverage engaging visual assets to display what sets you apart.

Know your call(s) to action and lead your customer there through the above messaging journey. (Your CTAs will likely tie right back into the goals you established in your planning process.)

3. Capitalizing on Analytics

Reviewing the impact of your content is as critical as building it because it will navigate the direction of the messaging you develop for the future. Metrics like click rates, subscription registrations, email open rates and return on investment can illustrate your effectiveness or highlight inefficiencies that need to be adjusted in your next campaign. And just like identifying your audience, you’ll want these analytics audits to be part of your regularly scheduled programming so you can easily monitor trends and pivot when you need to.

Need Help? Let’s Tell Your Story

If creating new or revamping existing brand content feels overwhelming, LTrice Consulting is fully equipped to help you develop and establish your messaging. We offer everything from project-based support to expert-led workshops that can transform your marketing impact.

About LTrice Consulting

LTrice Consulting is a full-service marketing agency based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, proudly serving the Greater Grand Rapids area and clients across the United States. We specialize in innovative, results-driven strategies in marketing, branding, and communications, crafting tailored solutions to elevate brand visibility, foster loyalty, and engage diverse audiences.